Hope you enjoyed reading our roller coaster ride to Salt Lake City (SLC)! This post is going to be a bit relaxing, a much needed, dampened break before we set to the Park.
Before we started to Big Sky, Montana, a hill station, we visited an Indian &
Pakistani store in SLC to gather some snack and food. It was a beautifully arranged store with a small restaurant at one of its corners. As we were aware of the scarcity for varieties at Big Sky, we packed 25 oil-free
rotis, a few curries, Indian noodles and a few other ready-to-go food items. We had a good lunch that would fuel us for the next 400 miles on the road. We took I 80 and then I 15 N for about 280 miles. The roads were empty, mostly straight, but winding in some places along the edges of the bald Rocky Mountains in Utah.
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| Drive in Utah |
The drive was spectacular along the vast expanse of plain valleys between the mountains. A few peaks were covered with snow and many bald with a just-dried-up look. There were many lakes and ponds carrying pristine water. There were herds of cows that were enjoying the natural pastures. Soon we entered into Idaho, and started witnessing the popular potato
fields. There were huge sprinklers all along the potato fields that constantly spewed water over the crops. I was amazed at the irrigation system, canals that carried water to vast fields and the orderly fields of potatoes. What I enjoyed the most was the clear sky with bunches of hanging clouds, which made shadow patches all over the mountain stretch. The sun peeked out of the clouds, throwing some focus light on selected parts of the mountains. It appeared to me as if nature was staging a play, and the sun was throwing focus lights to highlight the artists on stage. It was beautiful!
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| View at Big Sky, Montana |
Kids enjoyed the lullaby of nature, and soon fell asleep. We just kept driving until we saw an exit to Jackson hole via Pocatello and Soda Springs, a paradise on earth. When we started to drive through the stretch, we saw the vegetation, weather and topography change. It was a beautiful drive. The Maps said we will have to travel for another 3 hours to reach Jackson hole, which means another 7-8 hours to reach Big Sky, Montana. If we made a U-turn, we would reach Big Sky in half the time it would take otherwise. The choice was ours. Considering many other factors, we decided to make a U-turn without course corrections. Result: We were driving through the arid regions of Idaho. I was peeking through to see the snow covered mountains that would mark our entry into the Yellowstone area but no luck. The snow mountains were far away, shining in the sun!! I felt as if we drove forever. Slowly, very slowly, the
plains changed into the mountains, flat-bed trees changed to coniferous trees and warm air changed to chilly, cold wind. We were not driving through hairpin bends, which normally are signs of climbing mountains, but we could feel our ears block as we drove through. There was
Traghee National Forest on the way. Finally, we reached the West Entrance of Yellowstone, but since we were traveling further Northwest, we had to travel another 50 miles to our destination.
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| Lone mountain at Big Sky |
I should
say that this drive was a bit scary, initially. The busy road turned into a calm one with very few vehicles. We started cruising at a constant speed, enjoying the beautiful drive. *Paradise on Earth* is least a title to describe the beauty of the place. I grew up far from a busy city, enjoying the wonders of nature, day and night. Moreover, the tall and mighty western ghats almost peeked into my windows as I grew up. Nature, landscape, mountains, trees and flowers are not new to me, but the scenery I was witnessing as we drove through the Rockies was no ordinary. As we were driving towards sunset, the glistening sun threw the glaze on rushing rivers and snowy mountains. It was an
uncapturable and unattainable beauty that can only be felt by being there. No exaggerations!
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| Little pantry |
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| Rice and lentil dish (Paruppu saadam or Kichdi) |
Ahhhh! Finally, we reached the resort, the much awaited temporary abode. Needless to say, it was nice, comfortable and warm. We unpacked, freshened up and were trying to accustom ourselves to the weather and the place. Hungry we dug into the staple food of ours. What a journey?!! We started nodding off immediately, which dragged us to the cozy comfort. We slept like logs for the next 10 hours.
The place where we stayed was overlooking the little lake, and on the other side, we had a beautiful view of the Lone mountain peak, one of the highest points in North American Rockies. I had my own kitchen where I spread all the essentials that brought from home.
Kichdi, roti,
subzi,
dal, pickle, beautiful scenery and a calm mind! What else I could have asked for! Ah, one more thing, there was no internet at home, a perfect option to have a great vacation. I was using my phone sometimes when in need.
We were busy the next two days
by going around in Big Bky. Beehive basin was an attractive valley that had beautiful scenery. It was snowy, rainy and sunny all day. We enjoyed and relaxed the most. Kids were having fun running around and playing on the lake shore. Two days of stay at Big Sky was more of a relaxation than of a busy sightseeing stuff. Previously, vacation and trip was all about clicking pictures, visiting as many places as possible, covering every nook and corner to do justice for the money paid, less sleep and more activity. This one was different, nice and relaxing!
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| View of the Beehive basin |
I will be back
with the most exciting part in my next post.
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