Caravan Tours - Mt. Rushmore/Yellowstone/Grand Tetons

This is a Travel-blog of our recent trip from Mt. Rushmore to Yellowstone to The Grand Tetons to Salt Lake City.  The beginning of the blog will be an overview of what you can expect from this trip with Caravan Tours.  Then it will go into a day by day of our trip.

We traveled the week of Aug 25, 2012 to Sept 1, 2012 (actually we stayed an extra day  and left on Sept 2).  This was a GREAT tour and I’m so glad I found it.   We had a fantastic week with Caravan Tour.  They are a very organized company and have things very well planned out.  The first evening you meet with your Tour Director and it will be about a 1 hr – 1 ½ hr meeting explaining what to expect, introducing yourself, and a few other important details. 

All the hotels we stayed at were very nice.  They all had the traditional toiletries that you would need like shampoo, soap, lotion (with the exception of conditioner at a couple of them) so no need to pack them and if I’m not mistaken I believe all the hotels had hair dryers, as well.  We arrived at the hotels usually between 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm and were on our own most nights.  We had to leave our luggage outside our hotel doors 1 hr before leaving.  We met on the bus in the mornings between 7:45-8:00 am.  All the hotels were very efficient in delivering and picking up our bags.

Our tour director was Matt and our bus driver was Phil.  They were both very professional yet very funny at times.  Matt was very knowledgeable of just about everything we saw.  He was like a walking encyclopedia.  This trip was not only very enjoyable, but it was very educational as well!  Phil was an excellent driver and we always felt very safe in his hands.

Matt made it clear from the beginning that respect and courtesy for others was very important. One thing in particular that was mentioned was, being late getting on the bus was NOT OK, and when he said a time for us to be on the bus then we were to be on time.  As we all know there are always a couple of stragglers who are always late and don’t care if everyone on the bus are waiting for them….but in our case, no one was ever late and we always left right on time.  This was a great rule and it was nice that Matt stood by it!  I would hope all Caravan Tour Directors would keep this rule as well.

Another great thing was that we made several bathroom stops, on average every 1 ½ hrs to 2 hrs. The restrooms we stopped at were very nice and clean.  Yes of course there were  lines for the women’s bathrooms but usually they moved pretty quickly.  But there was always plenty of time to look around the area and stretch your legs before we had to get back on the bus.  There was also a bathroom on the bus, if necessary.

When we stopped at different sites, you can leave all your personal items on the bus if you wanted and they were kept safe, except of course when we stopped at a hotel for the night. You had to take everything off because they rotated your seats about every 4^th seat clockwise.  The first day you choose where you want to sit but then from then on, you moved.  They have your names typed up and taped at the isle of the seats where you are to sit for the day.   So if you go with another couple or more people, you want to sit behind each other, if you want to stay close the whole tour because the right side of the bus moves back the 4 seats while the left side moves forward. Also, bottled water was offered when you went back on the bus after touring.....they kept a cooler under the bus.

The scenery on this tour was so beautiful.  Of course you can read or sleep etc. on the bus, but I found it hard to do either, since I didn't want to miss a thing during the road trip. Also our Tour Director talked most of the way….not that it bothered me, but he would point things out and you didn't want to miss it.

We were pretty lucky when it came to the weather all week.  It sprinkled for about 5 min. when we were at Mt. Rushmore (even though it called for clear skies that day).  Also it rained a bit when we got to Salt Lake City, but it wasn't a big deal seeing at Salt Lake City we were mostly indoors at Temple Square.  The temperatures were perfect…..although it was a little cool most mornings.

NOTE:  Every tour director may have their own way of doing things, so the way ours did things may be a little different from another Tour Director.

Here is a day by day of our trip.  I wrote on each specific hotel on TripAdvisor.

This was the bus we were on for the week.

Day 1 - Rapid City

We were traveling with another couple on this trip and we arrived in Rapid City around 11:00 am.  There were a total of 5 couples who arrived at the same time.  The hotel shuttle was there within 15 min.  We didn't have to call for them to come, they were expecting us. (Our flight was a little early, that’s why we had to wait.)  Some rooms were ready and some were not.  Our friend’s room was ready so we dropped off our luggage in their room and walked around and looked for a place to have lunch.  We found Sanford’s which had a great selection, reasonably priced and $1 draft beers. We walked around the historic downtown of Rapid City where there were life-size, bronze statues of our nations Presidents, on just about every corner.   We also walked up to a hill overlooking the city and visited a place called Dinosaur Park which had 5 “life-sized” dinosaurs which were dedicated to the city in the 1930’s. It was about a ½ hr. walk.  We had some great views from up there.

This was our room at the Adoba Eco

Dinosaur Park

View from Dinosaur Park

When we got back, our room was ready and we relaxed for a couple of hours, then ventured out again to dinner at the Firehouse Brewing Co. where they brew their own beer, which was pretty good.  After dinner we walked around looking at the statues of presidents on each corner. We also went to the grocery store just behind the Adoba Eco, for some wine and snacks.

Firehouse Brewing Co.

That evening we met our tour mates, Tour Director and bus driver for the week.  What a great group of people. (Unfortunately, a group of 6 missed their flight in Chicago and had to meet up with us at Mt. Rushmore. I believe Matt made arrangements for them to meet up with us.) The Tour group’s ages averaged mid 40’s to maybe 70’s or 80’s?  Our friends are in their 40’s and we are in our early 50’s.  It was a good mix of people.

Day 2 - Crazy Horse/Mt. Rushmore

We met on the bus at 8:00 am. (The departure time in the Day by Day Itinerary Book may differ a little, from the time you actually leave.) We left around 8:15 and arrived at Crazy Horse around 9:00 –9:15 am.  We spent around 2 hrs. there.  It was a very interesting place.  We watched a movie for about 20 min. to explain the site.  It was well worth seeing.  Also, there is a bus that takes you closer to the site which cost $2 pp, where you get a closer look and learn a little more about the construction of Crazy Horse.  We did this and thought it was also worth it.  It is truly a work in progress.  It was amazing to see the work and time involved in this mountain carving.  Obviously it is still not finished and because of several factors, such as the uncertainty of the weather, the availability of financing and the challenges of the mountain engineering, there is no way to predict a completion date.

Model of Crazy Horse

There are also plenty of things to see at the museum like the tools used, sculptures and photos of the progress of this amazing carving.  This was a VERY interesting site and we enjoyed it very much.  

We left Crazy Horse around 11:15 am or so….and arrived at Mt. Rushmore around 
11:40 am.  Mt. Rushmore was such an incredible site to finally see in person.  ONE of MANY interesting facts we learned on this trip was Thomas Jefferson was originally started on George Washington's right (to the left when looking at the monument). The stone at the original location for the carving turned out to have a detrimental crack requiring its blasting off after two years of work. 

When we arrived,  we immediately had lunch at the cafeteria. It is a big cafeteria so it shouldn't take too long to have lunch.  A few of the items they had was Bison Hot Dogs, Bison Chili and Bison Burgers, which may be the only opportunity for one to try some Bison, besides at Old Faithful.  We had the Bison Hot Dogs and our friend had the Bison Burger…..tasted the same as a regular Hot Dog/Burger.  Our other friend had the regular beef stew and it was a large portion and she said it was very good.

After lunch we walked the trail which was beautiful and worth the walk and seeing the different angles of the monument.  If mobility is not a problem, be sure to continue on to the stairs and around.  We took our time walking around and took lots of photos.  It took us about an hour.

We left Mt. Rushmore around 2:15 pm and arrived at the hotel around 3:00 pm.

We walked around town again and this time we went to the park just down the street to see a couple of pieces of the Berlin Wall which was donated to South Dakota in 1996.  It was pretty cool to see that.  For dinner we went to Botticelli Italian restaurant (I believe that was the name).  It was very good.

Berlin Wall

Day 3  - Little Big Horn

This morning we left around 7:45 am…..stopped for lunch at Sheridan Hotel which is a hotel that was owned by Buffalo Bill Cody.  Lunch was included and was buffet style with sandwich meats, rolls/bread, soup and chips.  After lunch, they gave us some time to tour the little hotel.

After our little tour of the Sheridan, we headed to Little Big Horn. This is the site of Custer’s last stand.  It was very interesting to see the actual site.  We walked around a bit, then we headed down the hill for those of us who wanted to listen to the talk of a Ranger, for about 45 min.  He was very entertaining and knowledgeable, although it was very hot, about 96 degrees, and it was outdoors, so needless to say I was ready for his talk to end. We were there for a total of about 1 hr.   

We did another short ½ hour stop on the way to the hotel at Yellowstone County Museum in Billings, MT. It was a very small place but interesting. 

We got to the hotel around 6:00 pm.  There were a few restaurants within walking distance, so we decided to go to dinner at Jakes Steakhouse.  It was a little pricey, but probably average for a steakhouse.  Then it was back to the hotel.  There wasn't much to see in the area.

Day 4 – Cody/Old Faithful

This morning we left around 8:00 am.  We arrived in Cody around 10:00 am. We went to the Buffalo Bills Historical Museum.  It is a very nice museum.  We were given 3 hrs. there,  but I’m not really a big museum person, so it was a little too long for me.  After checking out the museum for about an hour we chose to walk down to the little town for lunch, but there is a high school right across the street and I guess the town is popular for the students to go to lunch....it got very busy in the 2 eatery’s that we tried to go to Peters and Mojos…our friends got their order in at the counter at Peters but we didn't  before the chaos of the students came in….we were a little pressed for time so we tried Mojos but it was busy, so my husband and I headed back and had lunch at the museum.  (Although we heard that the students pretty much cleared out in 15 - 20 min).

We left around 1:00 pm. During our ride to Old Faithful, our tour guide passed around a menu of the restaurant at Old Faithful which requires a reservation.  He also passed around one for the Obsidian Dining room at the Snow Lodge. If you wanted to eat at Old Faithful he had a signup sheet with time-frames  which he also passed around. The four of us were the only ones who opted not to eat at Old Faithful, which after speaking to some others, they said it wasn't all that special.

 

We made a few stops on our way; one was to get pics of buffalo, one for a waterfall and a couple of restroom stops. We arrived around 5:00 pm,  just in time to see Old Faithful go off. 

Old Faithful

Went to our rooms, then had dinner at Obsidian Dining Room at the Snow Lodge.  My husband and I had the bison short ribs which were delicious and our friends had the pork chop and salmon, which both said were good.  

After dinner we checked out the General Store to see what they carried.  Fortunately, they had wine, beer and a few other alcohols and several snack items and of course souvenirs, etc.  We then walked to Castle Geyser just a short walk away but not as dependable as Old Faithful, yet in our opinion, much more spectacular.  The window given was 6:50 pm to 8:50 pm, but I believe someone at Old Faithful said it would probably go off around 7:50 pm.  They were right; it went off at 7:55 pm and was still going off when we left at 8:35 pm.  We only left because it was getting cold and we didn't bring our jackets. 

General Store

Old Faithful Inn

Our Room

Castle Geyser

Day 5 - Yellowstone

This morning we met around 8:00am and a Ranger, Rose, joined us on the bus for the tour around the park.  She was very knowledgeable about the area and we learned a lot and got to see a lot.  We made several stops including lunch but one of the highlights was we got to see got to see The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.  This was beautiful!  We were back at Old Faithful around 4:30pm.  This evening we just went to dinner at the grill at the Snow Lodge.  It was pretty good.

 Thermophiles

The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

After dinner we walked around the trails to the different geysers.  We decided to also go up to the trail that took us to an observation point up the mountain…..it was beautiful up there and we were able to get some great photos of Old Faithful Inn from up there.

Another great day!

Day 6 – Grand Tetons/Jackson

We left Old Faithful around 7:45 am.  We did a couple of photo stops on the way to the Grand Tetons.  Gorgeous views!  

We arrived around 11:30 am at the rafts. We were split into 4 groups and on to  4 rafts.  We floated on the Snake River for about 2 hrs.  They had bagged lunches for us on the raft.  What beautiful scenery, the views were just so spectacular.  We were so glad it didn't rain….I heard if it’s raining they take you to a museum.  We saw a couple of Bald Eagles and Osprey other than that no other wild life.  Although when we were leaving on the bus, we did see a moose lying by the river just past the bridge. 

After our float trip, we headed to the town of Jackson Hole and arrived around 3:00 pm.  We were given about 1 hr. and 45 min to walk around, on our own.  This was such a charming town with lots of shops including a couple of souvenir shops. We went to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar where the seats at the bar are saddles. Of course we had to try the Million Dollar Cowboy Beer, which was pretty good.

We arrived at The Virginian Lodge around 5:00 pm.  We had to be back on the bus by 
6:00 pm for our complimentary dinner at Bar J Chuckwagon it was a dinner and a show.  The dinner was very good and they are very organized at feeding so many people, buffet style.  The show was excellent!  They were funny and very musically talented. They sang classic country, which I wasn’t sure if I would like, but I LOVED the show.  The show ended around 9:30 pm and we were back to our hotel around 9:45 pm-10:00 pm.  It was a long day, yet we loved every minute of it!!

Day 7 – Oregon Trail/Salt Lake City

We left the Virginian Lodge around 7:45 am and headed to Salt Lake City.  Today we did 3 states.  WY, ID and UT. We stopped at the Oregon/California Trail Center in ID.  This was a very interesting place with re-enactments of what it was like back then. This was a wonderful experience and we really enjoyed this stop.  

We also did a photo stop at Bear Lake in UT.  

Then we had lunch in Logan, UT. It was very good food and quick service.  This was not included but we did eat as a group at several tables and it had a good variety of food.

We arrived in Salt Lake City at the Temple Square around 4:00 pm.  A few of the “sisters” gave us a little tour of the place for about 45 min.  It was very interesting and a beautiful place.  

We were back at hotel by 5:00 pm.  We had about 2 hrs. to relax before our farewell dinner at the hotel.  Dinner was very nice with 3 choices Salmon, Chicken and Veggie Fettuccini (we told our tour director earlier in the day what we wanted.)  It was nice to be able to talk to everyone one last time and say our goodbyes.

We stayed an extra day in The Canyons in Park City, which is only about 30 miles from Salt Lake City.  We really enjoyed the sites there…..which included Olympic Park, Historic Main St. in Park City and a ride to the top of the mountains at The Canyons. This was also a fantastic day and we were glad we stayed the extra day!  

This was an excellent tour and we would highly recommend this tour to anyone who wants to sit back and enjoy the ride/sites and let someone else do the planning!  It was so nice not to have to plan anything.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.