Yellowstone Road Trip - 2011

Car camping trip from Springfield, MO to Yellowstone National Park with frequent stops at Roadside Attractions.

Here is the route of our 16 day road trip from Springfield, Missouri to Yellowstone National Park, and back. Starting in lower right corner, route runs anti-clockwise. Each overnight location is shown in red.
map
Yes, it is possible to fit a camping outfit for two in (and on) a MINI Cooper, but there is not much room to spare.
MINI
Route, Day 1 - Springfield, Missouri to Nebraska City, Nebraska.
map
Wind pumps, Agricultural Museum, Hiawatha, Kansas.
agriculture Americana
School house, Agricultural Museum, Hiawatha, Kansas.
Americana architecture
Lied Lodge hall at night. Arbor Day Foundation Headquarters at Nebraska City, Nebraska.
architecture
Lied Lodge, interior. Arbor Day Foundation Headquarters at Nebraska City, Nebraska.
architecture
Lied Lodge. Arbor Day Foundation Headquarters at Nebraska City, Nebraska.
architecture
Arbor Lodge, Lied Lodge, Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum, Nebraska City, Nebraska.
architecture
Big tree, Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum, Nebraska City, Nebraska.
trees Americana
Farm buildings, Arbor Lodge State Historical Park and Arboretum, Nebraska City, Nebraska.
agriculture
Outhouse, roadside rest stop, Merna, Nebraska, or possibly Litchfield.

A welcome sight to someone who is in gastronomic distress due to a questionable fast food lunch! Thanks to "The Community Club Business Club Dads Lads and Lassies Hunt Past Shooters" for donating this excellent facility to bloated road warriors.
architecture Americana
Rita waits patiently at a roadside rest stop in Merna, or possibly Litchfield, Nebraska while Gary hangs out in the outhouse.
Rita picnic
The Downey Well Company in Merna, Nebraska has quite a collection of wind powered water pumps; click to watch a short video.

(If you want to make the movie bigger, look for the DVD button at the top of the video window. Look for the Close button in the upper right to return to this page.)
Campsite, Bessey Recreation Complex, near Dunning, Nebraska.
camp
Route, Day 3 - From Bessey National Forest Campground in Nebraska to Hot Springs, South Dakota.
map
Saloon, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana
Mortuary, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Odd
Rita in the dentist office, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana Rita
Cafe, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana food
Enameled wood cook stove, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana food
Bordello room above saloon, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana
Log cabin - hearth. Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana cabin
I believe Rita is talking to Dennis Lee, son of Frontier Town founder, Keneth Dobby Lee. Dennis is telling the history of the log cabin's original owner, Robert Anderson, the first black homesteader in Nebraska.
museum Americana Rita cabin
Bed, log cabin, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana cabin
Rita examines articles on the fireplace mantle, log cabin at Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana Rita cabin
Log cabin dining table. Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana cabin
Texaco gas station, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana
Gas station, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana
General Store, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana
Rita in the merchantile shop, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana Rita shops
Merchantile shelves, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum Americana
Junk detail, Dobby's Frontier Town near Alliance, Nebraska.
museum stilllife
Rita confronts Carhenge - a roadside attraction near Alliance, Nebraska featuring: "Thirty-eight automobiles placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge"
Odd car art
Carhenge - a roadside attraction near Alliance, Nebraska featuring: "Thirty-eight automobiles placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge"
Odd car art
The Spawning Salmon - created by Geoff Sandhurst of Canada - displayed at Carhenge - a roadside attraction near Alliance, Nebraska.
art
Carhenge - a roadside attraction near Alliance, Nebraska featuring: "Thirty-eight automobiles placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge"
Odd car art
Carhenge - a roadside attraction near Alliance, Nebraska featuring: "Thirty-eight automobiles placed to assume the same proportions as Stonehenge"
Odd car art
Rita looking at one of many excellent displays of Native American and historical artifacts at The Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Native
Hudson's Bay display, Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Native
Boy do I feel old! The SVEA 123 Rita and I bought back in the 1970s - and which we are using to heat the water for our coffee on this camping trip - is almost identical to the Primus in this museum display.

Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum camp
Native American textiles, Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Native
Beaded moccasins, Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Native
Native American cloting, Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Native
Native American Artifacts, Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Native
Birchbark canoe, Museum of the Fur Trade, near Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Native canoe
The Bordeaux Trading Post, Museum of the Fur Trade, Chadron, Nebraska.
museum Americana architecture
Rita, inside the Bordeaux Trading Post, Museum of the Fur Trade, Chadron, Nebraska.
Rita museum

garywright

Yellowstone Road Trip - 2011