TheTrip From Georgia

After months of preparation and packing and planning, I pulled out of GA on September 7th, 2010 headed for a new life in Montana.

Traveling with me was my Dachshund, Doddle, and my two cats; Jackpot and Spencer. Having never traveled before, I had no way to know how well the animals would handle the trip. I was amazed to find that they all handled it like veterans! No stress, no freak outs, just taking it all in stride.

The trip took four days (which is longer than it should or could have) because I had to stop along the way at motels to let the animals out to stretch their legs and relax. I was pleased to find that nearly all Days Inns happily accept pets and the pet fee was never more than $10...only $5 at one place.

Up until I entered Wyoming, there was nothing much to see, but the landscape quickly began to change from flat, treeless farmland to hills and painted buttes. I traveled through the Shoshone Reservation and through a town called Dubois. The road began to climb and before I knew it I was driving up a mountain pass to an elevation exceeding 10,000 feet. It was SNOWING and it was sticking pretty thick on a patch of road coming down ....WOW!

Since I was already fairly close, and have never been there, I continued on a route that would take me to the Grand Tetons and then through Yellowstone National Park.

The day became overcast by the time I reached the Tetons, but their stark and

stunning majesty was powerfully present none-the-less!

This picture below barely captures the total coolness of what looked like two "spotlights" coming through the clouds. Awesome!

After leaving the Grand Tetons, I entered into Yellowstone National Park. Here's where my libertarian streak really began to kick in! Keep in mind that the road going into the park is a U.S. Highway. I came to a gate where I had to pay $25 for the privilege of driving on a public highway, paid for by taxes and into a park that is also funded by annual appropriations of tax payer money. The woman at the entrance collecting money as only dimly aware of her own existence and told me she had only worked there for a year and didn't know anything about the fee thing. They walk among us!!

As I drove into the park from the east side, heading to the West entrance, I was driving through common forest, the WHOLE way. The only thing of possible interest was Old Faithful (which is no longer faithful, by the way...they never know when it will go off anymore) and even that was nothing much...unless you've never seen a geyser, I suppose. It was a long drive with no views, no nothing but common trees along both sides of the road. I could have been in N. Georgia for all I could tell. Maybe other areas are more ...of something?? The one bright spot was when a park police car ahead of me suddenly turned on his blue lights (it was getting pretty dark at this point) and pulled across the road, went back and forth obviously trying to move something. When he finally let me by, I saw that it was a HUGE and VERY old bull Bison ambling nonchalantly down the pavement. The cop was trying to herd him off the road, the old bull was ignoring him totally but did move over enough to let cars by, He was uninterested in any of us. I felt bad for him, (the bull), he looked worn out and in failing health. But I imagine he had a long and good life living there.

As I entered the end of the drive through Yellowstone, I almost missed my turn because I was looking for a numbered road sign. Something I would expect to see on a U.S. HIGHWAY!! What a concept! All that was there to indicate the way out was a wooden trail type sign common in forest service parks and all it said was "West Entrance" along with names of other locations with arrows pointing in their respective directions. It was dark brown, and unlit. I actually drove past it, and had to go back because I hadn't been able to read it, barely could see it. If I had not done that, and continued on looking for an actual road sign, I could have driven all over what amounts to a big rat maze of roads where there are no buildings and no cell signal until I ran out of gas! I wonder how many folks that has happened to before?? Your tax dollars at work with the usual stellar efficiency of government! What I want to know is...where does the money go??

They receive millions in tax appropriations of our money each year, they get $25 a car at the gate (and there is a LOT of traffic during peak season), there is a long list of individuals and foundations that donate funding each year and donation boxes throughout the park that nets tens of thousands each year, and they can't manage to put up a road sign on a PUBLIC US HIGHWAY? Good grief!

Anyway...after I exited Yellowstone, it was only a couple hours to my destination in Montana.
All in all it was a pleasant trip, all went well and I am thrilled to be here!