Summer Roadtrip Day 11: Keystone SD to Cheyenne WY

Today we left Keystone and drove past Mount Rushmore. We actually got better pictures from outside the park today than we got yesterday.

We enjoyed the scenic drive through the Black Hills down Needles highway.

Including driving through the narrow tunnels.

On the way to Custer State Park, Steve accidentally rolled down his window. Because the cable snapped earlier in the trip, his window completely sunk into the door frame. When we stopped to pay the entrance fee at Custer State Park, he attempted to "fix" the window by pulling it up and taping it into place (and later jammed microfiber rags between the window and the door frame to keep it in place).

We drove the wildlife loop where we saw lots of prairie dogs and bison.

We also saw pronghorn antelope,

bighorn sheep,

and burros.

After leaving Custer SP we drove South to Hot Springs where we had lunch at a BBQ restaurant (delicious burnt ends!) and explored the town a bit.

from there, we drove to Cheyenne Wyoming, to spend the night. We saw lots of wildflowers growing in the grasslands.

While driving, we encountered a few sprinkles, but most of the rain was in the distance.

After we checked into the hotel, it started raining. 

Because we had a late lunch, we weren't hungry for dinner, so hunkered down in the room where we were warm and dry. 

Summer Roadtrip Day 12: Cheyenne WY to Pojoaque NM

Because our hotel rate didn't include breakfast, and we were a bit hungry from skipping dinner, we bought some gas station burritos as we left Cheyenne early this morning.

It was a little bit cold and windy as we followed the interstate to Denver.

Once we got to Denver we decided to take the more scenic route, Highway 285. The views along this route were breathtaking and we really enjoyed the drive.

We mostly drove and only stopped at a few places, other than for stretch breaks or gas. Our first fun stop was at the South Park sign for photos in Fairplay Colorado.

We then drove to the UFO Watchtower near Hooper CO. When we arrived, we just weren't feeling it, so skipped the visit and continued our drive.

We stopped at the San  Luis Valley Brewing Co in Alamosa for lunch and a much needed break.

As we were driving through Antonito CO, a shiny house caught my eye, so we needed to take a detour off the main highway to check it out 

We later learned that this is Cano's Castle.

After leaving Colorado and entering New Mexico we headed towards Taos, NM. As we got closer to Taos we drove past a community of Earthships (buried houses).

We took a break from driving and stopped at the Rio Grande Gorge bridge. 

The view was absolutely breathtaking.

We mainly just drove through Taos and didn't spend any time other than to take a short stretch break and bathroom break and then we were on our way to Santa Fe.

As we drove towards Santa Fe, we entered the Rio Grande gorge and drove along the river.

We were really enjoying the drive and looking forward to visiting Santa Fe, before spending the night in Albuquerque.

Unfortunately, we got about 20 miles outside of Santa Fe (in Pojoaque) and then the transmission of the car went out.

Steve limped the car along the highway until we got to an AutoZone, which turns out that it's brand new and hasn't yet opened yet, so we then limped the car across the highway to a gas station where he was able to add some transmission fluid and further troubleshoot.

Unfortunately, the car was essentially rendered undrivable for any distance and all auto shops in the area were already closed for the day.

Steve made friends with a lot of people in the parking lot who offered help by lending tools, sharing some wire, and one man (thanks Fernando!!) even hooked up a tow strap to the back of his truck and towed us to the hotel where we spent the night. (Hilton Santa Fe Buffalo Thunder Casino).

By the time we got to our room and settled in it was after 10:00 and all of the casino restaurants were closed except for the deli, so we split a cold turkey sandwich for dinner.

Road Trip - Days 3-5 - Yellowstone and Grand Teton NP

Days 3-5 (Oct 3-5)

We spent the next few days visiting Yellowstone Park. We started by driving clockwise around the top half of the upper loop in Yellowstone NP, stopping to view different thermal areas and wildlife.

Due to road closures, we had to turn around and come back the same way once we reached Tower Falls. 

That evening, we had dinner in West Yellowstone and spent the night at our hotel.

The next day we drove clockwise around the lower loop, starting at the top and working our way around, ending with Old Faithful.

The next morning, we drove along the bottom of the lower loop on our way out of Yellowstone.

After leaving Yellowstone, we headed to Grand Teton National Park.

We explored a few trails and scenic points, enjoying the scenery and wildlife.

Later that evening, we arrived in Jackson WY, where we had dinner and spent the night.