This morning began with our first real camping breakfast. We had bacon eggs and pancakes before pulling out of West Yellowstone. We arrived and Yellowstone and were able to walk along the boardwalk and enjoy many different geysers and geothermal pools. The color of some of these pools is just amazing. They have the most beautiful clear blue color to them, and often they are ringed with rusty-colored earth. We also came across the bubbling mudpots where there was gas escaping from beneath the spitting bits of sand and clay into the air. As we stopped for pictures in front of one of the geysers, the wind changed nearly making us sick from the sulfur smell. We even caught some of its spray across our faces. We made our way back to the car and headed for Old Faithful. We arrived with plenty of time to check out the gift shop enjoy the views of eruptions of some of the smaller geysers in the loop surrounding Old Faithful as we waited for about 45 minutes for Old Faithful's next big show. Around 3 p.m., we watched as it finally blew its top. The eruption usually shoots between 3,700 and 8,400 gallons of water 106-184 feet into the air each time it erupts. Its show lasted about two and a half minutes before calming back down. Sadly, we have seen no buffalo and very little wildlife this year during our drive through Yellowstone. I spotted a heron along a riverbank, and we met two lonely deer on the way out of the park. I'm not sure if it is because of the time of year this trip or the time of day. There are so many beautiful evergreens in the park though, and it is always fun to come upon views of the creeks, lakes, and rivers. We were able to capture pictures of Little Thumb Lake, Lewis Lake and Lewis Falls, Crawfish Creek, and admire the beauty of Lewis River as it cut through the mountains. We have now seen Yellowstone from the north, west, and south entrances. We will just have to make another trip to Cody someday to enjoy the sights along the east entrance.
Our weather this trip has been amazing but the rain finally found us today. As we were leaving Yellowstone it began to sprinkle. We encountered heavier rains as we entered Grand Tetons. We noticed that sandwiched between these two parks there had been a fire recently. It felt as if we were driving through a graveyard. We were surrounded on both sides by towering torched trees. We could see the char on some. Others just stood naked with no bark or needles, yet springing from the earth was a sign of rebirth as fresh young saplings and grasses were beginning to took a stand again. It is amazing how nature works to revive itself. Because it was raining and cloudy in the grand mountains before us, they were almost mystical in appearance. At times, we managed to catch slight glimpses between the cloud cover, but the skies began to clear a little as the sun was setting and we took in breath-taking views along Willow Flats. As we were leaving the Grand Tetons, we rounded the corner and were greeted by a beautiful field full of horses. It was a nice opportunity out of the car and stretch. The horses seemed to enjoy our company as much as we enjoyed theirs. Andrew reported that he thought one of the horses was about to bite his hand off! (A couple of them were a little nibbly.)
We had thought that we would stop by Jackson Hole for dinner, but the restaurant Nathan had mapped us to and hoped to try was closed on Tuesdays. While there we were able to show Andrew what a REAL ski lift looks like. It went on forever to the top of the mountain. I am in no way interested in that ride and can't even imagine coming back down that mountain on skis!! 😳 I'm afraid that I'd just be one big snowball by the time I reached the bottom. There were horses available for riding there, but other than that it did not seem to be very active at this time of year. We went on into Jackson, WY for dinner, and then found everything in Jackson and Jackson Hole is way overpriced - even in the off-season. I have to admit, if you can make it out here when there is snow on the ground, it is indeed gorgeous! But we knew we were in a tourist trap when we paid nearly $130 for a run-of-the-mill RV site. It was $260 for MOTEL 6!!!! (Note to self - plan ahead to camp in the park, or plan to see the Tetons early and get the heck out of Dodge before nightfall next time.) It would have been nice to be able to make it further, but we are staying here tonight in hopes that the rain will clear out and we will have one more opportunity to see the Tetons before heading home.
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