Grand Tetons and Yellowstone

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We picked up Alan’s Dad (JC) in Salt Lake City on 06/11 and headed for Jackson Hole, WY. We spent only a few days there and would like to return someday. The beauty of Grand Tetons National Park is quite dramatic! We saw elk, buffalo, and a few young female moose, just grazing on roadside vegetation. Alan was the first to spot a bear waiting to cross the road! Jackson is somewhat of a tourist town, but very quaint and cute. We left there reluctantly and headed to West Yellowstone, Montana. We entered Yellowstone National Park from the south gate, only to stop midway through the park as it began to rain, then sleet, then snow, and finally hailed. The temperature in Jackson was about 67; when we stopped to let the storm blow by, it was 32.

We continued our drive through Yellowstone and exited at the western gate into the tiny town of West Yellowstone, Montana, where we stayed for 9 days. Our RV park, Grizzly RV Resort, was only 4 blocks away from the western gate, so we had easy access back into Yellowstone and all its many wonders. Wildlife was even more abundant here than in Jackson. Only Alaska has more wildlife, we are told. We frequently saw large herds of buffalo, and once were stopped at an intersection by 15 of them trying to cross the road with 5 little ones. What a site! Elk, too, were very evident and we saw them almost daily. We were fortunate to see a few bald eagles and one nasty squabble between a bald eagle and an osprey over the best perch next to the Madison River.

Of course, Yellowstone is know for its many geysers, fumaroles, bubbling mud pots, and boiling springs; and we visited quite a few. We were also treated to gorgeous late June weather where daytimes were in the mid-70’s and dipped into the 40’s every night. We dined one night on lake trout from Dan’s catch at Lake Tahoe; we tried buffalo steak (very good, but very rich); and we ate a great Italian meal at (I am not making this up) the little West Yellowstone airport.

We left Yellowstone vowing to come back and explore it on our own and see the parts we didn’t have time to visit and to perhaps try fly fishing. We were so glad we were able to share the trip with JC. As we drove into Idaho, we had one more encounter with a buffalo as he jogged alongside the road right next to the coach. We headed for Pocatello, where we made camp and took JC to the airport the next day. Certainly the Wyoming, Montana and Idaho portions of the Yellowstone area are etched in our memories forever.

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Photos

Famous Barn in the Grand Tetons
Most photographed barn anywhere

Moose Munch
This little girl didn't mind us being near

Snow in June
Road thru Yellowstone crossed the Continental Divide 3 times

Buffalo Jam
It took a while before the herd felt safe enough to cross the road with their little ones.....and all the cars came to a stop.

Yellowstone Falls
In the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

Geyers Everywhere
Some shot boiling water, some shot just steam

Old Faithful
We waited with hundreds of others to see this one

Silex Springs
Amazing colored pools of very hot water

Comments

[Jan]

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons
I enjoyed looking at your photos and reading your summary. It sounds like a great trip!