As much as I didn’t want to leave Yellowstone National Park, or my parents on their fantastic cross-country road trip, it was unfortunately time to go back home to reality since it was Sunday. I had an amazing long weekend exploring Yellowstone National Park, which you can read about in my previous posts. This one will detail my trip home, in more traditional Kinda Boring Travel fashion.
In This Trip
1: Not So Boring Trip to Yellowstone National Park: GSP-ORD-BOZ on United Airlines
2 : Not So Boring Trip to Yellowstone National Park: Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel Review
3 : Not So Boring Trip to Yellowstone National Park: Yellowstone National Park Activities
4 :Not So Boring Trip to Yellowstone National Park: BOZ-DEN-GSP on United Airlines
4.1: Bozeman Airport Review Part 2
4.2: BOZ-DEN on United Airlines 737-900 Economy
4.3: Denver Airport Review and AMEX Centurion Lounge Review
4.4: DEN-GSP On United Airlines ERJ175 Economy
4.5: Final Thoughts
Bozeman Airport Review Part 2
I got on the road in my rental car from the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and headed toward the North entrance of Yellowstone National Park, which is only about a 10-15 minute drive (when the weather isn’t dark and raining like my way in…see my first post for details!). Heading up highway 89 out of the north entrance, this time I was able to get a glimpse of the Roosevelt Arch which is right outside of the town Gardiner.
I snapped this photo, which is a bit far away, quickly while I was driving very slowly and there was no one else around. Definitely don’t be like me and take pictures while you’re driving! I normally don’t do this, but wanted to get a shot of the arch! Then from Gardiner it was about an hour and 30 minutes to the Bozeman Airport.
When I got to the airport in Bozeman, my phone decided it didn’t want to take any pictures because it was probably still hot from being plugged in and giving me directions. It literally wouldn’t open the camera app! I decided to just go through security so that in case my phone crapped out on me I would still be able to use the ticket on my app, since I didn’t know how long it would take to restart my phone and I was just right on time for my flight with not too much time to spare. Luckily I had taken some pictures of the entrance to the airport and the security area when I arrived, so check out my first post for those pictures! Once I got through security, I restarted my phone and it didn’t take long at all, so I was finally able to snap some photos!
This airport might be one of the coolest I’ve ever seen, I just loved the wood and the high ceilings!
Also there were an abundance of large windows everywhere to get a glimpse of the awesome mountain landscape.
My plane was parked at the gate so my flight was looking to be right on time!
The airport had these stand-up charging stations scattered through near some gates, which I thought was interesting.
The food court area had a large restaurant with ample seating, including in front of a fireplace! If there weren’t’ so many people around I for sure would have enjoyed a meal right in front of the fireplace.
Since I actually had more time than I expected (Bozeman is a small airport), I decided to grab a quick bite at a to-go café and sit in front of one of the huge windows overlooking the mountains while I ate.
I got a pretty nice spot toward the front of this window landscape viewing area which was really spectacular and the photos really don’t do it justice.
Then it was time to start gathering near the gate to board. The pilot was hanging out and talking to people, and just seemed like a nice guy.
I got another nice shot of my plane before boarding.
We boarded down a ramp in front of the windows out of the boarding door and onto the jet bridge.
I didn’t capture a great photo of it because I only thought to take a photo as I was heading down the ramp and thought it was cool. Then I remembered the blog!
BOZ-DEN on United Airlines 737-900 Economy
This was a nice plane, but I just absolutely hate the overhead compartments on newer aircraft. They’re great for space savings but terrible for anyone shorter than like 5’7†(which is me) because they are difficult to load luggage into and tend to spring upwards. I much prefer the traditional overhead compartments.
I got a nice window seat and I ended up not having anyone sitting next to me in the middle seat which was super nice.
Someone ended up in the aisle seat but then she moved over to the other side of the aisle in the open window seat, and the entire row ended up being empty anyway, so we both got to sit by ourselves. Score!
Sitting right behind the wing is super nice because you can get some cool shots of the wing and the surroundings.
I saw this little sign on the tray table saying there were power outlets between the seats.
It took me an embarrassingly long amount of time to actually find them, but they were located, you guessed it, between the seats! They were a bit awkward to plug into since they were kind of far underneath the seat, but I finally got it!
A short time later we pushed back with some beautiful mountains in the background.
I believe we had a drink and snack service but I can’t remember since I didn’t take any pictures of it…sorry blog!
We passed over some mountains on the way over to Denver on the short 1.5 hour flight.
Landing into Denver was different than I expected, it’s a lot flatter than I imagined it to be! I’ve never been to Denver before, even just as a layover, so I really didn’t know what to expect other than maybe the Rocky Mountains in the background?
We flew over a wheat(?) farm and saw our shadow before landing.
Denver Airport Review and AMEX Centurion Lounge Review
The airport looked a lot like Detroit at first with the long terminal and very long moving walkways.
Then the airport started looking like…a mall?
I don’t know, I just got some mall vibes walking toward the center of the airport to change terminals.
I was headed to the AMEX lounge in terminal ??
I mean, how can you not think this looks like a mall? Three floors of escalators with a McDonald’s on one of the floors?
I headed down to the train to take it over to the other terminal.
Coming up from the train into the other terminal and, wow this really looks like a mall now with a makeup store and a kiosk selling you crap you don’t need!
As I headed toward the terminal I saw this area that looked more like waiting for a greyhound bus or a train rather than an airplane, and I was glad I was headed up to the lounge.
The escalator to the lounge was super exclusive.
In order to enter this lounge, you have to have an Amex Card. Some cards provide free access, I got in today with my Platinum Amex.
This lounge was super nice, although very crowded.
I took a few laps to try to find any open seat, and especially one where I could socially distance a bit more.
I passed by the buffet that I would partake in once I found a seat.
I found a second bar toward the back that was a lot less crowded, so I was able to find a high top table which was perfect for me, myself, and I.
My seat was also next to not only just a bar, but the lounge’s craft beer bar!
So, I got myself a nice local craft beer to go with my snack from the buffet. I got the Liliko’i Kepolo passionfruit wheat ale from Avery Brewing Company in Boulder, CO.
For those who are unfamiliar with Hawaiian culture or the language, Liliko’i is the Hawaiian name for passionfruit. After a quick internet search it seems that Liliko’i Kepolo translates to “passionfruit devilâ€, and according to the Avery Brewing website, apparently the brewer who came up with the beer started out his career at Kona Brewing Company in Hawaii! Makes total sense.
Anyway, I ate my snack and drank my beer quickly as to not stay in the crowded lounge for too long, especially having to unmask while I ate/drank. I did really enjoy this lounge though and if I ever have to layover in Denver again, or fly to Denver for a trip, I would definitely patronize this lounge again.
After leaving the lounge, I headed back toward the train and caught this cool airplane hanging over a large atrium in the middle of the terminal.
Heading back to the train area.
This time I also saw a statue of John L. “Jack†Swigert, Jr. who according to the plaque was an astronaut for Apollo 13 and a congressman elect in Colorado in 1982.
Apparently, he was diagnosed with cancer while he was running for Congress and died after being elected but before being sworn in.
Anyway, I headed back on the train and toward my gate.
The airport was looking less like a mall now and more like a subway station, like a nicer version of Penn Station in my opinion.
It was a good thing I headed to the gate when I did because we were already boarding!
It would have been embarrassing if I missed the flight…
I couldn’t get a good picture of my plane because the jet bridge was blocking it but I got the plane at the gate next to mine. Good enough?
DEN-GSP on United Airlines ERJ175 Economy
So we boarded and I was in the very last row of the plane.
This aircraft was a 2 by 2 arrangement, and had the row to myself as did the young woman across the aisle. Another score!
I took a picture of the safety card so I could remember the aircraft, an E175, since I couldn’t get a photo of it outside.
It was a smaller plane but still very comfortable, especially since I had the row to myself, which was nice because the flight was about 3 hours long.
I got some shots of other planes, mostly United aircraft, as we were parked at the gate…
…and also as we pushed back.
I also got a glimpse of the United hangar as we took off.
Again, the landscape in Denver was a lot flatter than I was expecting! I guess the Rocky Mountains are a bit further away than you can see from the airport.
Got a nice sunset view from the air, although I didn’t realize this photo was blurry until I uploaded it to the post, and I don’t have another one, sorry!
Landing into GSP, the sun was set and twilight had arrived.
We landed and I was glad to be home but missing my parents and Yellowstone already! I was looking forward to seeing James at home since we hadn’t seen each other in a week due to his work trip.
Walking through terminal A at GSP is not a common sight for this blog since we are usually Delta passengers. Although I did enjoy my United flights this trip and each one was on time, which was very nice and the good kind of boring!
Heading down the escalators from terminal A, you get a nice glimpse of this fountain and statues, which again is not a common sight for us since the statue on the terminal B side is different.
The fountain outside was nice and illuminated this time of night, so I couldn’t help myself with a photo.
Final Thoughts
This was a relatively boring trip home from a very cool place, Yellowstone National Park. I enjoyed my United Airlines flights, which were all on time. I thought the Bozeman airport was really cool and would love to go back and spend more time at the large restaurant area with the fireplace. I enjoyed traveling out west to Yellowstone National Park and would love to go back soon, and even visit Bozeman, Montana this time because it looked like it was a pretty cool town from what I could tell from the highway. I also really enjoyed the AMEX lounge in Denver and would definitely return next time I spend any time at the Denver airport.
Thanks for reading my not-so-boring Yellowstone National Park travel adventure!
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