Driggs, ID

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Driggs, ID, Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Our route today took us through the North Entrance of Yellowstone at Gardiner, MT. This is the front door of Yellowstone with the famous Entrance Arch dedicated by Teddy Roosevelt in 1903. Yellowstone National Park is the world's first National Park established in 1872 by an act of Congress. That, by the way, is four years before Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn. Gardiner is a small, western town (population about 200) that is gateway to the Park. The town was established in 1883 when the Northern Pacific Railroad extended a new line to the park. It is filled with eclectic gift and shopping opportunities. The town is mostly older buildings with "quaint" restaurants and shops and lodging. We enjoyed the town and lunched outdoors on the patio of the Sawtooth Deli. Locals and tourists mingle easily as conversations flow. A couple from New York stopped to speak and discuss their and our trips.

The entrance to the Park is along the Yellowstone River. This entrance, while at more than 7,000 foot elevation, is really flat with slowly rolling hills. These give way quickly to sharp rises and deep gorges through which the Yellowstone roars and cascades. Mammoth Hot Springs is the administrative headquarters for the Park and includes several lodges, cabins, and homes for guests. The town includes a justice center, post office, gift and grocery stores. Elk were everywhere in Mammoth; on the lawns and in the streets. Donna photographed several that were just outside her window as we rode through.

We drove south then west through the Park to West Yellowstone where we had been days earlier (except that we had now seen an entirely different part of the Park. From West Yellowstone we drove south toward Driggs, ID. At Ashton, ID, we stopped at a local steak house for dinner and enjoyed a really good meal in the nearly deserted restaurant (well, we did get there a bit late).

Tomorrow we plan to ride the Grand Tetons. We just do not know what that means, yet.

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Photos

The Roosevelt Arch
Entrance to Yellowstone Nationsl Park Established 1872

Elk at Mammoth Hot Springs
The elk were plentiful and wandered among the lawns and buildings. Visitors are warned often to avoid approaching or feeding them.

Geyser Pool
That is really hot water. It has melted the road surface on the bridge under us.

Falls
We were able to walk out onto a deck built out over the gorge below the falls.

Comments

[Cynthia]

thanks
for the bedtime story, I will sleep much better tonight...especially knowing that you are not"dead on the highway" somewhere. Be safe.