It was a vacation like no other!  I posted the itinerary here.

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On Tuesday September 8, LB and I headed west.

We took a flight out of Jacksonville, Florida to Austin, Texas; Then from Austin to Salt Lake City, Utah.Once we landed in Utah, we collected our rental car and drove to Idaho Falls to spend our first night and recuperate for the upcoming journey.Before I move on to day 2, I have to mention dinner because we typically only have one real meal a day while on vacation.  And so, if left up to me, I will look for a Mexican restaurant, which is what happened late Tuesday night.  I found only one nearby in Idaho Falls.  Don Alberto Mexican Food was a small, empty establishment with one visible employee, and a delicious, although unconventional, fajita dinner.

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On Wednesday September 9 we set out early and headed for Jackson Hole, Grand Teton & South Yellowstone.

We stopped for photos at the famous elk antler arches in the Jackson, Wyoming Town Square.

Then we grabbed a “black eye” coffee near the Jackson Town Square, made another quick purchase in the general store,

then headed north out of Jackson to Grand Teton National Park.These mountains are amazing.We stopped at Jenny Lake overlook for a selfie.Then traveled on to Yellowstone via the south entrance.  We headed toward Old Faithful to see the 3:14 PM  eruption.  I’m not able to post the video on this site, but LB took a selfie that I posted in my most recent Friday Favorites (here).

Afterward we traveled around the sulfur-scented side of Yellowstone to see a variety of sites.

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And when we were completely exhausted, we headed toward the west entrance/exit to find our hotel and dinner.  But, alas, there were Elk in the road and the traffic stopped until he and his people moved.

We spent the night in Montana, just outside of Yellowstone Park at the Holiday Inn West Yellowstone.Dinner at The Branch [which was right next door] was excellent.

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On Thursday September 10 we headed back to Yellowstone National Park, Cody WY, & Bighorn

We got an early start and headed toward Canyon Village to the South Rim Drive. We parked at Artist Point to view the falls and then the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

and we met this little guy

We rolled through Hayden Valley and admired the bison herds as recommended in our itinerary, then up the scenic Sylvan Pass toward the East Entrance.

🦬 I posted a video on TikTok 🦬

At around 1 pm, we arrived in Cody, WY  where we enjoyed a sit-down lunch at Rooster’s Cafe on Sheridan Avenue.  This was my favorite meal of the week.  I included photos and info in my most recent Friday Favorites (here).

After our energy was renewed, we made the Bighorn Mountain Climb across the Bighorn Basin and up into the pines of the Bighorn National Forest via Burgess Junction.

These pictures do not do it justice.

We stopped in Sheridan, Wyoming for the evening and enjoyed a WalMart salad for dinner.

Not kidding.  Its how we roll.

🤣

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On Friday, September 11 we drove to Devils Tower.

What an awesome and magnificent creation.

Once we arrived, we hiked the Tower Trail loop around Devils Tower with minimal discomfort.  It is a 1.6 mile loop with a butt-burning incline.

When we were leaving we met this little guy.

Fun fact: the Devils Tower National Monument is famously featured in the iconic movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind which showcases the Devil’s Tower as the location for the climax of the story.

👽

Being adequately sweaty from our hike, we left Devils Tower and headed into the Black Hills of South Dakota toward DEADWOOD.  This was not part of the itinerary, but it was something that I wanted to do because I used to LOVE the HBO series.Our visit was an item [that I’ve now crossed off] on my Bucket-list.

We spent the night in South Dakota at Hampton Inn & Suites Rapid City  and enjoyed dinner at Texas Roadhouse.

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On Saturday September 12, we set out to see Mount Rushmore & the Crazy Horse Memorial.

I’m going to say something controversial: I didn’t see any black hills in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  That’s okay.  I didn’t see the whole place, so I’m not accusing or complaining, just sharing what I observed.

Saturday was really the last sightseeing day of our trip and I while I enjoyed ALL of the sights, there was something awe-inspiring about Mount Rushmore.

I think this was my favorite

When we arrived, we took one of many selfie photos.  In this one, we are laughing because a lady nearby asked her companion “who are those 4 presidents?”

The President’s Trail is an easy hike that takes you up the base of the mountain, providing opportunity for views from all sides.  We took a LOT of photos.

Then we stood in the Artist’s studio and listened to a park employee’s presentation called the Sculpture’s Studio Talk.

The speaker said that the original plan for Mount Rushmore was to include a collection of western heroes, but the artist wanted to make Rushmore a place to stand for the whole country, so he chose 4 Presidents: Washington to represent the foundation of our country; Jefferson to represent the expansion of our country; Lincoln to represent the preservation of our country; and Roosevelt to represent the development and conservation of our country.

Also, we met this little guy…

Then we took a short journey to the Crazy Horse Memorial.

If you aren’t familiar with Crazy Horse, the story of the Battle of Little Bighorn can be read here.

If you don’t already know, the artist who began this sculpture died without completing the vision.  His family continues to work to completion, but I can’t see this happening in my lifetime.

You can read about the death of Crazy Horse here …not sure which story is accurate.

Afterward, we drove through Sturgis, then on to Nebraska.  Dinner was my pick again and I chose Olé.

We spent the night at Hampton Inn & Suites Scottsbluff .

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On Sunday September 13, we Headed Home

Travel from Scottsbluff, Nebraska to Denver international airport to Jacksonville, Florida.

What a day.

It was a 3 hour drive from Nebraska to the airport in Colorado .

Then our 3:45 flight was delayed until 5:13.  So we did what anyone would do… we went shopping and then found a restaurant.

The nachos were excellent!

Our plane finally departed and we arrived home around 11:30 PM EST.  Safe and sound!

SO blessed and happy to be here!

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Thank you for taking time out of your day to stop by my blog.