Road Trip from Seattle to Denver

I might be crazy, but Mac and I decided to drive from Seattle, WA to Denver, CO. The reason being was my auntie from Ghana had a few weeks of business in Denver. I couldn’t have more excited to see her in my home country! I knew the drive would be strenuous, but I also wanted to make the long drive worthwhile by stopping at some amazing spots. I really only had the Grand Tetons in mind so I headed West on I-90 passing through Idaho and Montana. It took me 10 hours to arrive at the Yellowstone National Park entrance. It was around 11pm, so I decided to find a campground and finish the two hour drive through the park to the Tetons the next morning. I first decided to look for a hotel but the “no vacancy” signs were lit up everywhere. I started to worry so I picked up some late night hot cakes from McDonald’s before continuing my search. I found a sign for a campground called Rainbow Valley (or something like that) and decided to take a look. It was a huge campground with many different loops for sites. I did not have any luck finding a vacant spot on the first two loops, but was fortunate enough to find an empty spot with a reservation tag. It seemed that the visitors had left a day early from their reservation so I decided to snatch it. I allowed Mac to wander the surrounding trees and get some fresh air. Since it was late, we passed out quickly to wake up and complete the drive. We woke around 7am and headed back towards the park entrance. Once through, we drove along a scenic two way road through popular destinations. I visited Yellowstone with my family about 10 years ago and revisiting brought back all of the amazing memories I had during that time. Ever since my first visit, Yellowstone has always been the coolest place to me. The geysers and hot springs were so ancient that I couldn’t believe they existed to this day. As I was driving through the park I took advantage of stopping and exploring a few spots that I couldn't turn down. None of these viewpoints required long hikes, they were mostly boardwalks taking tourists around mother nature’s greatest creations. Because Mac was not allowed on the trails, I decided to stuff him in my backpack and not clearly break any rules. I had a lot of happy looks from the morning tourists as Mac and I took pictures of the springs. We then continued driving South towards the Grand Tetons to find some of the most popular destinations. We ended up visiting Schwabacher’s landing, Oxbow Bend, and Mormon Row. These spots were definitely breathtaking with the spiking mountain range hovering over ancient barns and rivers. It was exciting to finally witness the National Park in all of its glory.

After that sightseeing, I was headed straight to Denver. I did decide to stop in Rawlings, WY because the straight and barren road gave me little options for taking a break for the day. I arrived mid afternoon-and chose from one of the two hotels in the town that allowed dogs. We stayed at the Hampton Inn and Suites which had tons of free goodies, a large big room, and free breakfast. Lucky for me, there was a self-vacuum place right next door, which allowed me to clean and organize the car for Valerie. We got some great rest and I made some frozen food in the room’s microwave. Mac loved the big comfy bed and we had a large open area to play in. The next morning, I made a large breakfast to bring back to the room and then gave Mac a bath-he seemed to finally enjoy the warm water and ridding himself of dirt.

We then got back on the road and travelled four hours to the mountain town of Keystone, CO. Valerie was attending a global leader's meeting in the mountains, so we had planned to stay there for three days, instead of going to Denver. It was so great to see Val once we got in, and Mac actually fell in love with her. The first night, Val invited me to join her group’s trip to a classic Colorado rodeo. Val and her global coworkers were more than excited for this event, and they even volunteered to participate in a burrow race. It was Val’s job to smack the donkey, another team mate was riding it, and one more was pulling it. Unfortunately, they came in last place, but it was great to see my Ghanaian friend embracing this American culture. I had known Val for almost seven years now, and this was the first time we had met up in my country. It was great to drive her around and share with her my lifestyle in America. At the rodeo, we grabbed some burgers, tacos, potatoes, and sweets from the vendors, then went back to the hotel to catch some rest. Mac, in the middle of the night, crawled out of my bed and snuck under the covers with Val; this made me laugh oh so much!

The next morning the group and I went for a hike high up in the Colorado mountains. They call the range, 14ers, because all of the peaks reach 14,000 feet in elevation. It was said to only have been a one mile hike up, but I think the elevation was getting to me and slowed me down. After a successful summit, the group was accomplished and the view and breeze were unforgettable. Val was even inspired to bring her newborn baby to America to take him on a road trip like mine and hers-I was so happy she fell in love with everything I love. After an exhausting hike, we found a local brewery in Silverthorne to grab some food. We had planned to stay with one of Val’s friend’s she had known from Ghana who has a condo in the mountains. Before meeting up with them, we decided to get some shopping done at the outlet stores and found some cute clothes for her baby. We then enjoyed the homemade taco dinner made by her friends and chatted throughout the night.

The next morning we were presented with a lovely bagel and bacon breakfast, and then we headed south to Denver. Valerie was departing for Ghana that evening so we got to the city in time for lunch with her boss and their friends. This was a second breakfast for us, but Val and I can eat like no other. After that, we ran some errands for her to get some last minute supplies to bring back with her and then chilled in a trendy restaurant and ate desserts before heading to the airport. It was so amazing to see Valerie and catch up with her, this was an amazing roadtrip with Mac and so glad we could hang out, I can’t wait for next time!

I had the energy to drive back to Seattle that evening so I went as far as I could. I ended up stopping near Salt Lake City, Utah and found out all of the hotels were booked by midnight. I had no other choice than to sleep at a Walmart in my back seat. The next morning, Mac and I woke up early, grabbed some McDonald’s and drove all the way back to Seattle. It was only 10 hours from Salt Lake and it really went by quickly. I got home around 6pm, unpacked the car, and fell back asleep. It was a 3,000 mile road trip full of joy, adventure, and beautiful sights.

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