The Prize for the most Indecisive Traveller

[PrincessInOz]

Logan looks great. I love small towns. Accommodation costs are usually so much better and more affordable. And nothing wrong with the Best Western chain in the US when you're out in the countryside.

You've never been to a Michael's store before? You're in for a treat!

 

[craxyfox]

wow your trip sounds exciting! I soso wish I could go see the Grand Tetons, I hope you'll have an amazing time there (will be waiting to see your photos!)

I get that feeling of having a trip that feels a little 'soulless' but I keep reminding myself that there'll be (hopefully!) more trips, even though all of you make me want to plan my next trip to see the Rockies already

We are not crazy people for wanting to explore the beauty there is in the world, even if we obsess a wee bit over planning but it's part of the fun!

 

[zanzibar138]

Love the Logan update! I love small towns too I think that's why most of our accommodation is well-priced for this trip

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Reading all this I think I am now more excited than you - love the plans, all the accommodation you have chosen, everything! When I come to do such a trip myself will be coming back to this and your future TR (as well as all of PIO's of course) especially for some of these accommodation options!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Logan looks great. I love small towns. Accommodation costs are usually so much better and more affordable. And nothing wrong with the Best Western chain in the US when you're out in the countryside. You've never been to a Michael's store before? You're in for a treat!

I am quickly discovering the delights of small town hotel prices. I have started researching the trip back to SLC and have been finding some equally wonderful deals in the towns just north of SLC. It makes me want to hire a car and spend about a month just driving around small town America.

I also can't get over the cheap house prices over there. This article shows the median house prices in Logan to be just $133,000. The only places in NZ with house pricing that cheap are less than desirable and have high unemployment rates.
http://www.forbes.com/pictures/mjf45gkge/logan-utah/

No, never been to Michaels. I used to be quite creative in my younger years, but these days I don't seem to have the time and patience for crafts. It's either crafts or the Dis and the Dis wins

 

[WanderlustNZ]

wow your trip sounds exciting! I soso wish I could go see the Grand Tetons, I hope you'll have an amazing time there (will be waiting to see your photos!) I get that feeling of having a trip that feels a little 'soulless' but I keep reminding myself that there'll be (hopefully!) more trips, even though all of you make me want to plan my next trip to see the Rockies already We are not crazy people for wanting to explore the beauty there is in the world, even if we obsess a wee bit over planning but it's part of the fun!

Thanks for your well-wishes Craxyfox.

I learnt a long time ago that there is no picture out there that is a substitute for seeing the world's beauty with your own eyes. People can think we're crazy all they like, we know who are the real crazy ones

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Love the Logan update! I love small towns too I think that's why most of our accommodation is well-priced for this trip

Thanks Zanzibar. It's such a great feeling finding a hotel you like and also knowing it didn't cost the earth. All your accommodation looks fabulous also

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Reading all this I think I am now more excited than you - love the plans, all the accommodation you have chosen, everything! When I come to do such a trip myself will be coming back to this and your future TR (as well as all of PIO's of course) especially for some of these accommodation options!

Yay, thanks for being excited for me

There have been so many wonderful accommodation options to pick from on this trip, particularly in Wyoming. I've felt like a kid in a candy store. Everything from gorgeous little log cabins to cute little B&Bs to grand lodges. I'm wishing I had a week or two longer so I could also go explore Montana and head towards Mt Rushmore. It seems like such a beautiful area of the world.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

So I did something really stupid last night.

I read a post on Trip Advisor about some You Tube video of a person being chased by a bear.

You know when you drive past a car crash and you know you shouldn't look, but you can't help but not? Well this was just like that. Before you knew it I had watched at least half a dozen videos of people being chased, and sometimes attacked, by wildlife in Yellowstone and they were pretty scary.

In all fairness, most of these people were idiots. In one particular video, a family let all their kids walk within about a metre of a bison's head. Ummm, hello, it's a bison. It's a wild animal built like a bulldozer. Next thing you know, one of the kids (about 9yrs old) was being chased by the bison. Luckily the kid was more agile and could weave around trees, because there is no doubt that the bison was superior in strength and speed.

While these videos didn't do enough to put me off my trip (I'm still beyond excited), they did get me thinking (perhaps slightly anxiously) about the dangers we would need to be cautious of. Not so much for my own sake, but my son's. I want to make sure he's aware of all the things he can and can't do without making him nervous about the upcoming experience.

Probably my main thought was about our night in Mammoth Hot Springs. The elk are in rut that time of the year and they often hang out on the grassy areas around the cabins. I've read that it's an amazing time of the year to observe these beautiful creatures, but it's also the time of the year when they're most dangerous. You need to be careful driving past them as there have been cases of them seeing their reflection in shiny car doors and mistaking it for a challenging bull elk. Those mighty antlers can do quite a bit of damage to cars. Also, accidentally walk between a bull elk and one of his harem and you could be in for all sorts of trouble
I have these silly visions of wanting to walk across to the hotel to get some food, but being held hostage in our cabin by a bull elk lazing on the grass outside. Yes, I can see the funny side to such a scenario. I guess I'm just going to have to make sure our cooler box is well-stocked incase of such emergencies

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I did say that I deserve the award for the most Indecisive planner. In typical 'me fashion' I have gone and made another change to my booking.

I have spent a lot of time trying to decide whether the night of Oct 1st would be better spent inside Yellowstone at Mammoth Hot Springs, or about 10 minutes north in the cute town of Gardiner, Montana.

I had already booked the night in Mammoth as the thought of being amongst the wildlife is very appealing.

However, today I found a big contender in Gardiner which caused me to change my booking. It's called Yellowstone Gateway Inn and it gets amazing online reviews.

The main reason for the change is that this place has way for space for my family of 4. We can get a 2 bedroom apartment/cabin which sleeps up to 8 and it has a full kitchen. All this for about $20 less than the price of the small one room cabin in Mammoth.
A lot of hotels in the area have good specials from the 1st October, and this hotel is only costing us US$155 p/n inc. taxes for the four of us. Had we stayed one night earlier it would have cost about $100 more.

Also, while I don't mind being completely cut off from technology for a few days, I think the fact that this hotel has TV, wifi, and telephones appeals quite a bit to my husband.

Other benefits are that we will have access to more places to eat and there is a free place to swim nearby called 'Boiling River' (the hotel provides free swimming towels). It could be a nice, relaxing, way to end the day.

The downside, as mentioned, is that we won't get the fully immersed feeling of being in the park. I was actually looking forward to being kept awake at night by bugling elk.

I hope I've made the right decision...

Time for pics.

Photos are not my own. They are from the Yellowstone Gateway Inn website
http://yellowstonegatewayinn.com/

The living space. My son can sleep on one of the 2 sofabeds.


The kitchen


The king bedroom


The queen Bedroom for my MIL


The entrance gate between Gardiner and Yellowstone

 

[PrincessInOz]

It looks gorgeous, Wanderlust. Hard choice between space and being in the park.

 

[Tashinwdw]

Decisions, Decisions! The place looks really nice and roomy. The other place does sound great, being in the thick of it and surrounded by nature. As you said there are different factors to consider, you have the 4 of you, technology etc. I think personal space is a big thing when you are travelling. Its hard being in each others faces for a long period of time and having that room to have time out does sound wonderful. I think if it was just you and DH then the other place would win, hands down as it sounds romantic, a cabin in the woods but I am sure you have made the right decision.

I have hit a wall with my research, not sure what to do, where to go, waiting to see how the money situation develops. So at the moment I am living through your updates. I am looking forward to your next one

 

[GrazingGoat1966]

Memories of an afternoon at the Mexican Epcot pavilion....aaah. Great to hear your next trip is being planned. Mine is still 2 1/2 years away....boo hiss.

For what it's worth I, like PIO am a huge fan and visitor to the National Parks. A rough count the other day and it was approaching 30. Your Yellowstone plans look perfect. I've been twice, once during August and also during October. There wasnt an ounce of snow during the October visit but of course weather can do funny things. The Grand Tetons are a lovely drive to discover various photo hot spots too. Probably one of the most famous vistas for professional photographers is at the Northern end of the drive past the Tetons at Oxbow Bend. If you have any interest in photography as you do, you HAVE to take some shots there. Jackson is a wonderful little town. Terrific shopping and dining options abound with the main part of the city centre surrounding a parkland right in the centre of town. Particularly love the wooden sidewalks that make you feel like youre on the set of Gunsmoke or any western type TV show. In October we saw heaps of Bison, and zero bears. In August we saw a few bison and 4 bears. It really is a "crap shoot" as to what you'll see. Best of luck with that!

And for what it's worth, out of all the NP's that Ive seen, like an earlier poster, comfortably my favourite is Glacier in Northern Montana. Hands down the most visually stunning park Ive seen. On our next trip I will spend 3 days touring Olympic NP near Seattle as it is probably the biggest one that Ive yet to do. But for a broad range of differing vista's put Glacier on the bucket list. Best of planning!!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Memories of an afternoon at the Mexican Epcot pavilion....aaah. Great to hear your next trip is being planned. Mine is still 2 1/2 years away....boo hiss. For what it's worth I, like PIO am a huge fan and visitor to the National Parks. A rough count the other day and it was approaching 30. Your Yellowstone plans look perfect. I've been twice, once during August and also during October. There wasnt an ounce of snow during the October visit but of course weather can do funny things. The Grand Tetons are a lovely drive to discover various photo hot spots too. Probably one of the most famous vistas for professional photographers is at the Northern end of the drive past the Tetons at Oxbow Bend. If you have any interest in photography as you do, you HAVE to take some shots there. Jackson is a wonderful little town. Terrific shopping and dining options abound with the main part of the city centre surrounding a parkland right in the centre of town. Particularly love the wooden sidewalks that make you feel like youre on the set of Gunsmoke or any western type TV show. In October we saw heaps of Bison, and zero bears. In August we saw a few bison and 4 bears. It really is a "crap shoot" as to what you'll see. Best of luck with that! And for what it's worth, out of all the NP's that Ive seen, like an earlier poster, comfortably my favourite is Glacier in Northern Montana. Hands down the most visually stunning park Ive seen. On our next trip I will spend 3 days touring Olympic NP near Seattle as it is probably the biggest one that Ive yet to do. But for a broad range of differing vista's put Glacier on the bucket list. Best of planning!!

Hi GrazingGoat,

Great to hear from you again. I very much enjoyed our DisMeet last year.

Thanks for the input. It's great to hear that you had good weather in October. I have my fingers crossed for the same.

Your post is the first I'd heard of Jackson's wooden sidewalks. Yay, yet another reason to look forward to our stay there.

30 NP's is so impressive. I've been to quite a few of NZ's National Parks, but my US count is... wait for it..... one. I will get to Glacier NP one day. It sounds beautiful.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Decisions, Decisions! The place looks really nice and roomy. The other place does sound great, being in the thick of it and surrounded by nature. As you said there are different factors to consider, you have the 4 of you, technology etc. I think personal space is a big thing when you are travelling. Its hard being in each others faces for a long period of time and having that room to have time out does sound wonderful. I think if it was just you and DH then the other place would win, hands down as it sounds romantic, a cabin in the woods but I am sure you have made the right decision.

I have hit a wall with my research, not sure what to do, where to go, waiting to see how the money situation develops. So at the moment I am living through your updates. I am looking forward to your next one

I agree. Had it just been me and DH we would have opted for the cabin. I think even if it had been me, DH and DS we would have gone for the cabin. But having 4 of us (including one person who isn't used to putting up with our idiosyncrasies all day everyday) the balance was tipped in favour of space. Plus the place in Gardiner seems like such a bargain.

Too compensate, I am thinking of replacing our full day Yellowstone tour on the 30th Sep with a specialised half day wolf and wildlife tour from Gardiner on the afternoon/evening of the 1st. I have emailed the 'Bearman' of Yellowstone to see if he has as opening in his calendar. I'm not holding my breath though as it seems this guy is in quite big demand.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Memories of an afternoon at the Mexican Epcot pavilion....aaah. Great to hear your next trip is being planned. Mine is still 2 1/2 years away....boo hiss.

For what it's worth I, like PIO am a huge fan and visitor to the National Parks. A rough count the other day and it was approaching 30. Your Yellowstone plans look perfect. I've been twice, once during August and also during October. There wasnt an ounce of snow during the October visit but of course weather can do funny things. The Grand Tetons are a lovely drive to discover various photo hot spots too. Probably one of the most famous vistas for professional photographers is at the Northern end of the drive past the Tetons at Oxbow Bend. If you have any interest in photography as you do, you HAVE to take some shots there. Jackson is a wonderful little town. Terrific shopping and dining options abound with the main part of the city centre surrounding a parkland right in the centre of town. Particularly love the wooden sidewalks that make you feel like youre on the set of Gunsmoke or any western type TV show. In October we saw heaps of Bison, and zero bears. In August we saw a few bison and 4 bears. It really is a "crap shoot" as to what you'll see. Best of luck with that!

And for what it's worth, out of all the NP's that Ive seen, like an earlier poster, comfortably my favourite is Glacier in Northern Montana. Hands down the most visually stunning park Ive seen. On our next trip I will spend 3 days touring Olympic NP near Seattle as it is probably the biggest one that Ive yet to do. But for a broad range of differing vista's put Glacier on the bucket list. Best of planning!!

Hope the rest of your trip went well.

I'm up to Colorado in my TR and should get up to posting about our DisMeet sometime this year; maybe March.


But here's my picture of us from that day!

Wanderlust, Jade+3, Grazing Goat and Me.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I agree. Had it just been me and DH we would have opted for the cabin. I think even if it had been me, DH and DS we would have gone for the cabin. But having 4 of us (including one person who isn't used to putting up with our idiosyncrasies all day everyday) the balance was tipped in favour of space. Plus the place in Gardiner seems like such a bargain.

Too compensate, I am thinking of replacing our full day Yellowstone tour on the 30th Sep with a specialised half day wolf and wildlife tour from Gardiner on the afternoon/evening of the 1st. I have emailed the 'Bearman' of Yellowstone to see if he has as opening in his calendar. I'm not holding my breath though as it seems this guy is in quite big demand.

Oooh! I hope the Bearman has space for you.


I think you're making the right decision regarding space and accommodation at Yellowstone. You're on holiday; might as well enjoy it in comfort for everyone.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Eeek! Lovely pic of you three, shocking pic of me. I look so tired

That was a fun catch-up.

I miss Epcot's frozen margaritas.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Eeek! Lovely pic of you three, shocking pic of me. I look so tired

That was a fun catch-up.

I miss Epcot's frozen margaritas.

I can say the same. It looks like a great picture of the 3 of you; shocking one of me!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I did something quite blasphemous today. I shaved more time of Disneyland

My Disneyland count is down from 2 full days to just 1 1/2 days in the parks.

As much as I sat and tried to work out the best plan for Yellowstone, I kept coming up a day short. In the end I decided that I am quite likely to get the chance to visit Disneyland again, but much less likely to get to Yellowstone. I don't want to do this part of the trip by halves and then leave with regrets.

The BearMan got back to me and is available, but will only begin and end the tour from Mammoth, not Gardiner. How ironic is that! The tour finishes in the dark and we would have to make the short 10 minute drive back to Gardiner in the dark. Everything I have read says that tourists should not even consider driving in the dark. Elk and other wildlife can run in front of the car as if out of nowhere and it is quite dangerous. Even 10 minutes makes me nervous.

So I am having a bit of a think, and in the meantime I have also contacted the Yellowstone Association. Like the Bearman, they get great reviews and are highly recognised for their wildlife tours.

So here is my new, slightly adjusted plans.

Thur 25 Sep: LAX hotel
Hotel (undecided)

Fri 26 Sep: Fly to Salt Lake City. Hire car and drive to Logan. Do some shopping.
Hotel: Best Western Weston Inn

Sat 27 Sep: Drive to Jackson. Explore. Do Chuckwagon Dinner
Hotel: Grand View Lodge (2 nights)

Sun 28 Sep: Grand Teton Wildlife tour with the Teton Science School

Mon 29 Sep: Drive back into Grand Teton National Park. Drive into Yellowstone to Old Faithful Inn
Hotel: Old Faithful Inn Old House (shared Bathroom). 2 nights.

Tues 30 Sep: Self-drive of lower Yellowstone loop.

Wed 1 Oct: Drive in a backwards S shape from Old Faithful Inn to Gardiner (via Madison, Canyon Village, Tower-Roosevelt). If Dunraven Pass between Canyon and Roosevelt is closed due to snow we will take the shorter alternate route and do this route on Oct 3rd. Go to Boiling River in the evening.
Hotel: Yellowstone Gateway Inn (2 Nights). The good news is that it looks like we will have wildlife outside our window here also. The animals don't recognise the nearby park boundary.

Thur 2 Oct: Dawn or dusk wildlife tour with the Bearman, Yellowstone Institute, or someone else.

Fri 3 Oct: Drive back into Yellowstone and head to West Yellowstone via Norris. Weather co-opertaing, this will mean we have now covered all the main roads in the park. If it's snowing, we will make this trip via the roads of scenic Montana.
Hotel: Three Bears Lodge

Sat 4 Oct: Drive to Salt Lake City or nearby. Take the day to make the drive as it's 5 - 6 hours. May stop at Rexburg Bear World.
Hotel: Undecided

Sun 5 Oct: Late morning flight to LA. Hopefully arrive at Disneyland accommodation by mid-avo. Settle in, then head into Disneyland for dinner, fireworks and some rides. Historically Disneyland has been open till midnight on this first Sunday of Oct. If this is the case, we will pull all our energy resources together and stay until almost closing. This will give us a good 6+ hours in the park this day.
Hotel: Undecided (2 nights)

Mon 6 Oct: Full day DL and DCA

Tues 7 Oct: Early morning transfer to airport. Flight to Hawaii.
Hotel: Hopefully 3 nights at Aulani to sleep off the exhaustion of the last few weeks.

So lets see how long my plans stay like this