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During the summer of '99, the family took a fly-and-drive adventure in the United States' magnificent mountainous west. We had reservations at three hotels beforehand, leaving a couple of nights "open", booked an inexpensive rental with no drop-off charge, and flew out to Denver, where none of us had ever been. Our trip ended 11 days later in Salt Lake City. In the interim we saw Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), Estes Park area, Cheyenne, The Black Hills area including Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park and the Badlands. We traveled across Wyoming through the underrated Big Horn Mts., through Cody to Yellowstone, down to Togwotee Pass near the Tetons, through Idaho to Salt Lake City (where I snuck in a half-day at the Genealogy Center in the LDS Library). The pictures you are about to see will serve as ample testimony to the majestic beauty of this part of the world. Dang! Florida is flat!
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We went into Denver, drove around downtown, dragged the kids into the capitol.
Vista (term coined prior to a lousy Windows operating system)!
So far it's the only state capitol I've visited that allows visitors up around the domed roof. Beautiful!
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We were ambitious and headed due west so we could cross the continental divide immediately. Once over the gap, we worked our way around, eventually making it to the WEST entrance to the RMNP. At the summit, out of breath and cold (and this is August):
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Here's another shot of RMNP, looking south from the Trail Ridge Road. It started raining while we were there, and I learned that out-of-shape sea-level people shouldn't run at 12,000 ft!
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We stayed two nights in Estes Park, which gave us time to "decompress" -- a beautiful city:
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These mountain goats were milling about in front of Mt Rushmore:
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In Custer State Park (Black Hills of SD) we saw lots of wildlife, including these buffalo, here's one of those cute little prarie dogs, and a mule:
  
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East of the Black Hills is the Badlands, a name the Indians gave this area because not much would grow here:
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The Big Horn Mountains in central Wyoming were among the most impressive. As in Denver the plains come right up to 'em. There must've been a spectacular bit of groundswell to create this rift:
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We stayed the night in Cody, WY. The next morning we took the "high road" through a tiny piece of Montana to the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. If we'd stopped to take a picture at every beautiful vista, we'd still be there! This was taken on or near Hunter's Peak:
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We never got to "hot tub" (prohibited) in the park, but the active geysers and grottos in Yellowstone were fascinating to behold. We saw the tail end of "Old Faithful", too.
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After Yellowstone, we drove due south. We stopped when we hit Jackson Lake, and took this picture looking WSW, with the Grand Tetons in the background:
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We had to do the horse ride thing (Tetons in the background). It was okay but after 10 minutes I was ready to walk...
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Our last afternoon in Wyoming, I climbed Angle Mountain. Couldn't get any other volunteers. It was one of the most challenging things I've ever done. But look at the reward (facing east)!
One of those rocks in the pile on the left is mine.
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This shot is facing north:
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This was taken on the way back down Angle Mt., facing SW (you can see where we stayed in the lower left -- Cowboy Village Resort). Notice the outline of the Tetons just below the setting sun? I got back after dark, the family was a little nervous... sorry, hon.
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Here's a look at the beautiful Salt Lake Valley (it was once a desert):
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The people we encountered in Salt Lake were very nice, friendly and helpful. "Service to others" is the Mormon creed, and by our account it's true. We enjoyed lunch at the LDS head office, and afterward went up to the observation deck.
Looking east:
Looking west:
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Here we are in the well-kept courtyard behind the LDS headquarters:
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Mark Scott, All Rights Resplendant.