Yellowstone and beyond

It is appropriate that the Yellowstone post is our last post about our drive because it was the highlight of our road trip and immediately following our time there we took the most direct route to Berkeley. We will be continuing to post about our time in Berkeley for those who would like to follow the blog. We arrived at Yellowstone at 3 pm after a long day of driving through Wyoming and decided to set up camp on the Shoshone river about a mile outside of the east gate of the park. It was easily one of the most amazing sites Clarice or I have ever seen. We drove at the foot of rock formations much bigger than most skyscrapers and at our side there was always a river running alongside the road with crystal clear water. We camped at Newton creek, a campground that intrigued us not just for the name, but its signs that warned us of grizzly bears and mountain lions. We were both slightly more excited about the prospect of seeing a grizzly as you can imagine.

After setting up our tent we immediately went hiking and looking for wood for our fire. The first 30 minutes of the search yielded little results, but then Clarice spotted a treasure of driftwood lying on an island in the middle of the river. She ran right into the river and didn't seem affected by the freezing cold water or rocks on the bed that felt more like spikes to me. We walked across about a quarter of the river, which was 1-2 ft. deep, to the island of drift wood and brought it back to the campfire. Ahhh, how nature provides! For dinner we had sausage, hobo packs with roasted vegetables and baked potatoes, the leftovers of which we both reminded ourselves several times had to go in the bearproof container a safe distance away from our tent. We slept next to the water and listened for wildlife all night, it was amazing.

The next day we got up early and began to tour the park after getting some breakfast, around 10 am. We drove about three-quarters of the loop inside the park that takes you through all of the major monuments and were excited by the variety of places to experience. Yellowstone lake was the first destination. At this mountaintop lake we had a spectacular view of the south side of the park and were joined by a bird about the size of a turkey, only it wasn't a turkey. After looking at the wildlife guide for the park it was closest to the Osprey, but we still weren't convinced that it was one of these either. The fact we couldn't identify it and that it was not scared of us gave us an anxious excitement. Will it come land on my shoulder or peck out my eyes? From Yellowstone lake we went to several overlooks to check out the terrain and try to spot a bear. During this part of the trip we saw several Bison, and an Elk with antlers about the size of a mini cooper. After our wildlife tour we made our way to midway geyser basin, which is one of the many hot spring areas within Yellowstone. Midway basin, and all of the hot spring areas, are incredible on so many different levels. The floors of the surfaces are often covered with rock that is many different colors including blue, red, and yellow, and since the surface gets so hot - roughly 165 f some of them are used to study how life develops in temperatures that high and possibly other planets.

We left around 3:30 that day with our interest piqued, and agreed that we will have to return to Yellowstone and explore Yosemite as soon as possible.

As for a status, we are currently in Berkeley and have moved into our new apartment. I am busy preparing for school and Clarice has begun the job-search. We hope to talk to everyone soon.

South Dakota

Fourth of July: We woke up early and got on the road. Chicago, through the Twin Cities, through Aberdeen, SD to Mary and Pat's in Ipswich. Apparently we made record time, 13 hours flat. What did we see on the drive, you ask? miles and miles of farmland. It's been a wet year so there are all these spots that are flooded. Not good for the farmers/ranchers, but made the drive pretty. On our way into town, we stopped and picked up some fireworks and that evening we had a firework extravaganza. Mary and Pat's neighbor came by and left us with some amazing fireworks, like the big kind. It was pretty sweet to have our own firework show. It was a clear, calm night and I don't remember the last time I saw stars like that. Of course, we had awesome food the whole time we were there. Some highlights: homemade burger buns, country style ribs, grilled jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped in bacon and chocolate cake with butter cream frosting. We got to visit with Mary's parents Patty and John, Steve and Logan got to play some one on one, and we got along surprisingly well with Kelly, their 13 year old Blue Heeler, classy and gassy.

Next day we drove through the Badlands in southwest SD and listened to lots of Bruce Springstein. It's an unbelievable park. We wish we had more time there. We got to explore the park on foot "off road". We saw rattlesnake signs, but no rattlesnakes, just crickets that jumped like kangaroos. Onto

The Windy City!

July 3: The Windy City, named for its constantly changing political winds as I learned, wasn't blustery, but very hot and exciting on the fourth of July weekend that we arrived. We stayed in the Hilton inside of the loop in downtown Chicago right across from Millenium Park. For lunch neither of us wanted deep dish, but we did want something unique to Chicago so we checked out a great pizza place called Pizano's a couple blocks south of the magnificent mile and ordered thin crust. It was really tasty and the beer primed us for an enjoyable walk around the city. We walked through Millenium park and down to Chicago harbor, where we both decided that we need friends with boats, and heard the Steve Miller Band play from afar at an event in the middle of the city. Eventhough Chicago has a ton of great restaurants picking a place for dinner was easy. We had both seen a chef that we were interested in as a guest on Top Chef that had an upscale mexican food place on Chicago's north side, and decided to give his restaurant a try. We went to Frontera grill and it was well worth the drive to the middle of the country. We shared a three course dinner with scallop ceviche, pork flautas, and carne asada. The carne asada was amazing!

Akron via Niagra Falls

We got an early start out of Wellesley and were making awesome time so we decided to swing through Niagra Falls for a quick pit stop. Steve had never been before and how could we pass up one of the wonders of the world when it was practically on the way. Akron was great. We lucked out with some amazing weather. It was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, no humidity. We got in late and Nick and Jen had dinner ready for us: kebabs, coleslaw, corn on the cob, yum! The next morning we went for a walk/jog in Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Fun fact: Grandma E. (aka Marie Elmer) says that Cuyahoga Valley N.P. is the second most visited national park behind the Smokey Mountains. We saw a water snake that nearly made me pee my pants. The snake also led to the discovery that Cuyahoga Valley National Park is a great place to make loud echos (...echos...echos...). We found a great little diner for breakfast, Sweet Pea Cafe. Steve had the eggs benedict; said the canadian bacon was cooked perfectly and the hollandaise was really good. I had the homemade granola with plain yogurt drizzled with honey and a chocolate chip pancake because I don't care. A pancake is a pancake. Delicious, but hard to do wrong. We had a good long visit with Marie/Grandma Elmer, Paula, Steve's aunt (Elmer's younger sister), her husband Bob and their son, Matt. Marie hasn't committed 100%, but we're really hoping she's going to come out to SF to visit. (hint hint wink wink). Rita and Debbie cooked an awesome dinner and we ate at the Destefano's with the whole family. Nick Sr. did a great job grilling. Rita and Elmer cheated by coming and seeing us in Akron after we had left. But we've forgiven you, it was great to see you one more time before we left again.

Wellesley

We've done lots of cooking and eating. We went for a swim in Walden Pond. The water was great. Apparently the pond is 5 feet higher than it normally is. FIVE FEET! Lots of the trails around the pond are closed so we had to swim at the "beach". Then we headed into Boston and got drinks before the game at Eastern Standard. Next time your in Boston, hit it up. Great drinks, classy. And finally, Fenway.