Teton - Yellowstone Trip Summary

 Jenny Lake - Grand Tetons

 Blue Star Geyser - West Thumb - Yellowstone

 Midway Geyser Basin - Yellowstone

 South Rim Trail - Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

 View of the South Rim Trail from Inspiration Point on the North Rim.

 

 Hayden Valley - Yellowstone

 Mammoth Springs - Yellowstone

 

Norris Geyser Basin - Yellowstone

 

  Mammoth Hot Springs - Yellowstone

 

 Cool dead tree!

  Gardiner, MT. Gateway to Yellowstone (cache above the city)

 

  Livingston MT Museum. Ride the rails to Yellowstone

Summary:

Our trip to Yellowstone was so great. I had done all my homework, and knew what we were going to see. But, wow, seeing it was so different from what I expected. I knew there were geysers and hot springs, of course. But the park has an other-worldly feeling. It’s a combo of several factors.

 A)All roads are wonderfully maintained, but single lane with the max speed (and that only on some open stretches) of 45, with no traffic lights (even though its area is over 3,000 square miles, compared to Orlando being about 100).

B) With exception of 8 compact service areas (with hotels, gas, groceries, etc) there is no commercialization. Our cell phones were useless most of the time. And no wifi. All utilities were buried so nothing to mar the landscape.

C) You can’t drive more than 5 or 10 miles without seeing steam rising from the ground in the distance. The landscape changes often and suddenly. Yellow-gold valleys to giant stacked boulders to lush forests to its own grand canyon to colorful holes filled with steaming water..

D) The animals own the land. Bisons in particular have no fear. A 20-car pile up creates no sense of urgency to them. And the law is on their side. You aren’t allowed to rush them. Of course who would really want to? Sharing the road with bison is pretty darn cool! And the elk have taken over the Mammoth Springs area. The central lawn (think small-scale national mall) belongs to them. Tourists seem to be invisible.

E) Quiet. At any given time you can pull off the side of the road and hear nothing but nature.

F) Weather. Temps at sunrise were 21-37. By the afternoon it was 55-75.