Cats and Trails and Garden Tales

Some destinations are better than others and certainly Yellowstone is one of those. Still, half the fun of any road trip is getting there!

We left Seattle after Labor Day and headed east on I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass where I never get tired of the views.

But the mountains don’t last forever and it wasn’t long before we crossed the mighty Columbia River

welcomed to the other side by wild horses! The Wild Horses Monument, officially called Grandfather Cuts Loose the Ponies, looks so real I updated this post so you’d know it’s a sculpture.

Then we were in a strange wasteland where all was barren and full of sagebrush, and creatures from outer space dominated the landscape. No wait, they’re wind turbines!

Windfarms have sprung up everywhere – harnessing the wind for power – and not I hope wiping out bird populations.

After riding through the desert of the Evergreen State the trees finally reappeared near Spokane and soon after we entered into Idaho.

Time to stretch our legs in Wallace!

Established in 1884, Wallace sits at an elevation of 2,728 ft. and boasts a population of 925. Self described Silver Capital of the World, over 1.2 billion ounces of silver have been mined there. A fun town nestled in the mountains, we loved walking on its historic streets.

(Click on pictures in the gallery to enlarge.)

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We visited the old train station – now a museum –

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and admired the Stardust Motel – at least its kitschy sign.

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Later on we spent the night in Missoula, and the next day took the road less traveled through Montana

enjoying the ghost towns of Nevada City and Virginia City – more on that here if you missed it.

We arrived in Yellowstone that afternoon, welcomed by a herd of buffalo and their young, ready for more adventures.

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I’ve already shared some pictures from our trip – Yellowstone in Color – but I only scratched the surface and suspect there’ll be more to come.

~ Susanne