The road to Yellowstone Part 1

This fall we took a road trip to Yellowstone. Yellowstone is one of our favorite national parks and we think it is extra special in the fall. Our original plan was to mosey up through different points of interest with the first one being Antelope Canyon. I don’t know if we just didn’t know or forgot but the road we selected to Antelope Canyon was closed from the earlier floods. Instead of backtracking we just starting looking at other interesting things.

Lee’s Landing

Our first stop was Lee’s Landing. It is a starting point for many of the Grand Canyon rafting trips. I think it is mainly rafting and fishing. Next stop was the Glen Canyon National Recreational Area. I am still struggling with what is the different between a national recreational area and a national park.

Glenn Canyon

I did enjoy this area. I love rock formations and there were plenty for me. I also learned something. There is a road near the town I live in named Shinarump. I had always thought it was unusual but must have been some pioneer’s name or something. I learned in Glen Canyon that it is actually a geological term and has to do with the the rock pillars you see in the Southwest. Think Monument Valley.

shelter made from rock

The journey to Bryce National lead us through diverse and interesting scenery.

We arrived at Bryce National Park in the afternoon. It was a picture perfect day except that we could see thunderstorms heading our way. By the time we were at the end of the road in the Park, you could see beautiful lightning strikes in the distance.

I know that people disagree with me but I really prefer the Grand Canyon to Bryce. Yes, it is beautiful but felt like a mini-grand canyon to me.

By now the rain had started and it was time to find lodging for the night. After driving through the rain storm and several small towns, we ended up in Beaver, Utah. And yes, they sell “I Love Beaver” souvenirs.

We spent the night at the Best Western which is an old style motel. You know that type with the outdoor stairs? Management has done what they could ensure it was clean and comfortable. The treasure of this stay was the Crazy Cow restaurant in its parking lot. Our room at the Best Western came with coupons. I just can’t resist coupons. The first coupon was for either free fried cheese curd or cheese cake and the second coupon was for 2 free breakfasts the next morning. Don’t you just love coupons?

Our dinner started with the free fried cheese curd. We had never had cheese curd but figured melty cheese can’t be all bad. I have no idea if this is how it is supposed to taste but it was very good when it was hot. We had it with marinara sauce but it also came with ranch.

I order a hamburger and my husband ordered the rib eye steak. My hamburger was very good. I enjoyed every bite. I had gotten onion bites but would opt for fries next time. The fries are great but the onion bites were not. No, this isn’t a miss type. They aren’t onion rings but deep-fried pieces of onions.

After the first bite of the rib eye, my husbands eyes lit up and he was in meat heaven. It talking to the waitress, their meat comes from a local source. So those happy cows eating grass you drive by may be your steak next year at Crazy Cow.

My husband still keeps reminiscing about the steak. He loved it so much that he engineered our return trip to include driving by the Crazy Cow at dinner time. The dinner was still good. We tried the baked beans with it this time. They get a stamp of approval also.