Nevada
On the way back across the country we once again drove through Nevada. Being back in Desert Nevada was a big difference to Green California. This time, though, through the north. We drove through Reno, but were not too impressed after being in Las Vegas for a week.
It was Friday, and we were worried we would not make it to Salt Lake City before the Sabbath. The afternoon was reaching its end, so we pulled over in Battle Mountain Nevada and spent the Sabbath in a motel there. We didn’t leave the room, and slept through most of it. After the Sabbath we continued to Salt Lake City.
Utah
The next morning we toured the Temple Square. The Mormon Temple is treated as their Holy Temple, so we were not allowed to enter. We learned about Mormonism, and its prophet Joseph Smith who died in the mid nineteenth century. They had many paintings and statues of Jesus Christ, and in the downstairs of the visitor center there is an explanation about the Book of Mormon (the Mormon expansion to the Holy Bible).
There are many free tours and guides that explain Mormonism to you as you walk through the Temple Square. They have representatives in many different languages, and each representative has a flag of the country that they originate from. Around sixty four percent of Utah is Mormon, so the religion is a fundamental part of Utahan history.
At the end of our tour we wanted to take a Book of Mormon in Hebrew as a souvenir, because they hand them out in different languages for free. Unfortunately, they have not translated it to Hebrew yet, and according to the guides it is one of the few languages that doesn’t have a translation of the Book of Mormon. We took an English copy.
Idaho
After the deserts of Nevada and Utah Idaho was a beautiful change in scenery. We passed through the state on our way north towards Yellowstone National Park. The state was extremely hilly because of the Rockies that pass through it. We were glad to find out that the state is known for its potatoes.
Wyoming
After many hours of driving from Salt Lake City, through Idaho, all the way to Yellowstone we finally made it. On the way we had already ordered a campsite, and we arrived there with around two hours of daylight to spare.
We checked in at the campground, and received our weather warnings and bear safety guidelines. We had been told that as recently as the night before they had spotted a bear running through the campground.
We decided to take advantage of our extra two hours, and went to see Old Faithful. On the way down we passed through different geyser areas. Geysers give this strange feeling of being on a different planet because of the way their bubbling and spraying, and they reek of Methane. We missed Old Faithful by around five minutes, and had to wait an hour and a half until the next one. Old Faithful shoots around nine meters into the air and it is actually very fun to watch.
We returned to the campsite after it was already dark. We set up the tent quickly, and ate a beautiful dinner of what we hadn’t eaten yet from my Aunt Wynne. After dinner we switched into our thermal clothing knowing that it was going to be literally freezing at night. I woke up several times at night because my sleeping bag was wet at the bottom, and the cold was hurting my feet. In the morning we woke to find that our tent had a sheet of ice over it.
After packing our supplies in the car we began our drive around Yellowstone. We drove through forests, over rivers, and on the sides of mountains. We saw herds of bison, and even came right up to a buffalo that was standing on the side of the road. We also learned that bison and buffalo are the same exact animal. Many people were fly fishing, and others hiking or taking pictures. We drove to the top of Yellowstone, and then came down on the eastern side. We drove through snowcapped mountains, and saw the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Once reaching the bottom of Yellowstone we sat by the lake for a little while, and skipped stones over the water.
We decided to continue our drive after spending the day in Yellowstone. On our way out of Yellowstone we saw the saddest forest ever. The whole area had been burnt in a forest fire years prior leaving behind nothing, except for miles upon miles of black burnt trees.
Once we left Yellowstone we began our actual drive through Wyoming. This was our first exposure to the Plains. Wyoming is one of America’s bigger states, but it has the nation’s smallest population with only half a million residents. We passed through a town of only ten people, or so said its town sign. We drove through Wyoming until we arrived at a town, and stayed in a cottage. This would be our final time sleeping in a bed until we reached Maine.
The next morning we continued our drive through the plains towards South Dakota to go to Mount Rushmore.
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