This is the second part of our trip. We left Vancouver on August 19th and returning to Toronto on August 26th 2001. Check out our first page to find out about our journey from Toronto to Vancouver, travelling through the provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
Day 1
Vancouver to Spokane
From Vancouver, we left early for Seattle where we visited Seattle Garden Centre, Pike Place Market, and Public Market Center. Seattle's Pike Place Market, established in 1907, is the oldest continuously operating public market in the country. The Pike Place Market, located in the heart of downtown Seattle, is a popular attraction for Seattle visitors
We then took a break at Indian John Hill Rest Area. We arrived at Spokane in time to visit a park and then have dinner at a Chinese Restaurant “The Peking Palace”. We stayed at Doubletree Hotel for the night.
Day 2
Spokane to West Yellowstone
From Spokane, we drove to Missoula for lunch and then proceeded to West Yellowstone. We stayed at West Yellowstone Holiday Inn in Montana for the night.
Day 3
Yellowstone Park
We visited Yellowstone National Park today. Yellowstone National Park is home to some 10,000 thermal features, over 500 hundred of which are geysers. Yellowstone contains the majority of the worlds geysers. Norris is the hottest and most dynamic geyser basin in Yellowstone. Along the way, we saw
geysers,
hot springs,
canyons,
and waterfalls. We visited Mammoth Hot Springs. At Mammoth Hot Springs, travertine (calcium carbonate) forms spectacular terraces as shown below.
Below is a photo of the Blue Star Spring
We were also very lucky to have seen the Beehive geyser
and Castle geyser.
We also saw a moose 
and a bear taking a dip in a roadside pond. It was something you rarely see. We were trilled to see that bear but I wasn't sure if he was as trilled to be seen by us watching him taking his dip ! We returned to Holiday Inn at West Yellowstone and had buffalo for dinner. It was tasty.
Day 4
West Yellowstone to Gillette
Leaving the hotel the next day, we drove through Yellowstone Park and visited West Thumb where more hot springs and mudpots
can be seen. West Thumb Geyser Basin consists of a narrow strip of geysers, hotsprings and a few mudpots poking into the west shore of the Yellowstone Lake. We stopped for lunch at Cody. We then proceeded to Big Horn Mountain where we stopped at Shell Falls. We stayed the night at Gillette at Clarion Western Plaza.
Day 5
Gillette to Rapid City
We left Gillette for Devils Tower. Devils Tower rises 1,267 feet above the meandering Belle Fourche River. Devil's Tower National Monument was made globally famous by the blockbuster movie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Geologists estimate that approximately 60 million years ago molten magma forced it's way up through sedimentary rocks and then cooled underground. As the magma cooled it formed igneous rock which fractured into the basalt columns we see exposed today.
Below is a picture of Devils Tower.
We also visited Prairie Dogs’ town at the foot of Devils Tower. Below is a picture of the prairie dog.
The next stop was Mount Rushmore. Between 1927 and 1941, Gutzon Borglum and 400 workers sculpted the 60-foot busts of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln to represent the first 150 years of American history. Borglum's monument was a grouping of four leaders who brought the country from colonial times into the 20th century. The first was George Washington, first U.S. President and commander of the Revolutionary army. The second was Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President, author of the Declaration of Independence, and advocate of westward expansion. The third was President Abraham Lincoln, 16th President whose leadership restored the Union and ended slavery on U.S. soil and the fourth was President Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President who promoted construction of the Panama Canal and ignited progressive causes such as conservation and business reform. Dedication of the Washington's head was done in 1930 and followed by Jefferson in 1936, Lincoln in 1937 and Roosevelt in 1939. Gutzon died in March 1941 and his son, Lincoln Borglum supervised the completion of the heads. Carving stopped in October 1941, on the eve of our entry into World War II. Mount Rushmore is a really interesting monument.
We stayed at Radisson Hotel in Rapid City.
Day 6
Rapid City to Rochester
We left Rapid City and drove to Rochester, passing Missouri River and arriving at Mitchell, where the Corn Palace is situated.
We stayed the night at Holiday Inn City Center at Rochester.
Day 7
Rochester to Chicago
We left Rochester and went to Huntley Outlet Mall where we were given two hours for lunch and shopping. We arrived in Chicago late afternoon and we visited the Water Tower Place, Michigan Avenue, Buckingham fountain.
Below is a picture of Buckingham Fountain.
We had dinner at a Chinese restaurant in Chicago’s Chinatown. We then checked into the Holiday Inn in Chicago’s outskirt.
Day 8
Chicago to Toronto
We left for Toronto early today after stopping at the Duty free shop for some last minute shopping.
