When early geologists were exploring Yellowstone, nestled between its two warring continental plates, they were certain that there must have been a volcano in the vicinity at one point in time. After searching in vain for the site of said volcano, they were forced to the uncomfortable conclusion that the entire combined basins were in fact one giant caldera; the world had its first super-volcano.

Evidence of this phenomenon is inescapable and everywhere. Mud pools spit and splatter inbetween the spectral hot pools, whose billions of thermophilic bacteria happily photosynthesise in every hue imaginable. Fumeroles hiss and roar as if they are harbouring hidden mythological beasts. The strong aroma of Sulfur mixes with the sweeter scent of pines to create an intoxicating fragrance, or stench depending on your point of view!

What’s truly unique, and a little disconcerting, is that several basins in Yellowstone sit atop such an extremely thin crust of earth that they actually rise and fall imperceptibly with the magma underneath. It’s this proximity to the hot, boiling core of the planet that fuels the perpetual special effects show that plays out day and night.

As with any show, there is always a lead character, and for Yellowstone it is Old Faithful, the geothermic metronome of the park. Unfortunately, upwards of 30,000 people a day stop by to witness her performance, so we devise a plan to avoid the circus crowds. A 4:45AM start to the day gets us an (almost) intimate performance on a cool and clear morning. With dawn breaking as the backdrop, Old Faithful leaps into life with a virtuoso display of power and beauty, in stark contrast to the stillness of the breaking morning. There is disagreement within the troops about whether it was necessary to get up quite so early, but the consensus is that it has been worth the effort overall to get this reward.

The bonus of a dawn start is that you have the entire Upper Geyser Basin to yourselves, with the exception of the occasional sleepy bison. While the main act begins to draw crowds out front, we explore the backstage area and are privileged to witness a few more side acts that have less reliable schedules; Daisy, Grotto, Turban and the incredible Riverside all add to the vaudevillian spectacle. By midday, the place is a seething mass of humanity, and we happily head in the other direction to cool down with a swim in the clear and clean waters of the campside river.

Our advice for enjoying this phenomenal park is to plan your activity around dawn and dusk, when the crowds are absent and the wildlife is most active, and to not limit yourselves to the main draw cards. There are many minor basins to explore, and you won’t get the full range of geological and geothermal wanders if you only do the main basins.

We leave with sense of regret that we were not able to trick Steamboat geyser into action, despite faking our leaving on multiple occasions! But that’s all part of the intrigue and mystery here, and we will head to Grand Teton well satisfied with what we were able to witness.

Where to begin? Yellowstone; big, beautiful, breathtaking, dangerous, crowded, calm…and somehow all of these at the same time. For what it’s worth, Yellowstone truly is one of the greatest National Parks in the world. As the worlds’ first protected park, Yellowstone has set the standard for others to follow.

In mid July, we are here at the apex of peak season, and the crowds are a factor that need to considered and countered. Luckily, the predictable pack mentality still dominates here, meaning there is a distinctive bell curve to the the day, with crowds building steadily from 9am through to 8pm. As the peak time for wildlife activity are from dawn to 9am, and from 8pm to dusk, the vast majority of visitors are completely out of sync with the natural cadence of this place.

With the exception of rainforest and a desert, this park has nearly every type of natural landscape and ecosystem you can imagine. Expansive meadows filled with grazing herds of Bison, Elk and Pronghorn Antelope. Rugged mountains, whose crumbling faces are home to Longhorn Sheep, Mountain Lions and Grizzlies. The thick woodlands house Black Bears and Wolves who prey on the larger game wandering through the open meadows.

In the creeks and gullies there are a plethora of small, furry and funny quadripeds: Red and Uinta Ground Squirrels scatter about in perpetual motion, chipmunks dash about looking like radio controlled cars with their tails in the air, and our new favourites, the Yellow Bellied Marmots, who calmly take in all of the madness from some handy vantage point.

The boys are entranced with all of the animal life and Josh becomes chief wild game spotter, displaying a real knack for separating the fauna from the flora. “Bear!” he yells excitedly as we cruise through a forest, and sure enough, we get our first encounter with a juvenile Cinnamon coloured Black Bear. Being able to observe these beautiful creatures ambling quietly through a hidden clearing is a unique privilege to be treasured.

It’s then that we encounter the most dangerous creature in the park; Touristus Americanae. There is something about this place that renders many completely oblivious to danger, sense or reason. People park in the middle of the road to snap photos of every living thing, or loudly and arrogantly blunder towards 2000lb beasts with children in tow, or towards predators higher up the food chain as if this is some sort of primeval petting zoo. A special mention goes to the girl who got medi-vac’d out after putting her arm around an alpha male bison for a selfie, and to the imbecile who got locked up for walking over pristine thermal pools. You guys really are the créme de la crime of 2019.

Yellowstone is of course most famous for it’s geothermal activity, and that deserves a post all of it’s own so watch out for Part 2 in a few days.

The soils surrounding the Black Hills are stained red for good reason, as these are lands that have witnessed thousands of years of cyclical dispute, conquest, eventual peace and subsequent wrongdoing. The hopes and dreams of indigenous peoples, homesteaders and prospectors have all met their fates here, with few emerging as victorious in the long run. Legends of great valour, daring and darstardly deeds still breathe in the mountains, valleys and pioneer towns today.

We are exploring Custer State Park, Mt Rushmore National Monument, and the cartoonish remains of the famed Wild West town of Deadwood. Statues and monuments abound to bring to life the rich stories of post-colonial America, traditional memories of life before, and the fraught clash of cultures that occurred in between. For us though, there are three stories that really stand out:

#1. Crazy Horse

As the dynamite exploded and the jack hammers chattered on nearby Mt Rushmore, Chief Sitting Bull reflected on the history of his people, and became determined that a vast monument to their courage and honour should also be hewn in stone. In consultation with other tribes, it was decided that Crazy Horse, a Sioux warrior who was never known to be photographed or to sign a treaty, should become the iconic representation. In 1948, Polish sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski was recruited to begin the epic task of carving a 641 foot long and 563 foot tall “story in stone” into the mountain. He never got to see the stern and determined face that now stares out from the granite, but his 10 children, and now grandchildren, are carrying on his legacy which is estimated to take another 75 years to complete. Even in its incomplete state, Crazy Horse Monument and the even crazier stories behind it are a must to see and experience.

#2. Wild Bill Hickok

Of all the rogues, renegades and regular Joes to descend on the frontier town of Deadwood, Wild Bill Hickok was always destined for infamy. Tall, lithe and with a talent for staying alive by remaining dead calm in shootouts, Hickok had already become a legend by the time that he moved to the Black Hills. After entertaining himself and the ladies of the town for a while, Wild Bill’s legend was cut short by Jack McCall in a poker game at Nutall & Mann’s No. 10 Saloon, shot in the back of the head while allegedly holding the now infamous ‘dead man’s hand’ of black aces and eights, and a nine of diamonds.

While getting a little over developed and commercialised, there is still plenty of the original old town charm about, with stories brought vividly to life by the Deadwood Alive actors troop. It’s an atmosphere best savoured over some local brews at one of the many saloons.

#3. Mt. Rushmore National Monument

Clearly a pilgrimage for the patriotic, Mt Rushmore is still an impressive presence over the landscape. In time it will be dwarfed by Crazy Horse, but the four presidential portraits carved into the hard granite are themselves very commanding. It does look a little like Theodore Roosevelt was late to this particular party and that he is photobombing the moment, and it is partly true. Washington, Jefferson and Lincoln were already being carved in situ when a weakness in the rockface forced the artist, Gutzon Borglum, to move Roosevelt in between the other stately figures.

It was Gutzon who decided to change the original idea of carving Wild West figures into the mountain, with the motivation being to attract tourists to this far flung region than to honour the highest office. The ruse clearly worked, as Mt Rushmore remains one of the highest visited sites in the US. For our money though, Crazy Horse wins through as the best attraction.

Reflections on the week

Colonisation is a pretty blunt instrument that tends to work to benefit the new arrivals to a land, and the long story of union advancement of the early colonies westward is a mixed tale of treaties made and broken, attempts of assimilation, but ultimately the systematic destruction of indigenous cultures by both church and state. It’s heartening to see that there is a quiet resurgence and interest about the original inhabitants’ stories and culture, but to us it is obvious that there is a major chasm yet to cross, and old hurts yet to be healed. The New Zealand story of colonisation is far from perfect, but the richness and spirit of the Maori culture is much more alive and present everyday there than what is evident here, and the whole country is richer for it.

What could America look like if it moved beyond a John Wayne western understanding and portrayal of the original inhabitants of these vast, wild and wonderful lands?

Okay internet, for anyone thinking we are incredibly well organised people…think again! While cruising along the Interstate 80 through Chicago, we accidentally went through an “I-Pass” toll booth instead of paying cash. No problem, we can just go online and pay our toll. Question #1 = What is your rear facing licence plate?

(Imagine sounds of crickets chirping & brain cells cogitating)

In all of our planning, we had neglected to get plates on our camper. Enter US bureaucracy stage left, in full regalia. To make a long story short, after many exasperating phone calls to look for alternatives; “Can we get Indiana plates instead?” No, because you don’t live here. “Well technically we don’t live anywhere and we’ve been in Chicago for 3 days so I’d say that we’re Indiana residents”. Can you provide proof of address? “Would a note from my cousin suffice?” No.

Ironically the only place that we could prove residence is somewhere that we no longer reside, so we were left with the only available option of driving all the way back to Ohio to get license plates for Happy (our camper).

Thanks to Jackie & Bill Totsch, we were able to leave the kids behind and two unhappy campers headed off at 4:30AM to complete the deed. The transaction took all of 3 minutes, and cost $28 – if you ignore the 8 extra hours of driving, petrol & tolls that is!

Oh well, lesson learned and we are able to continue on our way (almost) to plan.

Sometimes the stars just line up, and we were privileged to witness the return of the Fred A. Busse river fireboat to its new home in DuSable Harbor, to start a new life as a river cruise vessel. What started as a dream for Navy boys Erich Totsch (a 3rd cousin of Michelle’s) and Ray Novak, turned to reality on Tuesday as they piloted Fred to a new downtown home right on center stage of the city.

Operating as Chicago Fireboat Tours, they will be showing off this stunning city to all comers from this summer, giving a classic Chicago experience. The sight of this magnificent fire-engine red 90-footer sliding into the harbor, with the skyline as a backdrop, is a truly memorable moment. As a welcoming gesture, the city lit up with a spectacular lightning show that rivalled any Fourth of July fireworks.

Fred A. Busse was a working fireboat from the 1930’s until 1982, and until recently has been operating from Wisconsin. Chicago is definitively home for this craft, and the smiles said it all as Ray and Erich guided Fred into position beside the Columbia Yacht Club. Be sure to look them up and check them out next time you are in town.

We start our journey with a visit to the Windy City. Much like our hometown of Christchurch NZ, Chicago is famous for being a city reborn from adversity, being almost completely rebuilt following the devastating fire in 1871. An adventurous architectural history is on display along the rivers and vast lake frontage, which is used to maximum effect with more than 18 miles of continuous multi-use trails that weave through the lakeshore parks.

Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower)

For Frank Lloyd Wright fans, Chicago is the veritable living museum of his groundbreaking domestic architecture. Distinctive in style, you see echoes of his forms in house designs here today. His obsession with creating idyllic home life experiences was often in conflict with practical needs of daily living, and stands in contrast with the domestic turmoil that eventuated in his own household.

Francis J Woolley House (not Frank’s favourite, but one of mine)

We are fortunate to be very well hosted by the extended Martin, Totsch and Johnsen families, recently discovered relatives of Michelle. Under their expert tutelage we are informed of the importance of not putting Ketchup on your hotdogs, and encouraged to load every other condiment known to man onto the excellent hotdogs at Superdawgs. Even the highway information boards warn of this violation: No speeding, No texting, No Ketchup (no kidding!). The only exception to the amazing hospitality is Caramela, quite possibly the worlds’ grumpiest cat, whose incessant growling and swiping is simultaneously entertaining and alarming!

Carmela in a festive mood

Millennium Park and Navy Pier are the centerpiece for the city, and bustle with summer time sightseers enjoying the 90 degree heat. No trip to Chicago would be complete without visiting the Bean to watch the world warp and distort into a myriad of mirrored images, and to drench yourself under the water towers of Millennium Park.

All around, a fantastic day in the city, and merely an appetizer for what was to come in the evening…

#1. Don’t think you already know America. Be wary that the bleached and bloated views you may have already formed have passed through the highly filtered media machines. 330 million people will generate a lot of stories, and the more extreme ones are what make it through. Put America on a bell distribution curve and you will find an incredible diversity of opinion and thought, with a large number of caring and thoughtful people in the middle. This is the hidden America; the ones stuck in between the vocal extremes to the left and right. There are some great people here – go find them!

Want to see lots of slow motion shots of trust fund babes running through the latest trophy tourism spot? Well, you’ll have to get your Instagratification elsewhere!!

Julian is a 45 year old designer and developer of health and rehab products who loves biking, music, and turning our lives upside down every now and then . Michelle is a biology scientist and teacher with a passion for the environment and inspiring young adults to brighter futures. Josh (11) and Scott (7) share mutual interests in soccer, Taekwando, gaming and having adventures on the road…along with the usual sibling rivalry of brothers.

Perhaps we are not typical, having already moved from New Zealand to the USA for a 3 year long working adventure, but we consider ourselves pretty damn normal. We like to scare ourselves out of our comfort zones by taking on new challenges and experiences, but always with a healthy sense of fear and trepidation.

We want to taste a different life, and are leaving the certainty of jobs, domestication, neighborhoods, friends & family to live live on the road in an 18 foot camper (caravan). Along the way we will be exploring many of America’s finest national parks, learn about its deep and confronting histories, and to meet the many peoples that combine to make America the colorful and noisy construct that it is.

Join us on our haphazard journey of discovery. We hope you’ll be inspired to take your own flight of fancy one day!