A run along Spokane River.
As we were leaving Seattle on Wednesday, we drove down I-5 along the east edge of Lake Union, overlooking the boat houses nestled along the waters edge, and the distant skyscrapers downtown. Van windows rolled down, sunshine reflecting off the water, the city felt like home. But we headed east on I-90, which transects America like high-waisted pants, through Chicago, all the way to Boston. We drove over Snoqualmie pass, stopped for a sunny run along the Spokane River in downtown Spokane, and continued east late into the night.
On Thursday we explored Yellowstone National Park. The temperature plummeted to mid-30s and we wore our feather vests and jackets for the first time on the trip. And hats. And double socks. Cold! Nonetheless, we were blown away by the geysers and hot springs. I teach my students about the multitude of bacterial life that grows in these boiling pools, thousands of species of thermophiles, each growing at a preferred temperature, each a specific color. It’s these bacteria which make many hot springs in Yellowstone appear ringed in rainbows, each color a different species of bacteria. Magical.
We also saw herds of buffalo grazing on the hillsides, a curious little black bear which crossed the road just behind our van, and dainty pronghorns feeding on steep hillsides – all from the comfort of the van. The experience was like a North American safari. No lions, though. Or grizzly bears.
We didn’t reach Mammoth Hot Springs until dusk, and wandered through the other-wordly travertine landscape as the moon rose above the mountains. The temperatures dropped even further as we left Yellowstone and continued east. Ralfie’s air-cooled engine doesn’t produce enough heat to keep the occupants toasty in sub-freezing weather. We put on all our clothes, wrapped up in blankets, and drove into the night until we were too cold to drive on. Then we made the bed without opening any of the doors, and cuddled up to warm our toes enough to fall asleep. It was only October.
Our plan was to spend a week driving back to Michigan (Ralfie likes to drive 55 miles/hour). We were cold, and it rained non-stop. Fall had come to Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan and the trees were in full fall colors. The sugar maples, dazzling yellows, oranges and reds. We ended up driving from Yellowstone to Charlevoix in three days. On Saturday, we stopped in Marquette, MI, one of my favorite towns in the whole world, had a bite to eat, and took a walk along Presque Isle to stretch our legs before our final push to Charelvoix, only 4 more hours. We arrived in Charelvoix at 11:30pm, wearing all of our clothes and blankets. My dad met us at the door with hot homemade bean soup and frothy beer. A real shower. We melted into bed and slept. Home.
Minnesota in the rain.
Black Rocks, Marquette, MI.
Fall colors on Presque Isle, Marquette, MI.
Popsicles for Dinner 