July 2, 2006: Natural Bridge SP, Thermopolis and Shell Falls, WY
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Well, the first part of the trip was pretty much what you might expect- a long drive from Dallas to get to anywhere interesting. Our first goal was Cheyenne, WY, where we had reservations for the evening. (It's never a good idea to arrive at a campground really late as there may not be a space and, even if there is, setting up camp in the dark is not the easiest thing in the world.)

So, early in the morning on July 1, 2006, we headed out with a loaded SUV from Van Alstyne (yellow star on the left-hand map), went north on US75 to Sherman, west on US82 to Gainesville, and then headed north on I-35. Of course, one of the beauties of the Interstate Highway System is that you can cover long distances on the same highway, so we were able to continue quite a way on this interstate, going through Oklahoma City (right-hand map) and further north.

It was north to Wichita, where we left I-35 and branched off on I-135, a spur interstate that takes you directly north to Salina, instead of northeast to Kansas City. At Salina, we had a late lunch and then headed west on I-70 towards Denver.

We simply continued west on I-70 towards Denver. The land slowly changed from absolutely flat to low rolling hills. The trip had been uneventful so far, but just inside Colorado, all that changed.

Suddenly, at 80 mph, a loud clicking noise started suddenly from the rear of the SUV (green star on the map). We pulled off at the first exit and examined the rear of the SUV and found a nail attached to some nylon string embedded in a rear tire. The string had wrapped itself around the axle. A few minutes of messing with the string got it untangled and detached, but we didn't want to pull the nail out for the obvious reason. We got back in the SUV and drove cautiously towards Denver, checking to see if a Discount Tire store was located there and would be open when we arrived. The answers were yes and no, so we pulled off at the Arriba exit (red star on the map) and stopped to ask where we could get the tire fixed. Turns out the guy I asked did exactly that, and it only took 15 minutes and $10. We were back on the road in no time, and had no further problems with the tire.

We continued on to Denver where Fred made contact with his stepmother's sister. She hadn't seen Fred in many years, and when we told her we'd be going right through town, she asked us to stop by- giving us directions to her house. After a few false turns (and some inaccurate directions) we arrived (green star on the map below). Here are Fred, Hazel and Hazel's dog. Hazel and her family live in a large double-wide trailer home in a nicely-situated park in northwest Denver. Here are Hazel's son Danny, Fred and Hazel (and Hazel's dog). We had a nice visit, and here is one more picture of Fred and Hazel (no dog this time).

We had dinner at a pretty good Mexican restaurant near Hazel's house, then got back on I-25 headed north to Cheyenne. We stayed at a Super 8 Motel just off the interstate (yellow star on the map above). After a day of mainly driving, we were finally positioned to start to see some sights.

You can use the links below to continue to another photo album page.

	July 2, 2006: Natural Bridge SP, Thermopolis and Shell Falls, WY
	Return to Glacier National Park Trip Index