The Prize for the most Indecisive Traveller

[WanderlustNZ]

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna do it. It will be my birthday that day too, so extra special I think Dad would enjoy it as he enjoys Disney history, even if he's not a huge Disney fan (he was quizzing me about the origins of Mickey the other day ). Mum, on the other hand, just likes the novelty factor of Disney, and isn't really interested in much of the 'back story', so not sure how much she would get out of it.

It sounds like a great birthday treat. Even if your parents aren't keen, it's still the kind of thing that would be fun to do on your own.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Clearly I'm even less tech savy than I thought. It turns out that the tiny unmarked slit on the side of my GPS is a micro-SD slot. DH just shook his head in disappointment at my naivety.

We just need to buy an $8 micro SD, and then I can buy a USA map for the GPS. So that's that issue sorted.

 

[Caroline NZ]

Clearly I'm even less tech savy than I thought. It turns out that the tiny unmarked slit on the side of my GPS is a micro-SD slot. DH just shook his head in disappointment at my naivety.

We just need to buy an $8 micro SD, and then I can buy a USA map for the GPS. So that's that issue sorted.

Excellent ( that is what DH did with ours as well)

 

[PrincessInOz]

Glad you worked it out!

 

[zanzibar138]

Good find

 

[Aussie Wendy]

**Cough cough** - there are always the old fashioned paper maps you know........


(saying that last road trip we winged it without maps or GPS or anything - I looked up beforehand the route I wanted to take and for the only tricky bit in Las Vegas I had a printout off Google for just that specific detailed area. Signposting is pretty good so other than cities/larger towns we have always found our way!)

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Duplicate post

 

[PrincessInOz]

**Cough cough** - there are always the old fashioned paper maps you know........


(saying that last road trip we winged it without maps or GPS or anything - I looked up beforehand the route I wanted to take and for the only tricky bit in Las Vegas I had a printout off Google for just that specific detailed area. Signposting is pretty good so other than cities/larger towns we have always found our way!)

If I didn't know better, I would wonder if your last name was Gutenberg!






(Good point, though ).

 

[WanderlustNZ]

**Cough cough** - there are always the old fashioned paper maps you know........ (saying that last road trip we winged it without maps or GPS or anything - I looked up beforehand the route I wanted to take and for the only tricky bit in Las Vegas I had a printout off Google for just that specific detailed area. Signposting is pretty good so other than cities/larger towns we have always found our way!)

Paper map? What's that?

In all seriousness, paper maps are not my friend. I'm pretty good at following them, but they make me feel car sick and I miss out on enjoying the scenery around me.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Glad you worked it out!

Ahahaha, that's the same series of reactions that I got from DH.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

I finally got around to applying for our passports today.

Here in NZ you can't do child passport applications online and you need to send in hardcopies of your application and photos. To avoid the hassle of making sure the printed dimensions of the photo were correct, I took DS to get some professional passport pics taken.
However, I did my application all online, beginning with getting DH to take dozens of photos of me. I sampled many of these pics using the online checker, and pic after pic kept failing - mainly I think due to a bit of light reflection in my eyes. Eventually I succumbed to frustration and submitted a pic I really didn't like, and, what do you know, it was accepted. Murphy's law.
Oh well, at least it's done now.

I also booked my Tasmania excursions for my December cruise. For once I haven't been indecisive, and I have booked the same tours I decided on a few months back; The Cradle Mountain tour and The Hobart + Port Arthur + Wildlife Sanctuary Tour. Can't wait.

 

[zanzibar138]

I finally got around to applying for our passports today.

Here in NZ you can't do child passport applications online and you need to send in hardcopies of your application and photos. To avoid the hassle of making sure the printed dimensions of the photo were correct, I took DS to get some professional passport pics taken.
However, I did my application all online, beginning with getting DH to take dozens of photos of me. I sampled many of these pics using the online checker, and pic after pic kept failing - mainly I think due to a bit of light reflection in my eyes. Eventually I succumbed to frustration and submitted a pic I really didn't like, and, what do you know, it was accepted. Murphy's law.
Oh well, at least it's done now.

I also booked my Tasmania excursions for my December cruise. For once I haven't been indecisive, and I have booked the same tours I decided on a few months back; The Cradle Mountain tour and The Hobart + Port Arthur + Wildlife Sanctuary Tour. Can't wait.

Passports are a big pain! I don't think anyone takes a good passport photo (who looks good with a straight face, seriously?), but at least not many people see them.

The Tassie excursions sound fantastic! I can't wait to hear about your trip

 

[WanderlustNZ]

but at least not many people see them.

LOL. That's what I'm counting on.

 

[Andona]

Wow, those snows were early. I'm fully expecting light scatterings of snow, but not heavy falls which close so many roads.

I'm pleased you said that the Northern and Western exits were okay, as come October, they are the only ones we need to contend with. I was worried that I wasn't taking full advantage of Yellowstone by spending 3 of our nights in gateway towns, but your post has made me feel better about this decision.

Did you take the 'Big Sky' route up to Bozeman, and if so, how scenic was it? On our last day in the area, I'm a little bit tempted to drive around the park from Gardiner to West Yellowstone (via Livingston, Bozeman, and Big Sky), rather than through it. My DH and MIL are a bit sad we don't have much shopping time scheduled into the trip, and this could be a chance to do some in a state with no taxes. However, if the areas are rough or not particularly scenic, I'm not convinced this would be a good idea.

I'd also love to know what it was like driving on that snow day. I noticed that you can't book a car with chains from the rental places, so I'm curious how safe you felt on the road that day.

My PTR is called 'The Prize for the Most Indecisive Traveller'. I'm feeling bad for taking this thread off topic, so if you are okay answering more of my questions (like the ones above), would it be okay if we moved over to my thread.

Thanks Andona. It's so wonderful to hear from someone who visited Yellowstone at a similar time of the year to me. I'd also love to hear more about your plans for next year.

Hi Wanderlust, sorry for slow reply, I haven't been on DIS for a few days. Bringing the answers over here as you requested

On the day we left Yellowstone we were anxious to head East as fast as possible so we took the direct route to Bozeman along US 191. It was a pretty drive, but the snow made it hard to see the best of the scenery. The authorities were doing a great job of keeping the road ploughed but my DH did drive cautiously - especially after we went past a couple of cars that had slid off the road! We had booked an SUV because we thought it possible that we'd strike snow and wanted a car that could cope but we didn't have chains or snow tires and we were fine. I'll post a picture so you can see what I mean about the scenery


The weather certainly changed a lot in a few days. we went from this..


to this, in only 2 days!


I'm afraid we didn't stop to do much shopping in Montana so I can't offer much advise on that one, I know what you mean about the temptation to shop up in a state with no sales tax though!

When we go back next year we hope to revisit our favourite spots ( Yellowstone Canyon and the lake was beautiful ) and to see some of the park that we missed last time. When we were there the road from Norris Geyser basin to Old Faithful was closed for roadworks so we'd like to head up that way. We hope to spend a bit more time in Lamar Valley too, hoping to see some wolves

We're mainly excited about doing the Beartooth Highway drive from Red Lodge to Cooke City - we were so disappointed to miss out on it last time because of snow. We've read so many reports calling it "the most beautiful drive in America"

I'll have to take the time to sit down and read the rest of your PTR, I hope you enjoy yellowstone as much as we did

Andona

 

[cola]

Re GPS

There is an Android smartphone app (assume it's available for iPhones too) called MapsWithMe, it is one of the ones you have to pay for but it is only about $5 or so.
You can download all of the maps where you need them onto the phone (free) and then it just relies on the GPS signal, no need for any data. I think it is worth it. I haven't used it a whole lot yet (I keep forgetting to practise), but so far it's worked around Sydney. It is well worth using it around home before venturing OS with it, even if you know where you are going. I have a cracked Sygic app and found it a complete pain to use, I had to find an alternative.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Andona, that is crazy how much that scenery changed in just a few days! Thanks for sharing.

We aren't doing the Beartooth, but my guess is that it will probably be closed anyway. Nor are we doing Cody, despite it being high on my wishlist. There is just so much to do and so little time. If we love the area as much as I'm expecting we will, maybe one day we will return just like you are.

Cola, thanks for the GPS advice. My DH is the one with the android phone in the family, so I'll ask him to check it out.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great scenery change, Andona.


Shame about Cody, Wanderlust. We had a fantastic time there when we visited.

 

[Aussie Wendy]

Tassie trip tours sound perfect. Interested too in the android app tip Cola thanks. The pics Andona posted look like our experience in Canada years ago - brilliant sun to heavy snowfall in a few hours further down the road.

Yellowstone and surrounds are very high on my bucket list when we can get over there in a less snow-prone time of year. (Silly DH says we won't need to visit the US for quite some time after our upcoming trip ...so he thinks! We've barely scraped the surface!!)

 

[WanderlustNZ]

Shame about Cody, Wanderlust. We had a fantastic time there when we visited.

It is a shame. It looks exactly like the type of charming town I would love.
I was super gutted at first, but unfortunately it was just one of those cases where something had to give and Cody was it.
There is no easy way back into the park should the Eastern entrance close due to snow, plus due to time restraints it came down to either Cody or Gardiner. The Wildlife Tour from Gardiner (and my high hopes of seeing wolves) won out in the end.
Hopefully I can get my Wyoming Western town fix during my 2 nights in Jackson.

 

[WanderlustNZ]

The pics Andona posted look like our experience in Canada years ago - brilliant sun to heavy snowfall in a few hours further down the road.

Come to think of it, those photos also remind me of one of my road trips. DH and I didn't realise that the Black Forest Road in Germany climbed so much in altitude and within a few hours the beautiful late spring landscape gave way to a wintery wonderland. Driving that day was very precarious. I'm sure we were annoying all the drivers behind us with our crawling speeds.