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Started By
Message
road trip review, seattle WA to boulder CO (pix) pt 1
Posted on 8/17/18 at 11:30 am
Posted on 8/17/18 at 11:30 am
We flew into SEA late on 6/27, uber’d to the Hotel Theodore and crashed.
Seattle was fine, unbearably crowded though. I don’t need to go back there anytime soon. We hit up the usual tourist stuff (market, ferris wheel, etc) and did have a nice dinner at Shaker+Spear. The best thing we ate though was smoked salmon on a stick and homemade ginger beer at the market.
On 6/29 we picked up the rental Jeep downtown, and drove east to the Gorge Amphitheatre for a show. On the way we hit up an REI store for equipment and picked up road provisions. We stayed in an AirBnB right on the river which was very cool. The Gorge is a bucket-list place if that’s your thing.
The next day, we drove along the Columbia River gorge all the way to Eugene OR stopping in Portland for lunch. This drive was a real highlight. We took our time and saw the sights.
Show at Autzen Stadium that night, excellent time. Eugene is a cool place with very friendly people.
Had breakfast the next morning, and drove to Bend OR. Bend itself was just OK, but the drive thru Willamette was beautiful. We brewery-hopped that night and had dinner. The beer in Oregon is world-class.
Hit the road again the next day for the drive to Crater Lake NP. Along the way we spent hours at the Newberry Volcano area, which is a must see.
The first sight you get of Crater Lake is breathtaking. We got very lucky with the weather there (the whole trip really) as it was clear blue skies with crisp mornings and comfortable evenings. We stayed two nights, the highlight being a boat ride to Wizard Island and the hike up to the summit.
Next stop after a long drive was Stanley ID. It was very cool driving thru many festive small towns on the 4th of July, and once we got out of the Oregon desert and into Idaho the scenery was magnificent. Most of the drive was along the Snake River. We got to Stanley mid-afternoon, just in time for the 4th of July parade and the street party afterwards, late into the night. Stanley was delightful and we had a blast.
Very hungover, we chilled out in Stanley and had brunch, debated staying another night, re-grouped a bit while we had cell service, and eventually started off to Yellowstone. The Sawtooth National Forest is spectacular, and we spent a lot of time along the way stopping and taking short hikes
Seattle was fine, unbearably crowded though. I don’t need to go back there anytime soon. We hit up the usual tourist stuff (market, ferris wheel, etc) and did have a nice dinner at Shaker+Spear. The best thing we ate though was smoked salmon on a stick and homemade ginger beer at the market.
On 6/29 we picked up the rental Jeep downtown, and drove east to the Gorge Amphitheatre for a show. On the way we hit up an REI store for equipment and picked up road provisions. We stayed in an AirBnB right on the river which was very cool. The Gorge is a bucket-list place if that’s your thing.
The next day, we drove along the Columbia River gorge all the way to Eugene OR stopping in Portland for lunch. This drive was a real highlight. We took our time and saw the sights.
Show at Autzen Stadium that night, excellent time. Eugene is a cool place with very friendly people.
Had breakfast the next morning, and drove to Bend OR. Bend itself was just OK, but the drive thru Willamette was beautiful. We brewery-hopped that night and had dinner. The beer in Oregon is world-class.
Hit the road again the next day for the drive to Crater Lake NP. Along the way we spent hours at the Newberry Volcano area, which is a must see.
The first sight you get of Crater Lake is breathtaking. We got very lucky with the weather there (the whole trip really) as it was clear blue skies with crisp mornings and comfortable evenings. We stayed two nights, the highlight being a boat ride to Wizard Island and the hike up to the summit.
Next stop after a long drive was Stanley ID. It was very cool driving thru many festive small towns on the 4th of July, and once we got out of the Oregon desert and into Idaho the scenery was magnificent. Most of the drive was along the Snake River. We got to Stanley mid-afternoon, just in time for the 4th of July parade and the street party afterwards, late into the night. Stanley was delightful and we had a blast.
Very hungover, we chilled out in Stanley and had brunch, debated staying another night, re-grouped a bit while we had cell service, and eventually started off to Yellowstone. The Sawtooth National Forest is spectacular, and we spent a lot of time along the way stopping and taking short hikes
This post was edited on 8/17/18 at 11:40 am
2
Posted on 8/17/18 at 11:31 am to cgrand
part 2
Got to Yellowstone late afternoon, we went in the east entrance and made our way to Mammoth Hot Springs for the night, after seeing the sights along the way. While most of the “name” attractions are familiar to most people, the place is jaw-dropping and a 100% must-visit. If you are debating it, just go. It must be seen. Yes the crowds are a hassle, yes those same crowds are full of fat Americans and Asian tourists, but they can be avoided with little effort without missing anything. We spent four full days there and I’m ready to go back. I would say my number 1 piece of advice is to stay inside the park (it’s expensive), and hit the sights early. We typically would go to a new area at dawn, catch the main attractions, then get off the road for hikes the rest of the day. In the evenings, go to Lamar or Hayden valleys and see the wildlife. Also, acquire mosquito repellant as soon as possible. You may think you’ve seen mosquitos before…trust me, you have not.
We spent one night at Mammoth, two nights at Canyon Lodge and one night at Grant Village. I’d recommend Canyon Lodge cabins as the best place to stay, its centrally located and comfortable.
We did four half-day hikes:
South Rim Trail at the canyon, to Ribbon Lake/Clear Lake and back (uncle tom’s was closed)
Hellroaring Creek (Tower area)
Storm Point Loop (Yellowstone Lake)
Fairy Falls to Imperial Geyser (Grand Prismatic)
The canyon hike was the best, as you got to see everything…the river, the canyon, geothermals, forests, meadows, creeks, wild flowers, etc. It gets a 5/5 recommendation.
Storm Point was very cool, and the Yellowstone Lake area is underrated. Fairy Falls was just OK, as the hike itself isn’t that scenic, but the payoff at the end (Imperial Geyser) is worth it. Just as beautiful as Grand Prismatic, but with an active geyser in the pool, and no crowds. We had to bail out of the Hellroaring hike ½ way as there were multiple bears in the area and my wife (clutching her bear spray) made us turn around…
This is getting long so if anyone has Yellowstone questions, ask away.
On to Grand Teton NP, we stayed two nights at Colter Bay Cabins. Great place, as we were ready to relax and re-group after going hard every day in YS. We went horseback riding, float trip on the river, ate and drank (heavily). Got laundry done, took care of some business (no reliable wifi in YS), and such. The restaurant/bar at Colter Bay is great, as the pizza place at Dornan’s.
Next stop after driving thru the rest of GTNP, one night in Jackson. Nice place but I don’t need to go back. We did ride the lift up to Snow King, really cool vista from there. Otherwise, to me its Gatlinburg for the 1%-ers.
Hit the road thru Wyoming, thru the Wind River reservation stopping for the night in Saratoga at the hot springs resort. The resort was fantastic, with an on-site brewery and dinner outside next to the springs. We soaked, a lot.
Next day we spent a bunch of time in Medicine Bow NF, including the “Snowy Range”…beautiful place.
Last stop, Boulder CO. Two shows at Folsom Field, as always a hoot. Love me some Boulder.
We did take most of Saturday to pack, ship home a bunch of stuff, get the rental car detailed (it was pretty grubby by then) and get ready to leave Sunday morning. The Boulder Base Camp hotel we stayed at is highly recommended.
So that’s it, it was a trip of a lifetime so far. A little over 2700 miles on the jeep and we saw some of the best America has to offer. Hopefully I picked out some decent pictures to post here, out of the thousands we took.
Got to Yellowstone late afternoon, we went in the east entrance and made our way to Mammoth Hot Springs for the night, after seeing the sights along the way. While most of the “name” attractions are familiar to most people, the place is jaw-dropping and a 100% must-visit. If you are debating it, just go. It must be seen. Yes the crowds are a hassle, yes those same crowds are full of fat Americans and Asian tourists, but they can be avoided with little effort without missing anything. We spent four full days there and I’m ready to go back. I would say my number 1 piece of advice is to stay inside the park (it’s expensive), and hit the sights early. We typically would go to a new area at dawn, catch the main attractions, then get off the road for hikes the rest of the day. In the evenings, go to Lamar or Hayden valleys and see the wildlife. Also, acquire mosquito repellant as soon as possible. You may think you’ve seen mosquitos before…trust me, you have not.
We spent one night at Mammoth, two nights at Canyon Lodge and one night at Grant Village. I’d recommend Canyon Lodge cabins as the best place to stay, its centrally located and comfortable.
We did four half-day hikes:
South Rim Trail at the canyon, to Ribbon Lake/Clear Lake and back (uncle tom’s was closed)
Hellroaring Creek (Tower area)
Storm Point Loop (Yellowstone Lake)
Fairy Falls to Imperial Geyser (Grand Prismatic)
The canyon hike was the best, as you got to see everything…the river, the canyon, geothermals, forests, meadows, creeks, wild flowers, etc. It gets a 5/5 recommendation.
Storm Point was very cool, and the Yellowstone Lake area is underrated. Fairy Falls was just OK, as the hike itself isn’t that scenic, but the payoff at the end (Imperial Geyser) is worth it. Just as beautiful as Grand Prismatic, but with an active geyser in the pool, and no crowds. We had to bail out of the Hellroaring hike ½ way as there were multiple bears in the area and my wife (clutching her bear spray) made us turn around…
This is getting long so if anyone has Yellowstone questions, ask away.
On to Grand Teton NP, we stayed two nights at Colter Bay Cabins. Great place, as we were ready to relax and re-group after going hard every day in YS. We went horseback riding, float trip on the river, ate and drank (heavily). Got laundry done, took care of some business (no reliable wifi in YS), and such. The restaurant/bar at Colter Bay is great, as the pizza place at Dornan’s.
Next stop after driving thru the rest of GTNP, one night in Jackson. Nice place but I don’t need to go back. We did ride the lift up to Snow King, really cool vista from there. Otherwise, to me its Gatlinburg for the 1%-ers.
Hit the road thru Wyoming, thru the Wind River reservation stopping for the night in Saratoga at the hot springs resort. The resort was fantastic, with an on-site brewery and dinner outside next to the springs. We soaked, a lot.
Next day we spent a bunch of time in Medicine Bow NF, including the “Snowy Range”…beautiful place.
Last stop, Boulder CO. Two shows at Folsom Field, as always a hoot. Love me some Boulder.
We did take most of Saturday to pack, ship home a bunch of stuff, get the rental car detailed (it was pretty grubby by then) and get ready to leave Sunday morning. The Boulder Base Camp hotel we stayed at is highly recommended.
So that’s it, it was a trip of a lifetime so far. A little over 2700 miles on the jeep and we saw some of the best America has to offer. Hopefully I picked out some decent pictures to post here, out of the thousands we took.
This post was edited on 8/17/18 at 12:04 pm
Posted on 8/17/18 at 11:35 am to cgrand
cool pics. I'm jealous, although I'm not sure I'd follow Dead and Co. that far. 
Posted on 8/17/18 at 11:46 am to cgrand
quote:
Stanley ID.
Love Stanley.
Posted on 8/17/18 at 11:49 am to RogerTheShrubber
i think we met all 60 people that live there
at the shindig that nite one of the folks shared a sip of mushroom tea that livened things up a bit...
we really wanted to stay another night there but that would have put us off schedule. i'd love to go back and hang for a few days
at the shindig that nite one of the folks shared a sip of mushroom tea that livened things up a bit...
we really wanted to stay another night there but that would have put us off schedule. i'd love to go back and hang for a few days
Posted on 8/17/18 at 1:11 pm to cgrand
I was at the show in Eugene! Good time.
Posted on 8/17/18 at 1:18 pm to cgrand
Great pictures! I am extremely jealous and just texted my girlfriend telling her I want to do this trip next year. The Gorge is definitely on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing 
How long was the trip?
How long was the trip?
Posted on 8/17/18 at 1:25 pm to Large Farva
was 6/27 to 7/15 so almost 3 weeks
the holiday being mid week made it easier to be out of the office so long
the holiday being mid week made it easier to be out of the office so long
Posted on 8/17/18 at 2:25 pm to cgrand
Basecamp in Boulder was nice.
Posted on 8/17/18 at 5:27 pm to cgrand
Looks like a damn good trip
Posted on 8/17/18 at 8:47 pm to cgrand
I was in Yellowstone/GT the same week as you. The mosquitos were awful but we were back last week and they are all gone. They had a very wet June and dry July. We saw 5 bears in Yellowstone July 6th including a grizzly near Grant.
We always camp so it’s just $20 a night or $33 if you go to one of the larger campgrounds with showers.
We always camp so it’s just $20 a night or $33 if you go to one of the larger campgrounds with showers.
Posted on 8/17/18 at 10:43 pm to cgrand
I can see my house! I agree with your assessment of the town of Jackson.
Posted on 8/17/18 at 10:50 pm to cgrand
Very nice description and pics! Thanks
We did SLC, GTNP and Yellowstone in late May and I am now in Portland ready to go home tomorrow after a week in Seattle, ONP, Oceanside and Portland.
Will report later on this trip (did a review on early summer trip already) but I agree Yellowstone was the best of all we saw this summer. Just amazing the amount of diversity you get there.
Speaking of diversity...Portland IS weird!!
We did SLC, GTNP and Yellowstone in late May and I am now in Portland ready to go home tomorrow after a week in Seattle, ONP, Oceanside and Portland.
Will report later on this trip (did a review on early summer trip already) but I agree Yellowstone was the best of all we saw this summer. Just amazing the amount of diversity you get there.
Speaking of diversity...Portland IS weird!!
This post was edited on 8/17/18 at 10:52 pm
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