Amy and Pat Taylor

An Unexpected Archway ..... in the middle of nowhere .....  another Roadside Attraction ..... Literally.

Imagine yourself on I-80 in the middle of Nebraska (a state whose motto used to be “Nebraska, honestly it's not for everyone.” ..... surrounded by ..... not much, suddenly you see an archway spanning the interstate.  Had it not been for our friend Sharon Parker, we would have kept on driving. 

Instead, we stretched our legs in this rest stop, museum, and roadside attraction for about an hour and twenty minutes. It was great! So glad we didn't drive right by!

This is another museum about America's westward expansion.  This is a unique take, because it encompasses the evolution from the wagon train (The Mormon Trail, The Oregon Trail, and The Sante Fe Trail), to the California Gold Rush, the Great Platte River Road, Transcontinental Railway, The Lincoln Highway, to Interstate 80 and America's growing love affair with the road.  From "highway camps, to roadside cabins to vacations to Yellowstone, the very thing we ourselves have a love for, and Amy's passion to go west. 

The exhibits include well executed dioramas, displays, artifacts, and written information.  Even better, admission comes with audio guides that are super easy to use and provide a wealth of additional interesting information and commentary from historic people, including actual diary passages. Additionally,  outside are several wonderful sculptures as well as a walking path around some beautiful ponds.

Many thanks to Sharon for telling us about this. We highly recommend!En savoir plus

I don't know anything about music.  I can't play an instrument.  I can't sing.  I can't even hum a tune.  But I can tell you when a piece of music moves me.  And that is also what I can tell you about Yellowstone.  What moved me.

Of course, I knew it was going to be fabulous before we got here.   I have been moved multiple times over.

Old Faithful is easily the most popular feature in the park.  But it didn't move me.  It did not disappoint, and it is a wonder.  But, for me, Yellowstone is so much more.

Finding the animals in their natural habitat wasn't just great, it was fun.  It was the most fun.

Waterfalls always please me, and Yellowstone has many.  My favorite waterfall would be the big waterfall of the Yellowstone River, in the Canyon. It is Yellowstone's version of the Grand Canyon, except it is in a lush environment.  And my favorite view of the waterfall (again, several views but 3 main perspectives) would be the Artist Point at the south rim - the view that is the furtherst away.  (See the photo of My Lovely sitting on the bench with the waterfall in the distance.  The walls of the canyon are yellow (Yellowstone).  This is one of the 'trademark' images (along with Old Faithful) of Yellowstone.  It is the trademark for a reason - it is fabulous.  And it is called Artist point because all the famous paintings and watercolors that you see  were done from the very spot the bench is at.

I will make a separate post about the hydrothermal features of the park.  I will tell you that the best for my money, and what comes in as my second favorite feature, is the Upper and Lower Terrace at Mammoth.

My favorite thing in the park was a walk along the Yellowstone River.  We strolled along the tree lined edge of the river that is shallow enough to create slight cascades (look closely in the video and you see small fish trying to jump up these cascades).  You look over the river spying for wildlife on the edge of acres of a weeks ago, lush green meadow, that is now straw yellow. This scene has almost everything that might speak to my heart.  And the best part is that you see similar scenes all through the park.

From Amy. I love that Yellowstone is a huge ecosystem that includes not only the huge National Park, but also neighboring Grand Teton NP, the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area, multiple National Forests, and the Wind River Reservation. Because of that, the animals have so much protected space to move and migrate and flourish.
I love that everywhere you look there is wildness and beauty. It changes with the time of day. Because we got out early, we were completely alone at Inspiration Point, a little later the lot will be full. It was amazing.

There are just way too many pictures. It was hard to narrow them down. I had to leave many out. But pictures truly do not do it justice. They cannot capture what your eyes, ears and nose can. The thundering sound of the waterfall mixed with the scent of pine. If you ever have the chance to go, do it!En savoir plus