We are back now from our road trip, I'm just now able to write about it. Not including sleeping, we probably spent just as much time driving in the car than actually hanging out in any one place. Two weeks is just not enough time to spend driving cross country and back. So, here is the long and the short of the rest of our trip.
From Minnesota (and a short time in Fargo), we went to Yellowstone National park. Montana was gorgeous, now I know why Ted Turner is such a fan. We hiked a small portion of Yellowstone, but most of the park was closed due to the time of year. The Rockie Mountains were snow capped and surrounded us like stoic giants, with low laying clouds that hugged the slopes. At Yellowstone, we were able to see the hot water steaming up from the ground. It creates pools of hot water that form shelves. It looks like an entirely different planet, something straight out of Star Trek. The steam coming up from the ground, and what looks like flat salt deposits, with a bare tree here or there all create a completely different environment.
On this road trip, I have seen more road kill than I've ever seen on one trip in my entire life. On our drive from Atlanta to MN, and then through Montana, I saw more deer carcasses (or parts) than I'd care to remember. The telltale signs of blood staining the road and animal parts a few feet away off to the side made me flinch every time. It may just be my imagination, but it seems like many of the deer carcasses were missing their necks and heads, probably due to opportunistic passersby. Driving at night made me especially nervous.
We had a close encounter with deer on the drive to Yellowstone. Matt was driving late at night and passing a semi truck, turning a slight corner had us face to face with a deer standing completely in the passing lane we were in. The second I saw the deer my heart jumped and then started beating rapidly. It was a fully grown deer, probably half the size of Matt's car. If it came down to it, Matt's tiny car would not survive a full speed impact with this deer. The semi truck was not far behind us on our right and a slope without a large shoulder was to our left. Matt calmly hit the brake and came to a complete stop with the deer standing at a standstill in front of us. The deer slowly started moving forward into the right lane, and much to my relief, the semi truck also come to a complete stop. It was a tense moment. Though it was probably only a few seconds, it felt like a long moment suspended in time as the deer stood and watched us before it bolted for the woods. It was a close one, but thankfully it ended well for all involved.
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