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OT - Wife wants to go on a road trip, so I am going on a road trip.....

This will be my biggest to date.  This one has a lot of miles, but in a fairly short amount of time.   My wife wants to say she has been in all 50 states. Why? I do not know, but she does.  Okay, so we go on a road trip....

If anyone knows of any "must see" or "must do" things along the way, feel free to throw them out there. Know of somewhere with great food in any of these places? Throw it out there. Do you live along the way and want to try and meet up? We are game if things work out.  It is just the two of us so we are a bit flexible, but we do have a fairly aggressive schedule....

Below is the itinerary (Sorry for the spacing, cut and paste from excel does not work too well.)

Wednesday
August 30, 2017
Philadelphia DFW

DFWDes Moines

  
Thursday
August 31, 2017
Des MoinesOmaha, NE

Omaha, NENew Ulm, MN
   
Friday
September 1, 2017
New Ulm, MNNorth Mankato, MN

North Mankato, MNAberdeen, SD
   
Saturday
September 2, 2017
Aberdeen, SD
Badlands NP


Badlands NP   Mount Rushmore National Memorial
   
Sunday
September 3, 2017
 Keystone, SD
Mount Rushmore, NP

Mount Rushmore, NPGardiner, MT
Monday
September 4, 2017

Gardiner, MT

Mammoth Springs

Mammoth SpringsCanyon Village

Canyon VillageOld Faithful

Old Faithful

Grant Village Lodge

Tuesday
September 5, 2017
Colter BayJackson Hole




Jackson HoleIdaho Falls, ID
   
Wednesday
September 6, 2017
Idaho Falls, IDBoise, ID
   
Thursday
September 7, 2017
Boise, IDVale, OR

Vale, ORBoise, ID




If there is any interest, I will post random pictures along the way. God knows I will have plenty of time in the car when I am not driving.



--------------------------------------------------
Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
....just look for the smoke!
Large and MiniMax
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Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
«1

Comments

  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262

    Hope you have a safe, fun trip.

    Phoenix 
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    edited August 2017
    If you're in New Ulm you might want to check out the August Schell Brewing Company. It's the 2nd oldest family owned brewery in the nation. My favorite beer comes from there called Grain Belt. It's a very German town. My cousin always stops at Veigel's Kaiserhoff when in town. (German food) 

    If you are craving a little bbq you might want to check out Smokey D's in Des Moines. They've won American Royal, Kingsford Invitational, Jack Daniels, and 800 local and regional events. Pretty crazy seeing $100,000 award checks hanging on the wall! The ribs are top notch. Definitely worth a stop if looking for grub. I've enjoyed stopping at Hawgeyes in 
    Ankeny, IA. It's a bbq shop with all kinds of rubs and sauces. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • Jupiter Jim
    Jupiter Jim Posts: 3,351

    She has a great idea! So have a great time. J&K

    I'm only hungry when I'm awake!

    Okeechobee FL. Winter

    West Jefferson NC Summer

  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,168
    Enjoy the extended road trip.  I didn't see Crazy Horse Memorial on your list of stops.  
    BTW- with the 50 state deal-just had some old friends pass thru and KY was the last of the 50 states for the wife to visit.   Box now checked.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • piney
    piney Posts: 1,478
    Wow!! now that is a nice trip. Enjoy
    Lenoir, N.C.
  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    I have over the course of my life been in 48 of the 50 states. The two missing are Hawaii and Alaska. I had been missing North Dakota up until a few years back. I added that one when a flight to Minneapolis was rerouted to Fargo due to weather. Not sure I saw much of it....but did check it off my list anyhow.

    Your trip sounds like it will require a lot of seat time behind the wheel. I don't have anything to offer in the way of suggestions except have a great time where ever you wind up. Be safe.
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    Pretty extensive list. It will be fun. Drive back through here and we will be glad to host.
    Have fun, be safe, send images when you can.
    This will be a fun trip for y'all.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
    Have fun man!
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
  • THEBuckeye
    THEBuckeye Posts: 4,230
    Towing an Egg?
    New Albany, Ohio 

  • SoCalTim
    SoCalTim Posts: 2,158
    @Sea2Ski   'Happy Wife - Happy Life' ..
    I've slow smoked and eaten so much pork, I'm legally recognized as being part swine - Chatsworth Ca.
  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,007
    edited August 2017
    That looks like a great schedule! We've done part of that journey for the last two years.

    It looks like you have one day in Yellowstone. If so, you've got a choice between wildlife (Lamar Valley, close to Gardiner) and hot springs areas (south and south west). The hot springs areas are full of tourist buses, unless you get there at dumb-o-clock in the morning. In June we were at Grand Prismatic at 06:30, there was already one tour bus in the car park. The Lamar Valley doesn't have this problem because it's wildlife focussed, and as that's completely unpredictable, tour buses don't go there. That also means you might see diddly squat in terms of wildlife, although I cannot remember a day when we drove down the Lamar Valley and didn't see a herd of bison. These threads given an idea of what you could see:

    Lamar Valley
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1208007/some-pictures-from-our-2017-usa-road-trip-part-2

    Hot Springs
    http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1208471/some-pictures-from-our-2017-usa-road-trip-part-3

    Idaho Falls, I recommend the Destinations Inn, each room is themed. We stayed in the Moroccan room. There's a great burger joint a block away, name escapes me.

    The journey from Idaho Falls to Boise can be done on the interstate, however we went cross country through Craters of the Moon, that is definitely worth going to. If you leave Idaho Falls early enough you can drive up through Stanley and then through the Sawtooth mountains.

    In Boise itself, Goldie's for breakfast, you have to get there early before they fill up. There's a botanical gardens there, also an old prison. As you're there on a Thursday, worth checking out the local wineries, some of them have pizza and food trucks on a Thursday night. Here I recommend the Anniversary Inn, another place with themed rooms.

    After Boise, Silver City is amazing. It's an old mining community where people still live. You need a solid offroader to get there though, and there's a section of road where if you have a problem you need to pay for search and rescue. SWMBO managed to "break" our hire Jeep on that trip. :)


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
    That's going to be a blast.  I'd love to see pics.
    Thanks!

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."

                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
  • Jai-Bo
    Jai-Bo Posts: 584
    I hope she's better then my ole lady...  When we go on trips, she keeps her head buried in her Ipad!!!  Drives me crazy cause I love going down backroads looking at the sights but couldn't stand it if she drove, so I do a bit of swerving!!! hahaha   Ya'll be safe!
    Hunting-Fishing-Cookin' on my EGG! Nothing else compares!
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,125
    Safe travels 
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    edited August 2017
    In Idaho, Craters of the Moon National Monument - even if you just drive by it....
    Keep it between the ditches!
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • JohnInCarolina
    JohnInCarolina Posts: 30,868
    Looks great!  I've been to just a few of those places.  I'm in Idaho Falls frequently because of work - check out Snow Eagle Brewery and Grill.  Very good beer and good grub as well.
    "I've made a note never to piss you two off." - Stike
  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,410
    Do you need me to watch the boat while you are gone? 
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,410
    kl8ton said:
    Do you need me to watch the boat while you are gone? 
    Let me know cause I am real worried about it! 
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
    Everyone who provided ideas on where to go, thank you. Some of those places we will definitely look into, and I am sure we will make it to some of them. 

    @Stormbringer Your (wife's) pictures are incredible and based on what you responded, we are already planning on going to Lamar valley. If I could get just one picture as good as what you posted, I will be ecstatic. But I know I won't.....

    @Jai-Bo my wife is a good driver. She anticipates the moves of other drivers as well as most guys do. She also usually drives fast.   Okay...maybe a bit too fast. She is now down to 2 points (down from 5) on her license. Next month those last two come off. 

    @kl8ton  ha ha ha....  the boat will be fine. You do not want to be on it this weekend. And thank goodness I am not there. This is "Bitches on the bay" weekend. My cousin who owns it has all her high school friends come down. I usually go and act as the designated driver and drink runner for them. When we went out for the booze cruise, instead of flying flags (such as tuna or marlin) 3 years ago and since, we have been flying bras as we go through the harbor and back to dock. Kinda fun to get the looks from other boats and stuff, but trust me, it ain't worth it. But I appreciate the offer... thanks for having my back.  

    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
    @northGAcock after these 9 states, we have 5 in the gulf region which we will do in the spring, and then 2 isolated states remain. Alaska, which we are doing the land and cruise thing next July, and New Mexico.  NM will be in the fall when they have the hot air balloon festival. We hear it is a good time.

    And you know what we got for this trip? 2 brand new car chargers for the phone. :wink::whistle:
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
  • Devils Tower in WY.  Also Chief Joseph Highway. Near Yellowstone I'd take the Beartooth Highway up to Red Lodge, MT.  
    Of these, the Beartooth should really NOT be missed. Absolutely stunning. 
  • Stormbringer
    Stormbringer Posts: 2,007
    @Sea2Ski thanks bud :). Some Yellowstone road considerations

    - The max speed limit is 45mph
    - Realistically the max speed is more like 35mph with people not driving too fast so they miss something
    - If there's any sort of wildlife near the road, the traffic slows to 5mph
    - There's one loop road with one spur going in each direction (Lamar Valley is one of these directions)

    So it can take a looooong time to move a short distance. Bake this into your plan. Also, you can still see some thermal activity if you get up early the day you are staying at Grant Village and go to West Thumb.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------
    | Cooking and blogging with a Large and Minimax in deepest, darkest England-shire
    | My food blog ... BGE and other stuff ... http://www.thecooksdigest.co.uk
    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
    Sea2Ski said:
    @northGAcock after these 9 states, we have 5 in the gulf region which we will do in the spring, and then 2 isolated states remain. Alaska, which we are doing the land and cruise thing next July, and New Mexico.  NM will be in the fall when they have the hot air balloon festival. We hear it is a good time.

    And you know what we got for this trip? 2 brand new car chargers for the phone. :wink::whistle:
    LOL.....that is funny. When you go to New Mexico.....you must do Carlsbad Caverns. To this day....one of the most amazing things I have seen.
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,125
    Sea2Ski said:
    @northGAcock after these 9 states, we have 5 in the gulf region which we will do in the spring, and then 2 isolated states remain. Alaska, which we are doing the land and cruise thing next July, and New Mexico.  NM will be in the fall when they have the hot air balloon festival. We hear it is a good time.

    And you know what we got for this trip? 2 brand new car chargers for the phone. :wink::whistle:
    LOL.....that is funny. When you go to New Mexico.....you must do Carlsbad Caverns. To this day....one of the most amazing things I have seen.
    Especially if you like bat poop
  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 5,410
    Sea2Ski said:
    @northGAcock after these 9 states, we have 5 in the gulf region which we will do in the spring, and then 2 isolated states remain. Alaska, which we are doing the land and cruise thing next July, and New Mexico.  NM will be in the fall when they have the hot air balloon festival. We hear it is a good time.

    And you know what we got for this trip? 2 brand new car chargers for the phone. :wink::whistle:
    LOL.....that is funny. When you go to New Mexico.....you must do Carlsbad Caverns. To this day....one of the most amazing things I have seen.
    Especially if you like bat poop

    Large, Medium, MiniMax, & 22, and 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
  • Hoster05
    Hoster05 Posts: 312
    Stop by The Circle Inn bar in North Mankato, My father in law owns the joint.  Nice blue collar bar right in town.  Dino's pizza across the street is really good.  Not far away is the Mankato brewery, good beer there as well.  Also Papa George's is the local steak joint.  I second the comment about Schells brewery as well.  
    Mankato, MN - LBGE
  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
    First leg coming to an end... just arrived in Dallas. I think I flew as far in 3 hours as we will drive in the next 9 days....

    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
  • Jeremiah
    Jeremiah Posts: 6,412
    Have a blast man! I for one would love a photo thread. Love traveling. (For fun, love fraveling for fun)
    Slumming it in Aiken, SC. 
  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
    @Hoster05 we may check it out if time allows. We are always looking for local places that give you a real feel for the area we are in. Thanks for the heads up! 

    @Jeremiah I think this will be the picture thread. I know there are varying opinions on OT threads, but I figure I like them when others do it, and those that do not want to see do not have to look. Check back tomorrow for an update on our travels.....
    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite. 
  • Sea2Ski
    Sea2Ski Posts: 4,088
    So the nice 50-something year old lady who gave us the rental car last night has never been outside the state of Iowa!  :open_mouth:

    Lets get this party started.....

    --------------------------------------------------
    Burning lump in Downingtown, PA or diesel in Cape May, NJ.
    ....just look for the smoke!
    Large and MiniMax
    --------------------------------------------------

    Caliking said:   Meat in bung is my favorite.