Tuesday Travels: To Denver(ish) by way of Chicago and Yellowstone National Park


I guess I didn't really take to heart that mathematical truth that the shortest distance between to points is a straight line.  I think our final distance was something like 5,300 miles.  I understand that is greater than a round trip between here and Los Angeles (2,178 miles).  See that?  I fact checked myself.  (Now, I'm wondering if fact check should be hyphonated and, while I'm at it, is round trip a compound word?  Sigh.  The work of Google is never ending.)  The trip is composed of three parts: To camp, While camp is camping, From camp.

As She-Who-Plans-The -Road-Trips, it was on me to plan the road trip.  Ready?

TO CAMP

Indiana Dunes National Park

Chicago - Field Museum

Chicago - Great Wolf Lodge

Wisconsin Dells - Duck Tour and Museum of Root Beer (but the tour got canned due to Canadian smoke)

Austin, MN - Spam Museum

Blue Earth, MN - Jolly Green Giant

Pipestone National Monument, MN

Sioux Falls, SD

Marshall, SD:  Corn Palace

Chamberalin, SD: Dignity of the Earth and Sky

Badlands National Park, SD

Wall, SD:  Wall Drug

Sturgis, SD: Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway

Black Hills (canceled - running out of time)

Devil's Tower National Park, WY

Bighorn National Forest, WY: Bighorn Scenic Byway US 14

Yellowstone National Park, WY

Grand Teton National Park, WY

Evergreen, CO

<drop off Zupe Empire, CO>

WHILE CAMP IS CAMPING

Colorado Monument

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, CO

Ouray and  Million Dollar Highway, CO

Mesa Verde National Park, CO

Canyons of the Ancients National Park, CO

Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO

Dinosaur Ridge

<pick up Zupe>

FROM CAMP

Arikaree Breaks, KS

Lebanon, KS (geographic center of the contiuous US) - canceled time, again

West Bottoms Kansas City, MO

Springfield, IL : Lincoln Home National Historic Site, Lincoln Grave

Atlanta, IL: Museum of American Giants

You will note- While Camp is Camping involves much longer drive times between sites and after camp (From Camp) the trip is much more about the destination (home) than the journey.  lol.


Let's start again - at the beginning.... next

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