US Road Trip - May 2023 - Summary

Summary 

Thank you if you've managed to read this far and I hope you found at least some of it helpful and interesting.

As a quick summary, we booked Hilton hotels (primarily Hampton Inn & Suites) throughout all the time on the actual road, apart from Yellowstone where we chose an independent hotel. We were more than happy with Hilton; choosing the same hotel means you know what you're getting. We had a budget of £150 per night (apart from Yellowstone) so that should give you some idea of what we were getting for our money.

Food has always been expensive in Vegas but it seems to have increased, even in the last twelve months. To put this into perspective, we had a Subway in Vegas and for two, foot-long subs it was $46. We had the same in Rexburg and it was $19.  That was just one example, it's easy to spend $50-$70 on breakfast/lunch in a restaurant and upwards of $100 for dinner. We went to Prime at Bellagio on our last night and there wasn't much change from $400.

We love Vegas and have been at least once a year, for the last fifteen years or so and therefore I am hesitant to say this, but I think we are done with Vegas...at least for a few years. The road trip throughout the different states and towns we visited has opened our eyes to how much more America has to offer us and I think that when we next take a trip, it won't include Vegas. I think we will definitely include a casino resort or two but somewhere different.

The cruise was a great way to relax but personally, Navigator of the Seas was too small for us so I will look at a larger ship if we were to cruise in the future.

We were both amazed at just how different each state was and how fast the scenery changed, from mountains to grassland, rocky outlooks and desert.  Utah was my favourite, just for the scenery but I loved each state we visited and it has only given me the appetite to want to see more.

Please feel free to message me if you have any questions or comments about any part of our trip and thank you for travelling along with us.  See you next time.

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US Road Trip - May 2023 - Day 17

Day 17

Up early (not the best night’s sleep - the mattresses definitely need replacing) and back on the road for the relatively quick journey to Yellowstone National Park and the part of the road trip I have been looking forward to the most. We were quickly within Targhee National Forest where there was still snow amongst the trees and deer peering out from amongst the branches.  Yellowstone is in both Montana and Wyoming and we drove from Idaho to Montana to Wyoming today.

We arrived at West Yellowstone around 10.30 am and headed straight for the West Entrance. It costs $35 entrance fee and you’re good to come and go as you please for 7 days, 24 hours per day. Our plan for the first day was to drive the first half of the bottom loop down to Old Faithful and then back up again. We went via Madison Junction, driving along the banks of Madison River and stopping at a number of places along the way, including the Lower Geyser Basin.

The snows have been melting over the last couple of weeks and all the rivers are a lot fuller than they have been. I love watching them rush over all the rocks as they flow to wherever they are going.

We saw a fair few bison along the drive and as we were walking around Old Faithful, a couple decided they were going to cross the bridge in front of us! They are such huge, amazing creatures and have been in Yellowstone National Park since prehistoric times.

We checked into Wagon Wheel Hotel, which is brand new and seems really comfortable. We headed into West Yellowstone for dinner. A purpose-built town, especially for the tourist trade, but made just like a Wild West town. We went to Bullwinkles, had a couple of beers, a hot dog and burger and just soaked up the atmosphere.

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US Road Trip - May 2023 - Day 16

Day 16

After a restful twelve or so hours sleep (the driver needed it and the passenger didn’t have anywhere else to go) we headed back onto the I15 around 9 am. As we were driving through Salt Lake City, Dave asked me to look at where the shop was for Kindigit Design (Kindig Customs on TV - Google it)! It was literally ten minutes off the freeway, so we made a quick detour. Dave reckons that if he ever has the money, he will get them to custom-design his car! Anyway, he bought a couple of metal plate designs for his collection in his garage and we continued with our journey.

As Utah turned into Idaho, it became flatter and a lot, lot greener, with just miles upon miles of space. There were some flood warnings in place as the temperatures were rising, the snow was melting on the mountains and the rivers were filling fast, but we managed to avoid anything and arrived safely at Hampton Inn & Suites, Rexburg. 

Sarah checked us in and she picked up on where we were from and the UK accent straight away. It turned out that she had spent a year in the UK last year and had stayed for six months in Nuneaton, which is where we moved from in the summer! I couldn’t believe that from a small town in England to a small town in Utah, USA, we found someone who had lived where we had!

Now, I’m sure most of you won’t be aware, but Rexburg is a 95% Mormon town and consequently they don’t drink alcohol or coffee. We were only aware of the alcohol thing as I was reading about it today, but we didn’t know about the coffee until we tried to find a coffee shop! It took us ages, but eventually, we found June’s place. It was a cute little shop, and everyone there seemed a little different. I don’t know enough about the Mormon religion, but I’m assuming that it’s quite traditional and June’s Place very definitely had an LGBTQ+ vibe about it. A little piece of reality just nestling within the town. Plus, the coffee was delicious, even if we did have to wait fifteen minutes for it!

We popped out for a Subway and ate it back in our room whilst watching Shawshank Redemption for the millionth time!

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