Yellowstone and Mt. Rushmore, June 2025
I thought our road trip would be filled with hours of idle time, lazily wasting the day away and then comfortably continuing our journey onward. Instead, I learned that driving from point A to point B can easily take up the entire day.
For example:
- Portland to Coeur d’Alene should’ve taken six hours, but we detoured through Walla Walla to get burritos with Andrew and Charlotte.
- Coeur d’Alene to Yellowstone should’ve taken seven hours, but we stumbled upon a really cool Old Montana State Prison we had to check out.
- Yellowstone to Billings managed to take the expected three and a half hours.
- Billings to Mt. Rushmore should’ve taken five and a half hours, but Ava and Charlie were having too much fun in the hotel pool.
Thankfully, we had a few great audio books (Space Case was our favorite) and an endless supply of Extra Watermelon gum.
Ava’s trip highlights:
- Mt. Rushmore
- Jewel Cave Historic Lantern Tour
- Grand Geyser
- Presidential Wax Museum in Keystone
- Jamaican food in Rapid City, South Dakota
Charlie’s trip highlights:
- Hiking to Lone Star Geyser
- Mt. Rushmore
- Grand Geyser
- Jewel Cave
- Earning Junior Ranger badges
My trip highlight: countless hours exploring with my kids.