Heading west always meant getting on an airplane and landing on the West Coast. Because of our determination to visit every National Park on our Monopoly board, we made plans to begin our adventures by driving to bordering states to explore those parks on our board which were closest. This seemed like the best opportunity to experience how this was going to go for our family. If it didn’t go great we could head home early since we drove. I had been as far west as Sioux Falls, South Dakota but that was as far as I had ever driven. I was excited to see the open prairies of the west but not certain were the west really started. Our first day brought us to Sioux Falls where we spent the morning getting breakfast and exploring. By late afternoon we made our way further west to Wall, South Dakota were we stopped for the day. A few days later we continued on to the Black Hills and then ventured into Wyoming. The vast openness was stunning watching the tall grasses sway in the breeze for hundreds of miles.
Once reaching the western side of South Dakota, we kept seeing attractions depicting the Old West. I always thought Wyoming would be the beginning of the west. The Prairies seem to begin around Wall, South Dakota though which start to transition from the Midwest to the West. While driving in Western South Dakota we saw critters not found in the Midwest such as Prairie Dogs and Pronghorn Deer. It was fun to see all of these pieces of the west and experience these low, rolling hills. Many people consider this a boring drive but I was just enthralled with the landscape. Almost mesmerized by it. The only thing that would have made it complete would have been to watch storms roll over the grasslands of the west.
As we continued west, the scenery began to subtly change. The prairies continued on for miles and miles around us but off in the distance, hills began to pop up. A few hours later, which felt like less than an hour, larger hills became visible as we reached higher points on the road. It became clear we would soon be entering the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Another area I was excited to drive through. The day continued on as we drove through the prairie moving west. Eventually we entered Wyoming and soon after turned south. While we were still in the Prairie, larger hills were getting closer. After a short time we entered Colorado, still in the western prairies with the Rockies definitely making their presence seen.
After driving for a little while in Colorado we once again turned west. The mountain foothills were now all around us and the excitement to begin climbing higher into the mountains increased. The drive continued to be beautiful watching the landscape slowly transition from the vast prairies to mountains just in front of us. Soon we began going up at a fast pace. We had definitely entered the Rocky Mountains. For the next hour and a half we climbed higher and higher with steep cliffs next to us, sharp corners to drive around, and raging rivers pouring down the Mountain all while the temperatures transitioned from summer to spring. It was all so breathtaking. Seeing this all for the first time from the windows of our car was incredible. Soon we reached Estes Park, our destination and as far west as we would travel on this adventure. What a great experience and amazing views during our entire trip.
