Alex and I spent the last week or so in Mountain Time exploring Denver, the Rockies and Wyoming. The change of scenery has been amazing; here are some of our top takeaways.
Posing in front of the beautiful Phelps Lake in Grand Teton National Park.
1. Scenery and weather really impact driving conditions. Since we started on the east coast we have seen fields, mountains and forests as well as rain, clouds, fog and sunshine - each of which really changes the way we feel about driving for many hours at a time. Downpours are the worst and mountains are the best.
2. Advance planning for restrooms is a smart idea. Looking for a place to stop in the middle of nowhere Kansas or Wyoming without cell service is no fun for anyone. That said…
3. Google Maps still works if you lose cell service (if the route was activated when you had service). A critical discovery while driving through unknown (and non-Verizon covered) territory!
4. AirBNB is wonderful and also terrible. We successfully used the website to book a stay in Jackson Hole with a lovely woman named Teri and everything worked out perfectly. However we simultaneously tried to book New Year’s Eve accommodations in Sydney with much poorer results: listings did not state minimum stays or special rates and owners often rejected our booking requests without any reason whatsoever. Not ideal when trying to book something ASAP.
5. Speaking of Sydney, it's really hard to book affordable accommodations for New Year's Eve! If you ever go during the holidays, book way in advance!
6. In addition to booking a hotel in Sydney on New Year’s, we spent a few hours sorting out the visas we will need now that our Around-the-World Ticket is officially booked. What. A. Pain. Thankfully we can get a few while we’re abroad, but it turned out to be a lot to coordinate!
7. Ski slopes are beautiful in the summer / fall season too. In both Colorado and Wyoming we had spectacular views of the mountains that are typically snow-covered during ski season.
8. Books on tape are a great way to kill time during long, boring drives, but you really can't multitask! Any time I turned to check my phone or look out the window to snap a picture I lost track of the story!
9. Grizzly bears can ruin your day...seriously. The road we wanted to take in Grand Teton National Park was actually closed due to a roaming grizzly bear that "dislikes crowds."
10. The Avalon can officially handle “4x4 Only” roads, at least according to the National Park Service’s definition of “4x4 Only.” It wasn’t the most relaxing part of our drive through Rocky Mountain or Grand Tenon National Parks but we made it!
Peak: Hiking around Phelps Lake at Grand Teton
Pit: Missing part of a beautiful day in Denver to coordinate future travel (annoying but necessary!)
Next Stop: San Francisco, CA