Day 7: Elk, John Denver, and an unfortunate incident in a McDonald's bathroom

Hello from Bozeman, MT, the home of the fake MSU.  Yesterday was a day full of driving through Wyoming and Yellowstone where we logged the most miles in one day (~600) so far on the trip.  The day started in Gillette, WY, which seemed very appropriate since I decided that morning that I had had enough of the beard.  We left the hotel around 11am and headed straight for Yellowstone, with a stop at the Tetons planned for afterwards.  Our original route called for us to head west on I-90 and take a southerly route into Yellowstone's north entrance.  Signs along the way, however, indicated that continuing west on highway 16 out of Gillette would provide a more scenic route, so we changed course and approached Yellowstone from the east.  The drive took use through Bighorn National Forest, which was stunning the entire way.  Every turn through the mountains provided an incredible view of the terrain.  I quickly realized that trying to capture it in photos was pointless because the views were too expansive.  Suffice it to say, though, it was one of the most breathtaking drives I've ever made.

We then progressed further west on 16 and made a pit stop for a bathroom break at McDonald's , which is where my day took a tragic turn.  Upon entering the stall, my sunglasses, which were hanging from the collar of my shirt, fell right into the toilet in front of me.  Before I knew it, I plunged my hand in to retrieve them.  In the immediate aftermath, I was struck by two thoughts:  Why did I think that wrapping my hand in toilet paper would somehow keep it dry as I fished the glasses out of the bowl?  And why did I not give a second thought to simply leaving the glasses in the toilet?  I bought them at Target a week before for $15 and I had another pair in the car.   Regardless, I washed them off in the sink and proceeded to taunt germophobic Tanya with them all day.

We finally arrived at Yellowstone in late afternoon and proceeded to snap a few hundred pictures at various pull-offs.  Like the Badlands and Bighorn, every turn provided a view better than the last.  John Denver appropriately provided the soundtrack as we drove past Yellowstone Lake, saw a couple elk foraging for wildflowers near the road, and walked through a hot springs basin, eventually making our way to Old Faithful around 8pm just in time to see it erupt.  The sunset and full moon provided a beautiful backdrop as we left the park made our way north towards Bozeman for the night.

Today may signal the end of our trip if we're ambitious enough to drive the ~11 hours to Olympia.  Our route will put us on I-90 west through western Montana, Idaho, and Washington where we'll pass through Coeur d'Alene, Spokane, and the Cascade Mountains before arriving in western Washington.  My sunglasses will be placed firmly in my pocket at any rest stops we make.