The Road Trip To Treffen Bend...Part 2

The Road Trip to Treffen Bend...Part 2

By:Steve&MarshaBuss

The Road Trip to Treffen Bend and beyond Part 2

On Sunday September 18, 2022 we wrapped up an absolutely fantastic week at Treffen in Bend Oregon. Thanks to all the region volunteers for planning and executing this extraordinary event. The entire week was first class.

We fueled up and left for Spokane, WA , a stopover city on our way to Glacier National Park. Interesting, all throughout the west the highest octane available is 91. I never noticed a difference, though, between that and the 93 octane I use at home in Maryland.

The next day, a 5 hour incredibly scenic drive took us to Whitefish, Montana, in the northwest corner of the state only 30 miles from Glacier NP. We spent the night in the charming Kandahar Lodge, a Whitefish Mountain ski resort. Their restaurant owned and operated by Chef Andy Blanton received multiple honorable mentions by the James Beard Foundation. Needless to say, it didn’t disappoint. Although there was no snow, the scenery from atop “The Big Mountain” was spectacular.

The next morning we made our way to Glacier NP and entered through the West Glacier entrance. It was nice no reservations were required. The entrance took us past Lake McDonald where our cabin was located. The largest lake in Glacier NP, at 10 miles long, is incredibly clear and beautiful. The enormous mountain peaks surrounding the lake are evidence of the powerful glaciers that carved through the region. After a comfortable hike to stretch our bodies, we made it to the Lodge to check in. Built in 1913, it resembles an old Swiss hunting lodge sitting on the lakeshore.

The next day we drove the famous Going to the Sun Road west to east. Fifty miles of mountainous twisties over Logan Pass and the Continental Divide took about 2 hours with stops at scenic overlooks. This drive was so incredible we drove the road east to west back to Lake McDonald. Absolutely gorgeous views. There are plenty of trails along the lake and we hiked a few. The temperatures moderated significantly with highs in the 70’s and lows in the 40’s making for much more comfortable hikes. Evening sunset strolls along the lake trails provided views of the mountains’ reflection on the clear lake. Stunning.

We left the spectacularly beautiful Glacier NP early and headed south to Yellowstone NP. We drove mostly on the highways, but even these were incredibly scenic and aptly named Glaciers to Geysers. Our hotel for the next 3 days was in Island Park, about 20 minutes from Yellowstone’s west entrance. The park is so large that we decided to explore with a north/south approach. By entering in the west entrance and turning left we headed north to Mammoth Hot Springs. Walkways guide you through the fields of hydrothermal geysers. We drove the loop out to Lamar Valley and around to Canyon

Village then back to the hotel. Severe flooding washed out some of the roads in the Lamar Valley area so we could only travel in the valley so far before we had to turn around. We didn’t see as much wildlife as we expected.

The next day we covered the southern part of the park. There is just so much to see including Old Faithful, faithfully exploding with steaming water every 90 minutes or so. There are the Lower and the Midway, and the Upper and the West Geyser Basins, the highest concentration of geothermal features anywhere on Earth. And they were constantly steaming, hissing, bubbling and erupting. We hiked the boardwalk trails through the different basins enjoying the diversity of each basin including geysers, hot springs (very colorful), vents and mud pots bubbling and hissing and smelling very bad.

We left Yellowstone NP the next morning and drove south over the Teton Pass (12 miles) to Jackson, WY and the Grand Teton National Park. On the way to Jackson we passed the Spud Drive In theater in Diggs, Idaho with its landmark giant potato on an old flatbed truck. The Cayman was filthy so we found a nearby do it yourself car wash in Jackson, removed the tape, washed, and reapplied the surprisingly effective and durable blue tape. It was approaching the dinner hour and we took the opportunity to explore Jackson and find a nice restaurant.

The National Elk Refuge is located in Jackson. Thousands of elk and other animals descend on the range for the winter; however we didn’t see any. So far, we are not having much luck in the wildlife viewing department. But the landscape scenic views make up for it. Wow, these mountains are majestic. The following morning we drove the magnificent 42-mile loop around the park stopping in many of the overlooks to soak in the beauty. We stopped at Jenny Lake and hiked down to the water. The water level was very low, a result of the severe west coast drought.

We left the Lodge at Jackson Hole and moved up to a cabin at Signal Mountain for the second night. The next day we went exploring along the Inner Road and the Outer Road of the park. Still looking for a Big Horn Sheep. These were some great driving roads though.

We left the Tetons and all their glory and arrived at our next stop, Casper, WY. Just an overnighter on the way to Custer State Park. The next morning we were off to the Southern Black Hills and our home for the night at The Horse Lovers Black Hills Bunkhouse in Hot Springs. Yes, this was an Air B&B on a working quarter horse ranch. It had a great atmosphere and no outside light interference, so we were hoping for perfect weather for star gazing…but unfortunately clouds moved in. It was still a fun experience, an unforgettable stay. The next morning we drove to Custer, South Dakota. I was getting excited. This was added to our itinerary for the annual buffalo roundup at Custer State Park on September 30th. We stayed in a cabin at the Sylvan Lake Lodge inside the state park. The views are fantastic. We spent the afternoon exploring the area. Wildlife, that is one noticeable difference

this park has over the others. Buffalo walked right up to the car, on numerous occasions. Wow, they are huge.

The next morning we left for the roundup by 5:15. It is a 30-minute drive through curvy hilly roads that are pitch black at this hour and we arrived in the queue before 6am. There were cars for as far as you can see. Eventually the gates opened and we began moving into the event parking. We had perfect seats along the fence and we sat and waited in our new red folding chairs that fit in the hatchback. Around 10am all people started cheering, here they come, over the hills. With cowboys and cowgirls leading the way, 1300 buffalo come rushing down the hill in front of us. In three minutes it was over. We didn’t feel the earth shake, nor the rush of the thundering herd like we were expecting. But it was still really cool to witness. We left the park to explore the Black Hills, specifically Rt 16A Iron Mountain Road - 17 miles, 314 curves, 14 switchbacks, 3 pigtails, 3 tunnels and 4 Presidents…. Yes, this road leads to Mount Rushmore NP. And it is an incredible stretch of road. At the beginning of the third tunnel, you are able to see the four presidents, and that was pretty cool too. We stared at the sculptures and took pictures, enjoyed an educational video, and walked around the museum all the time talking about the amazing Iron Mountain Road. (check it out on YouTube).

The Saturday was another drive day. This time it was SD Highway 87, Needles Highway. The drive starts at Sylvan Lake and this twisty curvy road delights with its scenic granite “needles” sticking up into the sky. This road leads to 16A, so we drove that again and passed Mount Rushmore on our way to Crazy Horse Memorial. The massive sculpture, the world’s largest, is still a work in progress. We spent time in the

The following day we began our trip through the Badlands National Park. We drove the scenic 30 mile Loop Road stopping at many of the overlooks and walking some short trails out for better views. The Indians named this “bad land” and it sure is appropriate. It is badlands alright, but with spectacularly beautiful scenic landscapes and incredible geological formations. And Prairie dogs. There are lots of prairie dogs. Also the Badlands are famous for the fossils that have been unearthed including ancestors to the modern day pig, horse, cat and even the rhinoceros.

As we continued to move east on I-90, we came to a town named Wall. We knew nothing about Wall, but all the hype on the highway billboards for Wall Drug (similar to Pedro Sez) piqued our interest and we stopped in to visit and have lunch and get our free ice water as promised by the signage. Wall Drug began as a very small town pharmacy and over the years grew to a cowboy western theme mall. It has everything a visitor passing through would ever need! Plus, now they have coffee for 5 cents. The ice water was advertising genius, offering water to parched travelers. Wall, SD attracts over 2M visitors a year.

We left Wall after lunch and drove to Sioux Falls and on the way passed through a town named Blue Earth, MN, home to the 60 foot tall Jolly Green Giant statue. Had to stop for a photo opp.

Then drove on to La Crosse, WI the next day. The following day we arrived in Chicago. We both love Chicago but this time it didn’t start so well. Marsha was driving and trying to avoid stalling the car in bumper to bumper.

Crazy Horse Museum learning about Native American history, the Lakota Warriors and Custer’s Last Stand in the Battle of Little Bighorn. A very educational and enjoyable afternoon. And another Iron Mountain Road and Needles Highway drive home. Scenic and zippy. Before dinner we had a photo op with Smokey the Bear in Custer.

We made it to the Palmer House. Their lobby is spectacular and lobby bar relaxing. We walked the Magnificent Mile for a while and found a restaurant that was recommended for dinner.

We left Chi-

cago on a 6 hour drive through Indiana to Cleveland. We spent the night at the Metropol- itan at The 9 in Cleveland. The century-old bank vaults in the hotel basement have been converted to a cocktail lounge. We relaxed with a drink at the

dinner.

Garden of Eden Rooftop Lounge before heading to

The next morning we drove our final 6 hours to our home in Maryland. Safe and sound.

Such an incredible journey - 8,000 miles, 13 National Parks, 6 State Parks, 17 States, 38 days.

The 2016 Cayman was remarkable in every environment. And so much fun to drive. I’m convinced this journey would have been a completely different experience for us if we drove the Cayenne.