Family Vacation 2020, Part 2 - Wyoming

Lauren Catron
Sep 18, 2020
13 min read

Be sure to check out Family Vacation 2020, Part 1 - South Dakota! for the first part of our trip.

Our family adventure continued as we made our way into Wyoming. Up first on the itinerary was Devils Tower National Monument.

Day 3 Continued

Devils Tower was the first U.S. national monument established, yet it was the second monument we visited on our trip. The name Devils Tower originated in 1875 during an expedition led by Colonel Richard Irving Dodge, when his interpreter reportedly misinterpreted a native name to mean "Bad God's Tower." When establishing the monument, the apostrophe was left off; the typo was never corrected and the spelling stuck.

Devils Tower is 867 feet from its base to the summit. It stands 1,267 feet above the Belle Fourche River and is 5,112 above sea level. And man, is it neat. The day was cool and damp, but it perfectly reflected the atmosphere of the tower. The tower is sacred to Native Americans, and there are small, colored bundles of cloth seen around the base of the tower left as offerings.

There are two trails that go around the base of the summit; we took the 1.25-mile Tower Trail. I can still hear the wind blowing through the trees and smell the pine. It's truly a magical place.

Fun fact: Devils Tower National Monument is a customer of Hillyard! We spotted that beautiful checkerboard logo when we made a pit stop to the bathroom!

And how could I forget the prairie dogs!? You have to look closely as they are hard to spot. But once you stop, they were like the begging burros, practically begging for food.

We stopped for Mexican food on the way to Sheridan, Wyoming, where we stayed for the night.

Day 4

Day four was all about making our way to Yellowstone National Park. We still had a long way to go... And first was through Bighorn National Forest. We drove through the diverse countryside as we made our way up through the Bighorn Mountains. Doing our research beforehand, we knew there was a waterfall in the area we wanted to check out. Shell Falls Interpretive Site is a beautiful stop along the Bighorn Scenic Byway. The short walk allowed for us to get out and stretch out legs, and take in the sites and sounds.

Cody, Wyoming

We made it to Cody, Wyoming around lunch time. We grabbed some pizza from Millstone Pizza Company and Brewery. After lunch we walked the main strip full of shops and restaurants. One of the main stopping points is Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel, which along with the hotel, has a gift shop, restaurant and bar. For an afternoon snack, we stopped at the local soda shop - Annie's Soda Saloon and Cafe, located on the corner of 12th and Sheridan Ave. All throughout the northwest, you will see huckleberry all over menus. So I decided to try the huckleberry float. It was delicious, but rather sweet. It reminds me of a mix between cherries and blueberries. After our bellies were full, it was time for a nap. We checked into our hotel and let Henry (and myself) snooze until after 6 p.m. OOps! Unfortunately, since we were napping, we missed the local western reenactment that happens every day at 6 p.m.

Our goal was to eat at Irma's for dinner. There was a little bit of a line, but we weren't too concerned since it was later in the evening. Well we waited. And waited. And waited. No one even acknowledged Drew standing there waiting for a table. After about 20 minutes, and multiple people coming and going, also getting zero service, we figured we'd try somewhere else. We tried two different places, but since we had Henry with us, we were turned down. Another "21 and up crowd" dilemma. Running out of options, we ended up back at Irma's. I went in this time, and finally got a table. But they didn't bring us any menus. And the service was HORRIBLE!!!!! Drew got the famed prime rib, and I got a bison burger. Drew said his was really good, but mine was not. I think the lack of service also played into my enjoyment of the meal. We aren't sure if COVID-19 has something to do with it, but everywhere we went, it seemed like restaurants were really struggling with having enough staff on hand. So I get it. But still, I was really disappointed. The only cool thing were all the animal mounts throughout the hotel.

In the morning, our goal was to grab some coffee and crepes from Cody Coffee. We both got the California Dreaming crepe, with banana, strawberry, nutella and whipped cream. It really was dreamy!! We also grabbed a bag of coffee beans to take home and try later. I hope to write a review on all the coffee I purchased on this trip in a later blog!

ree — Coffee and the California Dreaming Crepe

Day 5

Yellowstone National Park

From Cody, it's about 60 miles to the east entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Yellowstone became the first national park on March 1, 1872, and is known for its wildlife and geothermal features. The landscape throughout is breathtaking, and seems like the farther you drive into the park, the more it changes.

Our first stop, and one of our favorites, was Sylvan Lake. It was surrounded by woods and you could totally just picture a moose coming down to the lake's edge for a drink of cool, crisp water. Unfortunately we didn't see any moose, but it was still really beautiful.

Sylvan Lake, Yellowstone National Park — Sylvan Lake

As we kept driving, we got out first glimpse of Yellowstone Lake. It is massive. It reminded me a lot of Lake Michigan, which we visited when I was a little girl. Yellowstone Lake covers 136 square miles, and has 110 miles of shoreline. We turned up to Lake Butte (el. 8,348 ft) for a view. WOW! You literally can see for miles.

At the shore of Yellowstone Lake, there was our first buffalo hanging out by the shore. Since the buffalo was fairly close, I was the only one to hop out and stick my hands in the water. It was freezing, as expected. We also stopped for a quick view of Steamboat Point before moving on.

Fishing Bridge is one of the main hubs for the park. It houses a visitor center, gift shop (Yellowstone General Store) and convenience store, bathrooms, gas station, and even an auto repair shop. Can you imagine having your car break down in the park!? We stopped in to take a look around and get an inventory of what type of souvenirs we might like. Unfortunately, due to COVID, the visitor center was closed. In fact, all visitors centers in the park were closed.

West Thumb Geyser Basin, Old Faithful & Artists Paintpots

From Fishing Bridge, we had to turn south. The road from Fishing Bridge to Canyon Village was closed due to a gasoline spill. This road closure would bite us in the ass later on. We stopped at West Thumb Geyser Basin for our first experience with geothermal activity. The colors, the smells, and the temperature changes! You could see the water boiling and feel the steaming rolling off the different pools. It was like unlike anything we had ever experienced.

From West Thumb Geyser, we headed north to Old Faithful. The parking lot was jam-packed. We first headed into the Yellowstone General Store for a bathroom break and to grab some lunch. Three flatbreads, two drinks, one ice cream cone and a pack of toy butterflies, equaled out to $60. (We learned our lesson on that one!) We quickly ate outside on the steps and then headed over to the geyser. Just like clockwork, at the predicted 1:48 p.m., Old Faithful went off. To be honest, I thought it would be bigger (taller). And we thought people would cheer, but that didn't happen. It was still cool to experience. We wanted to pop in for a quick peek at the Old Faithful Inn, but unfortunately it was closed due to renovations.

Henry was in desperate need of a nap, so instead of walking around to check out Morning Glory, we packed up the truck and let him nap. While Henry was napping, Drew and I took turns hoping out and checking out the different sites including Gibbons Falls, and Firehole Canyon Drive.

Henry finally woke up around the time we were nearing Artists Paintpots. We pulled over and made the small hike back to the geothermal area. There was also a path that took you up for a birds-eye view of the springs, geysers, vents and mudpots. Pretty cool!

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Our finally stop for the day was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. We hiked Lower Falls trail, which is a 3/4 mile trail down to the top of the falls. Seems easy, but it has very steep switchbacks. This was probably the toughest trail we hiked the entire trip. But the view is awe-inspiring. It's so beautiful, that it even an inspired a young man to propose while we were down there! We congratulated the happy couple and took their pictures. It's such a beautiful spot, even if I am afraid of heights!! The unfortunate thing about hiking down, is that you have to hike back UP! I won't lie, I struggled with this one. But we were able to take lots of breaks and take in the views. WORTH IT!

(I apologize, I should know better to turn my phone sideways!! I just get caught up in the moment! Sorry!!)

Shoshone Lodge & Guest Ranch - WOW!

By then, it was nearly 6 p.m. And we had to drive BACK through the park to get to our cabin. It took us about two and a half hours to make it back to the east gate, and to our cabin. We did have to stop for a few animals, including a bull elk! We missed dinner, but the folks at Shoshone Lodge & Guest Ranch bent over backwards for us, even though their kitchen had just shut down. They quickly made us some delicious sandwiches, salads and French onion soup. They were so accommodating and didn't want us to just eat snacks for dinner. They won us over the first night, and it just kept getting better and better.

The little cabin we stayed in was by far my favorite part of the entire trip. Shoshone Lodge & Guest Ranch is a historic lodge located about three miles from the east entrance of the park. The cabin we stayed in was so cute and cozy. We slept with the windows open and it was the best sleep we had the whole trip.

Cabin, Shoshone Lodge & Guest Ranch — Our little cabin at Shoshone Lodge & Guest Ranch

In the morning, we got up and headed to the main lodge for breakfast. They served up delicious Cody Coffee and the yummiest French toast and bacon! The lodge itself is really cool with a stone fireplace and a ton of animal mounts, which Henry just adored! They loaded us up with some delicious coffee to go and we were ready for Day 6!

Day 6

Lessons Learned

We learned a lot of lessons our first day at Yellowstone. We needed to better manage our time in order to not miss dinner, and we needed to do something different for lunch. We first stopped back at Fishing Bridge and grabbed some sandwiches, chips and drinks. This cost us half of what the previous day's lunch cost. We also made a plan that we were going to drive to the farther point of the park, and then stop at each place as we made our way back. This worked out much better! So we drove, and drove, and drove, and ended up in Montana! This was on purpose of course, as we were on a mission to see the Roosevelt Arch, in Gardiner, Montana. Two great things occurred from this: we finally had a chance to have service and check in with our families. And we saw more elk! They were just hanging out in a park across from the Arch.

From the Arch, we headed back into the park and stopped at Mammoth Hot Springs. This spot is just completely different from anything we've ever seen. We both decided it reminded us a bit of coral, especially with the spring water hitting it. You know, except the fact it's boiling hot.

Henry fell asleep, so we just drove around and took in more sites until we found the perfect place to eat our lunch. It was a beautiful little shaded area next to a stream, and we had the place to ourselves! We ate and took a few family pictures down by the water, which was freezing by the way!

Hot and Cold

We stopped by Roaring Mountain, and then made our way to the Grand Prismatic Spring at Midway Geyser Basin.

This is another Yellowstone "must-see" and is as popular as Old Faithful. Pictures just do not do it justice. The colors are so vibrant, and you can just feel the steaming rolling off the pools. For a moment, we just stood there and felt the heat coming off of the Excelsior Geyser. You'd get a burst of hot air followed by really cold air. It was a bizarre feeling.

From here, it was time to make our way back to our cabin, but not before passing a few more buffalo and bighorn sheep!

For dinner, we had elk steak and a bison burger, along with a huckleberry Moscow mule and a local Wyoming beer on tap. The best part was dessert: they had the makings for s'mores out by the fire! We sat out under the stars, making s'mores and talking with a sweet newlywed couple from Colorado, before heading back to the cabin for another restful night's sleep.

Day 7

South to the Grand Tetons

Day seven was bittersweet because we were packing up and heading out of Yellowstone. We grabbed breakfast before stopping at the Fishing Bridge Yellowstone General Store one last time for a few souvenirs from the park. We had a few more spots to checkout as we headed south toward Grand Teton National Park. Those spots included Lewis Lake and Lewis Falls. We stopped for about 20 minutes or so to check out the lake. Henry had a blast throwing rocks, and of course, Drew had to show off his rock-skipping skills. The Falls were also beautiful and it was fun to get out and "rock climb" around the river bank to get a better view.

The view of the Teton mountain range is bewildering. We stopped from a few different vantage points to get some pictures. One of our favorites was Colter Bay Village. (Possible future baby name??!) The exciting part of Colter Bay was that the visitor center was open!! We were finally able to get Henry a National Parks Passport book; every other place was sold out.

Jenny Lake & Mormon Row

After lunch, which was another peaceful picnic area with one heck of a view, we hiked down to the shore of Jenny Lake. We literally could have sat on those rocks for hours, with the cool water lapping at our feet. (MAJOR heart eyes here). We then headed north to Mormon Row Historic District. If you've seen anything about GTNP, you've probably seen pictures of this beautiful old, desolate wood barn with picturesque mountains in the background. Well the barn is there, and the mountains are in the background, but there are other buildings around! We were shocked to learn it wasn't a standalone building; and you have to shoot it at a certain angle to get it to look like the deserted barn you see in pictures. But nonetheless, it was still neat to see and learn about the history behind it. And just be sure to watch out for the prairie dog holes!

Jackson Hole

To be honest, the only thing I knew about Jackson, Wyoming is that Eva Shockey has been there, and they have an elk antler arch. Jackson is located less than 10 minutes from Grand Teton National Park, and is home to snow resorts, the National Elk Refuge, and of course, its elk antler arches - yes there's actually four of them! We checked into our cabin at Cowboy Village Resort (SUPER nice!!) before heading to the downtown square. There are a ton of fancy art galleries throughout the square. We loved looking at all the different art, and wished we could afford it!! Maybe someday...

We wanted to eat dinner at the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, but guess what? It's a 21 and up crowd too. (Insert eyeroll here...) So instead we ate at Jackson Drug and Original Soda Fountain, located on the northwest corner of the town square. Tasty burgers, and of course, delicious milkshakes!!! After dinner, we checked out a few more shops before settling down in the park within the square. We sat on a bench and people-watched, and let Henry run around. He had a blast running from tree to tree, and loved when mom and dad joined in on the fun. We stayed until sunset, and then we maaayyyy have stopped for some ice cream at Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream before heading back to our cabin. After all, it was vacation...

Day 8

Cowboy Coffee

The next morning I was on a mission to stop and get coffee from Cowboy Coffee. Apparently, we weren't the only ones because we had to wait in line for quite some time, but were eventually able to get some tasty treats, along with a bag of coffee to take home. The nice thing about Cowboy Coffee is that it is located on the square, so we were able to take our breakfast over to the park and let Henry run some more. They were also having their weekly farmers market, so we walked around and looked at the different fruits, veggies, flowers and produce from the area. I was really envious of how many booths they had at their market.

We made one more pass through Mormon Row before getting back on the road, headed toward Drew's birthplace, Casper, Wyoming.

Day 9

Drew's Birthplace & "Oh my gosh, it's on fire!"

The night we arrived in Casper was pretty uneventful. We did meet two older couples from Nebraska who we chatted it up with out in the parking lot a bit before heading to dinner at Wyoming Ale Works. Casper is the birthplace of my handsome husband, and the area where he shot his first antelope last year.

Our first stop was the Wells Fargo Bank in downtown Casper, where Sharon, "Cookie" as we call her, worked while she was pregnant with Drew. We snapped a picture of Henry outside, before making our way to Cedar Street. We couldn't find the exact address, but one of these homes is where Sharon brought sweet baby Drew home. It was fun to go down memory lane with him (not that he remembered any of it, of course).

Henry in downtown Casper, Wyoming — Henry Wade in front of Cookie's bank!

It was time to head toward our last leg of the trip, Colorado. On the way there, we began to see fields and fields of smoke and flames, as Wyoming was on fire. The area is so, so dry and it wouldn't take much to set the place ablaze. We passed several emergency vehicles there, just waiting to make sure things didn't get out of control.