Day 1: Volo, Illinois to Waterloo, Iowa
After dropping off Nora at the dog sitter at 8:30 AM, I finished packing the car. The big difference with this year’s trip is the addition of a 42-liter powered cooler/fridge/freezer, which rides in the front passenger’s seat. Time will tell if it’s a necessity, a nice thing to have, or a frivolous purchase, but it was nice to pack it full of Diet Dr Pepper and San Pelligrino, along with all of Charlie’s medications, and have it all at-hand while I’m driving. Charlie and I stopped to get gas, then we were on the road by 9:30 AM!
Just to try a new route westward, I followed US 20 out of Rockford, IL to Dubuque, IA. It’s a pretty dull drive until you start to get into the rolling hills approaching the Mississippi River. The views from the tops of the ridges are quite lovely, though it will be interesting to contrast them with some of the mountain vistas coming later in my itinerary.
We crossed the Mississippi River at Dubuque and made our first brewery stop at Dimensional Brewing Co. The beer was OK, but their “patio” was a small asphalt parking lot with not a lot of air movement. The staff was nice enough, but I didn’t get a particularly friendly vibe so we moved on. Before we left, though, I made sure to get a photo of Charlie at the Mississippi River, with the Dubuque Bridge in the background.
From Dubuque it was a short drive to Dyersville, IA (hoe of the “Field of Dreams” site!). There, we stopped at Textile Brewing Co. and had a much more enjoyable time. Their biergarten is lovely and shaded, overlooking the North Fork of the Maquoketa River. The staff was friendly and helpful, making sure that Charlie had water if he needed it (I always bring my own).
Also, they had giant house-made pretzels which were just the thing to soak up some flights of beer. “Carbs: It’s what’s for lunch!”
An hour’s drive further brought us to our first stop for the night, Waterloo, IA. I unloaded only what I needed to. I learned last year that the smart approach is to have one large suitcase that acts more like a clothes dresser and then use a smaller duffel that holds 3-4 days worth of clothes, toiletries, CPAP, and whatever else is needed each night. I did discover one downside to the powered cooler, though – I prefer to bring it inside and power it off AC overnight, and all those drinks and things are bloody heavy!
Everything stowed, Charlie and I drove the 15 minutes north to Cedar Falls to see some more breweries and get some dinner. What a thoroughly delightful downtown! Our first stop was Second State Brewing, and struck up a great conversation with Liz, who is now Charlie’s #1 Fan.
(I gave her the address for this blog so if she sees this…hi Liz! ? )
Dinner was just down the block at George’s Local, which was extremely dog-friendly (you have to love a place that not only brings your dog some water but also makes sure to put ice in it!
I closed out the night with some delicious chocolate-peanut butter gelato from Chocolaterie Stam (while Charlie charmed still more people walking by!), followed by a nice off-leash walk for Charlie in a nearby large, open field.
Tomorrow I’ll be hitting up a local coffee place (thanks to some useful guidance from Liz!) and then it’s on to Sioux Falls, South Dakota!
Day 2: Waterloo, Iowa to Sioux Falls, South Dakota
The Baymont Inn in Waterloo was…serviceable. It’s the second budget Wyndham property I’ve stayed at recently where the air conditioning somehow left the room feeling cold and clammy. Gross. Anyway, after not getting enough sleep the night before I left, the solid 8 hours of sleep I had was delightful.
The weather turned gray and drizzly as I was leaving the hotel, but fortunately the coffee place that was recommended to me the day before (Sidecar Coffee) had a small covered area where I could enjoy my scone and latte. I also filled my new Zojirushi commuter mug with coffee to take on the road, and that thing is fantastic at keeping coffee hot for hours! (Good coffee too)
The drive across Iowa on US 20 was…well, it was. Lots of rolling hills and farm fields, as expected. At least I had an audiobook to keep my brain occupied. We arrived in Sioux City, IA just in time for lunch, so I decided to stop at a place recommended by Roadfood, my site of choice for finding interesting, out-of-the way placed to eat while road tripping. In this case it was the Tastee Inn & Out, home of Original Tastee loose meat sandwiches and onion chips with a creamy dipping sauce. The sandwich was…OK? I guess? The onion chips were good, but a bit greasy. OK, a lot greasy, based on the oil left in the cup…
It was a short one-hour drive from Sioux City to Sioux Falls, SD. I checked in to the Hyatt Place, where I got a nice upgrade (“lake view” with a walk-out patio, perfect for Charlie). Once I got everything settled in the room, Charlie and I struck out again to explore the city.
Our first stop was Covert Artisan Ales and Cellars, which specialized in sours and wild-fermented beers. Wow, that place is great! It was nice and chill on a Sunday afternoon with just me and Charlie and another guy and his dog there. She was utterly fabulous with her pink shirt and pink nails! Such a sweet girl, too, as I’ve seen with so many pit bulls/mixed pit bulls. I was reminded that Charlie has picked up a nasty habit of peeing a bite when he meets a new dog. Fortunately the bartender was very understanding and appreciated that I was happy to clean up the mess (my motto: “My dog, my problem.”). The bartender had a few choice comments about how dog parents are way better than parents of kids 🙂 On my way out I picked up a free sticker, and I absolutely love their logo!
From there it was a short trip across the street to Remedy Brewing Company, which had a similarly chill vibe. Really good beers, too, including a German Pilsner that had a great, clean taste. This is the sign of a brewery who knows what they’re doing! I figured I’d get some food while I was there, so I got a “half order” or nachos. Holy hell, that was a lot. I ate less than half of it, I think.
It was too early to go back to the hotel and the rain was just beginning to ease off, so I decided to check out Falls Park. It turns out that yes, there are indeed waterfalls in Sioux Falls! Really pretty ones, too. They made a perfect backdrop for Charlie!
On my way back to the hotel I stumbled across a lovely concert in the community band shell (I took video but the wind noise is so loud you can’t hear much). I grabbed a chocolate malt at a local ice cream place (meh) and retired to the hotel, where Charlie and I took a nice stroll around the lake behind the hotel before retiring for the night.
Tomorrow, it’s off to The Badlands! For now, I’ll leave you with 15 seconds of Sioux Falls.
Day 3: Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Rapid City, South Dakota
It was a weird start to the day today – a light mist, 20 mph winds, and 58 F when I woke up. The rain abated before we hit the road at least, but the 20 mph headwinds did not do good things to my gas mileage, cutting it from 25.5 mpg to 19.5 miles per gallon.
The drive itself was uneventful. Crossing the Missouri River at Chamberlain, SD brought a remarkable change in topography, though, with the flat farmland abruptly becoming rolling grassy hills.
I stopped at a drive-in in Murdo for a cheeseburger for lunch, which was only OK. Roadfood missed the mark on this one, unfortunately. As well – it was still an interesting little place to see.
Another hour down the road and it was time to exit to the Badlands Loop. Charlie was happy to show off some of the highlights along the way.
It really is a gorgeous drive, with lots of turnouts and stunning views from ground level and from above as the road runs up and down the ridge. Definitely a worthwhile detour!
Another hour down the road brought me to Rapid City. Well, almost, anyway. I sat in traffic for 20 minutes as firefighters put out a semi trailer that had burst into flame. Although it was marked Sherwin-Williams, it looks like it was empty. That’s good – it could have been much worse!
I checked into my hotel for the night (Baymont – much nicer than the one in Waterloo!) then decided to venture into Rapid City for dinner and to check out their local breweries. I stopped at two breweries, Dakota Point and Lost Cabin, both of which allowed dogs inside (always a selling point for me!).
Dakota Point was only OK, though they had some good popcorn. Charlie wants you to know that he would ever so much like some more popcorn, please?
I really preferred Lost Cabin’s selections, though. My favorite was their Rhubarb Sour – not too pucker-y, and still has a nice taste of rhubarb present. They had a food truck there, Tandoor Bocado, that offered a fascinating mix of cuisines from all over. I had the Tandoor Seoul Food, which was pork belly served with house kimchi stir fried with jasmine rice and egg and a Korean chili-honey mayo on the side. It was really good!
The taproom vibe was good too, so I was able to hang out there for a while. Dessert was a small ice cream sundae from The Silver Lining Creamery on the downtown square, where they were preparing to show Guardians of the Galaxy. Lots of kids, but they were really into it, which was cute.
Day 4: Rapid City, South Dakota to Thermopolis, Wyoming
Due to the time zone change (now in Mountain Time!) I woke up entirely too early today. I took my time packing up, and grabbed a somewhat-leisurely breakfast at Harriet & Oak, featuring a house-made raspberry “pop tart” as well as a burrito with baked egg, sweet potatoes, chevre goat cheese, roasted red pepper, and spinach, served with a sriracha aioli. It was all delicious!
Then it was time to get on the road! Not much to say about the drive from Rapid City to Buffalo, WY, though I did spend a lot of it listening to various NPR podcasts and broadcasts to catch up on recent giggle-inducing news.
From Buffalo, it was west on US Highway 16, also known as the Cloud Peak Skyway, over the Bighorn Mountains. For many camper/RV travelers it is the route to Yellowstone with the least amount of grade, which means that a lot of the drive was spent dodging RVs and praying for passing lanes. Overall that wasn’t too bad. I enjoyed stopping at some of the many turnouts, and Charlie got to get out and wander around a bit as well. The header photo shows Charlie enjoying some water with Loaf Mountain (11,722 ft/3,573 m) in the background.
The unexpected surprise of the trip was the descent out of the mountains through the dramatic Ten Sleep Canyon. Absolutely gorgeous, with sheer rock walls, precipitous drops, and a couple of fun hairpin turns (I took them carefully, not wanting to sling Charlie across the back seat!). At the end of the descent I took some time to relax at Ten Sleep Brewing, which offered up some nice beer in the shade on a hot day. Although not quite as hot as my car said it was after sitting in the sun!
The rest of the drive passed quickly, with a short stop in the tiny town of Kirby to visit the tasting room for Wyoming Whiskey. This is a distillery that my friend Roby introduced me to a few years back, and I simply had to stop and check out their other offerings, even though a couple of their products now have national distribution. Their not-quite-rye whiskey is delightful in Manhattans, and I had to get a bottle of their Integrity blend whiskey which was damn tasty (and only sold in Wyoming).
Charlie and I checked into the El Rancho Motel and I caught up on work and convention emails. The woman running the place was very nice and extremely apologetic that all of the linens weren’t done when I checked in at exactly 3 PM. I assured her it was fine, and we discussed the difficulties of running a small (12-room) motel in a tourist town. The room is quirky, but it’s clean and most importantly the air conditioning works! Charlie gives it his seal of approval.
For dinner I met up with some new acquaintances, Dreamer and Free. We met at the local ice cream/burger stand (I love those kinds of places!) and had a nice chat outdoors over burgers and fries. After a couple of days mostly keeping to myself, I appreciated meeting new folks and sharing some great conversation.
Day 5: Thermopolis, Wyoming to Idaho Falls, Idaho
I woke up way too early and didn’t have much luck finding a decent breakfast in Thermopolis, but at least I got some decent coffee from the cafe/bookstore there. I decided to dig into my stash of Pop-Tarts to fortify myself as I drove and it was time to head south!
My drive south down US 20 took me through the Wind River Canyon, which is pretty neat geologically. A couple of oddities struck me, though. First, the Wind River flows northward into the canyon, but the Big Horn River flows out of the canyon. With no confluence or geographic landmark, the river just changes names along the route. The other thing that was weird to me as as I drove from north to south closely following the river’s path, I could have sworn that I was driving downhill most of the time. That would have meant that the river was flowing uphill, which is of course impossible. An optical illusion perhaps? Beats me, but it amused me.
From there, the drive up US 26 took me through the Wind River Basin, with the Wind River Range on the my left and the Owl Creek Range on my right. Both were quite pretty (and tall!), but the really exciting bit came at the end of the basin, past Dubois, Wyoming. The road starting going up…and up…and up. Lots of fun mountain driving (which I adore!). We topped out at the Continental Divide at Togwotee Pass, at 9,584 feet/2,921 meters. We stopped for a brief break there, both to commemorate crossing the pass and to admire the small lake just off the side of the road.
The drive down was fun as well, and surprisingly free of traffic back-ups. We rolled into Moran and then we were in the Grand Tetons National Park. It is every bit as gorgeous as I thought it might be, and Charlie thought it was was pretty great as you can see in the header photo…or he really liked the treats I was giving him to sit still so I could take the picture. One of the two.
Jackson was the rolling train wreck that I expected it to be in the height of summer tourist season, and even though I tried to swing by a place that had been recommended to me, there was no parking to be had. I figured my best option was to get out of town. I did just that on WY 22, the Teton Pass Highway. Just a ways down the road was Nora’s Fish Creek Inn, another recommendation from Roadfood. Even though they didn’t have service outside, they made an exception for me, bringing my food out to where I was sitting with Charlie. Everyone I talked to there was so kind! The huevos rancheros looked like a hot mess, but were absolutely delicious!
On the other side of the pass I rolled into Idaho, with a brief stops in Victor at Grant Teton Brewing (meh) and Highpoint Cider, which didn’t allow dogs inside OR outside, so I turned around and left.
My next stop up the road was back on US 26 just past Swan Valley. Roby suggested a stop at Falls Creek Falls on the Snake River and wow – that was totally worth it! The falls were beautiful, the view was spectacular, and I even spotted a moose just hanging out in the river.
I arrived at my motel in Idaho Falls and…well, I guess it’s got that dorm-room-cinderblock-chic thing going on? It’ fine for one night, and the A/C works well which is all I care about since it was 95 F outside.
One curious thing that amused me was the little dial on the door to request maid service or mark do not disturb (which activated a tiny little deadbolt). Perhaps this was from the early 70’s or late 60’s?
We spent the evening downtown, where Charlie determined that Idaho Falls does indeed have falls. This is Important Information!
After stopping at Idaho Brewing Company (killer patio, so-so beer), we went to Snow Eagle Brewing and Grill. They had some excellent beers, but were also kind enough to serve me dinner outside at one of their two tables on the sidewalk. I had a great chat with the server, and he offered an excellent recommendation for Reed’s Dairy for dessert, where I enjoyed some tasty huckleberry ice cream!
Day 6: Idaho Falls, Idaho to Boise, Idaho
My original plan for today was to take a side loop up through the Sawtooth Mountains. While scenic, it also would have been seven hours of driving. I got my share of mountain driving yesterday, so instead I opted for a straight shot from Idaho Falls to Boise via US 20.
Before I got on the road, though, I did some searching and came across a little gem of a coffee shop in Idaho Falls, Chapolera Coffee. They specialize in Colombian and Salvadoran pastries and empanadas, but their coffee was excellent as well. Even better, they had Lupe, who was there to greet all newcomers from the front porch. Lupe and Charlie got along just fine, ignoring each other after the initial greet-and-sniffs.
Duly fortified by a latte and some delicious avocado toast (plus a three-shot Americano and a guava cream cheese pastry for the road), it was time to head out of town.
The trip was pretty uneventful with the only items of interest in passing being the “Atomic City” of Arco and Idaho National Labs. Then it was time for a brief stop at Craters of the Moon National Monument. I made good use of my NPS Annual Pass and took a quick tour through the park, stopping to get a couple of good photos of Charlie (not) admiring the scenery.
After that it was a couple of hours’ driving and then we were in Boise. After catching up on work stuff in my hotel room we went in search of a brewery that allowed dogs indoors, since it was 100 F/38 C outside. Payette Brewing fit the bill, plus they had a resident food trailer. They had good beer and comfortable surroundings. Dinner was wedge fries with a side of pork banh mi (I don’t think that’s what was intended, but whatever).
We had a small bit of drama when a chair tipped over onto the tip of Charlie’s tail (you can see those things are made of 1″ bar stock. That weight is no joke!). It took a bit to figure out where all the blood was coming from, but once I figured it out I applied pressure there for a few minutes and the bleeding stopped. It didn’t seem to pain him at all, so that was good at least.
Day 7: Boise, Idaho to Winnemucca, Nevada
Just a short entry today. The drive from Boise to Winnemucca on US 95 is long and marked by straight roads extending for miles. This could have been boring, but driving through first the Owyhee Mountains and then the Santa Rosa Mountains was delightful. They’re not fantastically tall (at least relatively speaking, since the surrounding landscape is ~5,000 feet above sea level) but the rock formations and ridgelines are unique.
We are staying with my friends Andrew and Sean here in Winnemucca, and they have an amazing spread about ten miles out of town, including a guest house and a couple of small buildings that serve as offices and master bedroom, among other things. They have an Airstream trailer that they live out of for a good portion of the year, traveling all over the country. I am quite frankly jealous of that mobility!
We spent a lovely afternoon chatting then went into town for dinner at Winnemucca Pizzeria, which was quite delicious! It was nice to know that Charlie was welcome there too:
Next week: Onward to California!