This morning we left Yellowstone to head towards Glacier National Park. It was snowing slightly and we had the cutest farewell committee as we departed!
Our drive was beautiful and thankfully uneventful.
We arrived close to 4pm and easily found our accommodations for two nights – this ADORABLE cabin I found on-line, again for $100 per night. The other benefit of traveling in the off season is affordable lodging.
Tomorrow we will explore what we can of Glacier. The East Entrance is closed as it rests on Native American lands, and many of the roads are closed towards Avalanche and beyond to cars, but we will enjoy the gorgeous cedar forests and find ourselves some huckleberry ice cream!
A surprise awaits Char for the evening…..stay tuned!
Total Miles = 417
States = Wyoming and Montana
Hours on the road = 7.5 hours
Average Temperature = 32 degrees
Coffees = 2
Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (twice), The Beatles, James Taylor and Slathbog’s Gold since we lost service often and this book is downloaded!
Major Landmarks = departing Yellowstone, arriving outside Glacier.
Speed Traps passed = 0
People not wearing masks in public places = 3 – in the market at Hungry Horse, Montana (there is a state mandate but I think the area is so remote that there isn’t much enforcement).
Gas bought = $55.00
Extras = groceries bought in Hungry Horse, MT – two night’s worth of dinner – $35.00
Hotel = Two nights at the Cozy Cabin in Coram, MT = $245.37
Our full day in Yellowstone. Yellowstone is a place of legend for me. It was a place I never knew I would ever see, but hoped to and when we decided to do this road trip, we had to make it happen. This could be a once in a lifetime visit for me to many of these locations so I had to do it!
COVID as certainly changed the landscape of tourism in the US. Yellowstone was open all summer although not all the properties were available. One staff member we spoke to said that visitor numbers were the highest ever in July, but staff was reduced because of COVID, so it was a wonderful but busy summer. Check out the Mammoth Post Office – bears COVID ready, along with the specialized vehicle tracks used for winter travel! Oh, and this is a magpie – isn’t he GORGEOUS!!! We have seen many of his kind here in the northern territories!
When I investigated a stay at Yellowstone, I never dreamed I would actually find accommodations ON SITE in Mammoth, but because so many are leery to travel, we lucked out and began our two night stay on the first night of Yellowstone welcoming winter season visitors (this is a normal thing – having summer and winter season separated by weeks at time and closing down in between). We stayed at the Mammoth Hotel and Cabins in the quaint and historic town of Mammoth at the North Entrance to Yellowstone. The hotel was comfortable and had a lovely Victorian feel including creepy “The Shinning” hallways!
Our internet was TERRIBLE (we have T-Mobile service and Yellowstone is a black hole) but that wasn’t so bad!
We ate our meals at the dining facility they have across the street from the hotel and breakfast was delicious (our second morning Char had buttermilk pancakes with huckleberry butter and huckleberry sauce!) as well as the one dinner we had there. I enjoyed Wild Boar and Char had steak. Overall, the prices were what I expected (slightly higher than average for dinner but breakfast was average) and the service was great – our breakfast server the fist day was from Brunswick, Maine!
A “short stack” of buttermilk pancakes with huckleberry syrup and huckleberry butter!
After breakfast, we walked to the Mammoth Hot Springs and Terraces and got a nose full of sulfur and an eye full of wonder!
Currently and every year, other entrances are closed due to weather conditions and the only way to get to Old Faithful was via Snowcoach – at a VERY hefty sum (over $500 for both Char and I if we wanted to see Old Faithful – a full day’s journey there and back), so we scratched that idea and went for a cross country ski tour instead.
Again, because of maintaining a 20-30% capacity, our cross country ski tour ended up being a private tour and it was spectacular!!! We did 5 miles round trip from the Roosevelt Ranch area to the Tower and back. We saw buffalo while on the trail and on the ride to and from the drop off point, we saw elk, an eagle, coyotes, more buffalo (traffic jam) and an absolutely gorgeous black wolf. He was magnificent!
After dinner, we enjoyed ice skating at the small rink built every year at Mammoth and lovingly maintained by their night maintenance man, James, who came to Yellowstone 26 years ago and never left. EVERY person we met from our servers, our ski tour guide, Cache, and the barista in the Map Room of the hotel all came to Yellowstone and fell in love with her beauty and never saw fit to leave. I admire their passion!
Anyway – the rink – adorable and the skates are free and you help yourself to find ones that fit in a little cabin next to the rink. I love the free spirit of this opportunity – explore and enjoy at your own risk – more of life should be this way! We enjoyed a sit by the fire afterwards and chatted with James, then moseyed off to bed. Our day was the stuff of dreams!
Our experience at Yellowstone was nothing short of magical! We are so thankful it was open and took this opportunity to explore this breathtaking place!
Total Cost of food during our stay (2 breakfasts and 1 dinner) – $185
Total cost of cross country ski tour and ski rentals plus tip – $150
Souvenirs bought – $170 (things are expensive here!!)
EVERYONE was masked up in proximity to people outdoors and always indoors unless eating or in our rooms. We did have to wear our masks during the ride to our ski trip but during the skiing outdoors, we could take our masks off.
Departing our Bed and Breakfast in South Dakota was another gorgeous start! We loved the porch of our Bed and Breakfast – White Tail Ridge.
It had snowed overnight (like the previous two nights on our trip) and while the roads were a little slow going at first, a drive through the Black Hills was breathtaking and worth the extra time! Our first stop shortly after leaving our B&B was Mount Rushmore – we did pay the $10 to park at the monument to get a few great pictures. Mount Rushmore looked like it had been sprinkled with powdered sugar.
We hit two state borders – Wyoming and Montana.
The drive to Yellowstone through the Black Hills was amazing, but as we approached Livingstone, Montana on I-90, the winds were high and there was a lot of concentrating going on! We were happy to reach Yellowstone just after dark and begin our two nights and one full day enjoying American’s oldest National Park!
Total Miles = 565
States = South Dakota, Wyoming and Montana
Hours on the road = 10 (including stops and sight seeing)
Average Temperature = 28
Coffees = 1
Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (three times), The Best of the Beatles, James Taylor and 80’s hits. We also began listening to a book – Slathbog’s Gold – the first book in the Adventurers Wanted Series by M.L. Forman
Major Landmarks = Mount Rushmore, Black Hills National Forest, Crazy Horse Memorial, we wanted to do Custer National Park but many of the roads were closed because of the snow the night before, Yellowstone National Park.
Speed Traps passed = 1
People not wearing masks in public places = 3 (in small town South Dakota at a gas stop but all employees wore masks.
Gas bought = $44.00
Extras = $19.40…parking, post cards, coffee and ice cream
Hotel – total for TWO nights at Yellowstone – $400.00 at the Mammoth Hotel and Cabins. We stayed in the main hotel and it was GORGEOUS! Very classic Victorian era style and our room was comfortable, well appointment with a sweet bathroom! I would absolutely stay there again.
Today was our longest driving day on our way west. To have a couple days in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, we had to do it this way – but it was long. Add on top of that sleet this morning (and getting in 150 miles before the sun even came up) and blizzard like conditions for two hours as we approached Minnesota. I’m happy to be in our hotel room!
Char is enjoying her little “cubby” in the car! She has everything she needs at her fingertips and seems to be enjoying the long rides. What would a cross country trip at Christmastime be without Christmas lights, Sable and Charlie, the rainbow unicorn?
We trucked through a lot of states today! Here’s the proof (and Illinois is weird because we crossed the border at the City of Chicago line so there wasn’t much of a sign – but we made due!)
Apparently, my car started to worry about me because about every 250 miles without stopping, this sign pops up on my dash…
You might wonder why we were pushing so hard and going so far – well, to see the Mall of American, of course. And we got there just in time to pop in, walk around for 10 minutes, get some rainbow unicorn cotton candy with edible eyes and mouth, and head to our hotel. It was worth it!
Total Miles = 971
States = New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota
Hours on the road = 15.5 (including stops and sight seeing)
Average Temperature = 26.5 degrees
Coffees = 2
Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (twice), The Best of the Eagles, Pitch Perfect Soundtrack, 80’s & 90s hits
Major Landmarks = Cleveland, OH, Lake Michigan, the Mighty Mississippi River, Chicago and the Mall of America
Speed Traps passed = 4
People not wearing masks in public places = 2
Gas bought = $80.00
Extras = $54.00 (coffee and food)
Hotel = $108.00 – Holiday Inn and Suites, Maple Grove, MN – SUPER nice!!!! Great location and very nice lobby, rooms, staff and in non-Covid times, they have a really cool indoor water park open to guests. This Holiday Inn has a Venetian theme going on and we were really diggin’ it!
Day one of a road trip is always special! We got off to a strange start with our Google Maps doing weird things – but we got it figured out and named the Google Maps voice “Eliza”, basically so we have something to say, “be quiet” to!
The weather was cold to start – 29 degrees at home when we left at 5:20am (goal departure time was 5am). We ran into some fog in Vermont and some rain in New York, but overall the traffic was light and the roads were good! We took the scenic route through New Hampshire and Vermont instead of only highway – this added about 40 minutes but gave us something to look at.
We listened to lots of music (thank you Spotify), sang, ate and did three Mad Libs Travelers Edition!
View of Vermont’s hills from Hogback Mountain overlook.
We made our first goal of Niagara Falls at 2:50pm and the last elevator ride down to the Cave of the Winds was at 3pm. We Made It!!
Then we hightailed it to the Observation Deck to see what we could see! It was rainy and a bit windy – I think more from the falls than anything else – but it was stunning!!!!
On our way to our hotel – a Holiday Inn Suites in Hamburg, NY, we drove by Lake Erie and Char wondered how we got to the ocean! Of course, she knows her geography, but she was confused by the lake’s size. We stopped for the last rays of sunset at a small state park near Buffalo and ran on the beach as the sun went down. It was cool!
Today we laughed, Char slept, I sang, and we enjoyed our time together a lot. Tomorrow is our longest day on the road – 950+ miles ahead of us and I hope to be on the road before 5am. Here’s to a good night’s rest and a thankful heart for a safe and healthy Day 1.
Total Miles = 531
States = Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York
Hours on the road = 10 (including sight-seeing and stops)
Average Temperature = 39.5 degrees
Coffees = 2
Playlist = Hamilton the Musical (twice), The Best of; Billy Joel, Elton John, Maroon 5, and the Beatles
Major Landmarks = Erie Canal, Niagara Falls, Lake Erie, Buffalo, NY
Speed Traps passed = 5 (all in New York)
People not wearing masks in public places = 2
Gas bought = $44.32
Extras = $34.64 (coffee and food)
Hotel = $145.00 – Holiday Inn and Suites in Hamburg, NY – The hotel was good. The staff was very friendly and the room was very nice and clean with a modern design. We used the pool (You had to sign up for a time so you were the only ones in the area for social distancing) and the beds were comfortable! It was conveniently located right off the highway and we would stay there again.
While 2020 has certainly been a year for the record books, all the heartbreaks and disappointments have lead to some very important lessons to be learned. For me, those lessons have included; learning to let go of my Type A – “everything has to happen as I schedule it” – attitude. Another lesson I have learned is to be more flexible and adaptable. But the biggest lesson I have learned is carpe diem – seize the day – and that is exactly what Char and I are going to do!
I am a “live and let live” kind of girl and I tend to be pretty even keeled. But my next trip might not be for everyone, and that is ok…it IS for me and my daughter.
Char and I have been to Paris together and also Hawaii. I really cherish those memories!!!!
Ya know, there is something magical about the opportunity for a mother and daughter to travel together. I tried to pull off a short Disney cruise with my mom this past September but COVID. lol
BUT, because of COVID, my daughter and I are going on an adventure of a lifetime and it is being made more possible by the remote school schedule. We are doing something that couldn’t be more physically distant if we tried!
We are doing a Great American Road Trip and hitting as many of the National Parks as we can!
Our road trip will begin soon and I am bringing you along with me! I can’t wait to take this adventure!!! I mean, how many moms get an opportunity to spend so much time with their 14 year old daughters? ME! I am really going to treasure these precious days!!!!
Stay tuned and check out winter across America – socially distant style!
People collect mementos of their travels, and one thing I collect is ornaments. Every year when we put up our tree, the ornaments from vacations past come out of the box and the trip is relived with joy, stories and laughter. It is EXACTLY why I travel and bring something home with me.
This year was a bit different. While we did still get in a couple of trips pre-COVID (Amsterdam and a girl’s trip to Punta Cana – and somehow I cannot find my ornament from that trip…), and still went to Disney and road tripped to South Carolina, we did miss out on a Disney cruise, a river cruise on the Rhine and my hubby missed a boy’s cruise to Mexico. There’s always next year!!!
Here are some memories and our ornaments…I know I will treasure them for many years to come. What do you bring home from your adventures?
Amsterdam – January 2020 – We LOVED this trip with friends – we can’t wait to go back!
Disney – August 2020
Southern Road Trip – Asheville, NC and Charleston, SC – November 2020
What would a vacation be without excursions and some anamzing food? Boring! LOL!
We sure did have a great time enjoying some sweet culinary delights while we were on vacation – I mean, the south is known for their comfort food, fried everything and hearty breakfasts and we enjoyed it all!
Our breakfasts in Charleston were enjoyed right around the corner from our Inn – they typically serve a home made breakfast on site, but because of COVID, they have teamed up with four local eateries to provide breakfast for their patrons. We LOVED Miller’s – the atmosphere, the food and they had a Bloody Mary selection that was fab (but you had to wait until 10am to get one)!
We loved the throwback feel of Millers All Day!
Our lunch was our standard picnic style meat and cheese…..
And dinner – well, let’s just say we had some fabulous food! Our favorites were The Charleston Grill (no pictures from this place because it was just TOO fancy – but I can tell you they had the most amazing foie gras in the universe!) and Husk – just a couple of blocks from our Inn. Aside from the dreamy setting – the food was spectacular!
This is Hearth Baked Skillet Cornbread, Benton’s Bacon Crumble.Grilled Artisan Sourdough, Foie Gras-whipped Ricotta, Apples, Hakurei Turnips and Spiced Pecans. Delightful!Southern Fried Manchester Farm Quail, Dirty Rice, Bradford Collards, and Louisiana Hot Sauce. Warm apple cobbler with lavender ice cream….to DIE for!
Are you hungry yet?
Along with some great food, we also loved our carriage ride through historic Charleston.
And we also took a Ghost Tour Pub Crawl! We were treated to some spooky stories about the history of Charleston and enjoyed some beverages along the way!
We really had such a fabulous time on our trip! We really took advantage of all Charleston, SC and Asheville, NC had to offer in such a short visit and we really hope we have an opportunity to visit again!
And a road trip wouldn’t be complete without TRYING to get a photo at each state line!!! Here’s to over 2200 miles traveled in eight days and as many memories cherished and made!!!!
This very cold day is making me think fondly about our plantation visits a couple of weeks ago! The weather was mild, the sun was out and watching the Spanish moss blow in the breeze was dreamy!
We visited Magnolia Plantation and Middleton Place Rice Plantation. There were distinct differences between the two, but I would be hard pressed to pick which was my favorite!
Magnolia Plantation dates back to the 1600s. This is significant in its style – it has a much more romantic feel than its cousin, Middleton Place, up the river. The winding pathways through its freeform gardens make me dream of wind swept muslin gowns swishing around young ladies laughing at a garden party.
We toured the extensive gardens, the house (which is not the first main house on the property – between fires and retreating Union soldiers, these riverside plantations took a beating over the years), took a tram tour of the swamps and old rice flats and had a fabulous time in their lovely little zoo.
This plantation is absolutely gorgeous and a must see if you visit Charleston, in my opinion. When I lived in the area over 20 years ago, I remember visiting Magnolia and it is just as lovely as I remember!
Middleton Place (it used to be “Plantation”, but they thought the word had a negative connotation so they changed it to “Place” – a little too revisionist for me) was built largely in the 1700s and the style and layout reflected the “newer” techniques and agendas of the more modern version of Magnolia. Again, the house standing as the main house is not the original, like Magnolia, as they suffered the same fate.
The grounds of Middleton are glorious! They are not the meandering “romantic” style of Magnolia, but rather employ the fine lines and purposeful plantings like a traditional English or French garden of the times. The Live Oaks that line the passageways and Ashley River are wrapped in Spanish moss and southern charm, and alligators sun themselves on the shores.
This “Gone with the Wind” view of Plantation life is easy to fall in to, but the truth is, it was a harsh place – especially for those enslaved, who worked the land and cared for the people, livestock and estates. Between these two plantations, over time, thousands of people were owned and suffered under the institution of slavery. They suffered through swamp miasmas, harsh weather, dangerous creatures, poor living conditions, and treatment that folks today cannot fathom. Their knowledge, strength and forced participating in genteel life were the foundation of such extreme prosperity.
At both Magnolia and Middleton, Kelly and I took additional “tours” to learn about the enslaved peoples who were the backbone of these gorgeous estates. The dichotomy of the beauty of the place, verses the method in which it got that way, creates confusing feelings to say the least. But these places are worth the study and preservation. They provide lessons from which we, as modern people still navigating our way through the love of all peoples, can reflect. History is about the good, the bad, and the ugly, and plantations certainly have it all.
Here are some extra pictures of our two plantation visits. I hope you can feel the warm southern breezes wash over you as you look at them!
Some of you may not know this, but when I first graduated college with a teaching degree (in December of 1997), I came to Charleston to teach for the spring semester at a local middle school. The teaching was challenging and rewarding as all first teaching jobs should be, but one of my best memories of my six months here is how I fell in love with Charleston.
Charleston is STEEPED in history. To say it is one of American’s most historical cities would be an understatement. And for a history buff like me, this city really has my heart! I love the architecture of the city, the flora, the food, the hospitality, the art, the people and the action. These are parts of culture and history that are easy to love.
We are staying here for four nights in probably the most historic building I have ever stayed in. We are staying at the Governor’s House Inn, former home to the Laurens Family (think Hamilton in pop culture and a LONG list of other accomplishments) and the Rutledge family (youngest signer of the Declaration of Independence, among other honors). This house has entertained George Washington and Gerald Ford!
In fact, we are staying in the Washington Suite; a converted Kitchen House and our home away from home.
The Kitchen House, Governor’s House Inn, Charleston, SC
During our stay, we will visit Magnolia Plantation, Middleton Rice Plantation, enjoy some fabulous meals, stroll endlessly admiring the historical homes of Charleston, tour mansions and walk miles. And while my romanticism with the south largely revolves around the PLACE, other parts of the south’s history are tougher to admire, but I honor the struggles, the hardships, the rebellions, the perseverance and the spirit that, through the decades, have taught ME a lot about humanity and have shaped my views on humankind and love. We cannot turn our backs on the hard parts of history or pretend they didn’t happen – what a disservice to those who have struggled to enlighten us. Instead, we have to wallow in our failures as a people and as a country in order to understand what we got wrong and what we got right.
Here are some of my favorite photos from strolling around Charleston.
Mrs. Smith Travels 