Way Out West 2012: The Plan and Days One and Two
We'd never vacationed like this together. By "like this" I mean that we'd always gone to a single destination and stayed there. By "like this" I also mean that we'd never made a trip this long, not even our honeymoon. Our destination was the West, within which we had a list of destinations: fly to Colorado Springs, CO, pick up our rental car and stay the night in Castle Rock, CO; drive all day to Hot Springs, SD (one night); drive to Rapid City, SD, where my cousin Bob and aunt Sonia live (two nights); drive to Bozeman, MT (one night); drive to Stevensville, MT, just south of Missoula (two nights); drive to Ennis, MT (one night); drive to Cody, WY, via Yellowstone National Park (one night); drive to Cheyenne, WY (one night); drive to Colorado Springs (one night); fly home. Our departure was Wednesday, 25 July, and our return, Sunday, 5 August.
Wednesday, 25 July—Still on a high from the Cody reunion in Nashville on Sunday 22, we were first surprised and elated on departure from home to find that we seemed to have everything packed in two suitcases, one big and one small. Leesa had small shoulder bag with her purse inside. I had my book bag and my guitar. We left home around 1:00 in the afternoon and caught our flight out of Knoxville at 4:55 pm EDT. After the obligatory layover in Atlanta, we flew to Colorado Springs (cheaper than Denver as a destination), arriving there around 8:30 pm MDT. We picked up our car—a Chevy Aveo—and hit I-25 headed north.
Thursday, 26 July—We woke up in the Super 8 in Castle Rock, CO, and meandered around in that area for much of the late morning, looking for Curves in nearby Parker. (I must say at this point that we never got in a big hurry at any time. I don't think we ever left an area in route to our next destination until noon or well after.) Eventually we found it and, after Leesa's workout, found I-25 and continued north, through Denver and then Cheyenne. Just north of the latter, we left I-25 for a US Highway (85 or 87) and traveled up the eastern border of Wyoming. Of course, the West was in evidence as soon as we were out of the airport in Colorado Springs, but this drive through Wyoming really began to show us what we were in for, both the sights and the driving.
Wyoming towns of note were Torrington and Lusk—not because they were the only noteworthy locations along our route but because towns are few and far between in this part of the world. We couldn't decide what or where to eat. I'm sure there were good places, but we passed them up every time. But passing up a place to eat or get gas or use the restroom in eastern Wyoming means that you're likely to be driving a good long time before another opportunity arises. Early in the evening and still unsuppered, we turned east and crossed into South Dakota, and within a little while we were again at a Super 8, this one in Hot Springs, SD.
The Super 8 was right beside the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, and we didn't even go visit it. I'm still a little embarrassed about that, but the day was long and the trip was new trip was just beginning. I was more interested in the steakhouse next door. Finally, with supper behind us, we took a brief stroll on the riverwalk in Hot Springs, bought some necessities at a local grocer and a couple of unnecessaries at Dairy Queen and then went to bed.
Wednesday, 25 July—Still on a high from the Cody reunion in Nashville on Sunday 22, we were first surprised and elated on departure from home to find that we seemed to have everything packed in two suitcases, one big and one small. Leesa had small shoulder bag with her purse inside. I had my book bag and my guitar. We left home around 1:00 in the afternoon and caught our flight out of Knoxville at 4:55 pm EDT. After the obligatory layover in Atlanta, we flew to Colorado Springs (cheaper than Denver as a destination), arriving there around 8:30 pm MDT. We picked up our car—a Chevy Aveo—and hit I-25 headed north.
Thursday, 26 July—We woke up in the Super 8 in Castle Rock, CO, and meandered around in that area for much of the late morning, looking for Curves in nearby Parker. (I must say at this point that we never got in a big hurry at any time. I don't think we ever left an area in route to our next destination until noon or well after.) Eventually we found it and, after Leesa's workout, found I-25 and continued north, through Denver and then Cheyenne. Just north of the latter, we left I-25 for a US Highway (85 or 87) and traveled up the eastern border of Wyoming. Of course, the West was in evidence as soon as we were out of the airport in Colorado Springs, but this drive through Wyoming really began to show us what we were in for, both the sights and the driving.
Wyoming towns of note were Torrington and Lusk—not because they were the only noteworthy locations along our route but because towns are few and far between in this part of the world. We couldn't decide what or where to eat. I'm sure there were good places, but we passed them up every time. But passing up a place to eat or get gas or use the restroom in eastern Wyoming means that you're likely to be driving a good long time before another opportunity arises. Early in the evening and still unsuppered, we turned east and crossed into South Dakota, and within a little while we were again at a Super 8, this one in Hot Springs, SD.
The Super 8 was right beside the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, and we didn't even go visit it. I'm still a little embarrassed about that, but the day was long and the trip was new trip was just beginning. I was more interested in the steakhouse next door. Finally, with supper behind us, we took a brief stroll on the riverwalk in Hot Springs, bought some necessities at a local grocer and a couple of unnecessaries at Dairy Queen and then went to bed.
posted by mac | 2:54 PM
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