It's Grand in the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park

We left Jackson Wyoming and headed toward Grand Teton National Park. It wasn't far down the road and soon after we started out a great roadside pull-off appeared.

Elk were promised.......we didn't see any but the views of the mountains were great.

Angus was more than happy to meet and greet whoever wanted to pet him. He got really relaxed while his Dad talked to a bunch of cyclists and motorcycle riders who were also stopped. There are some really great biking paths all along the side of the road.

We paused for pictures and reading about the area. It is amazing how much information is out there to learn about the areas you are visiting and you should definitely take advantage of it.

Hi there.....how are you? I'm Angus.

This is the great bike path available which makes it so nice and safe for both cyclists and drivers. You see all levels of riders out enjoying themselves taking in the scenery.

I didn't realize that the road we were on actually went right into Grand Tetons National Park like it goes through Yellowstone. Very nice when you have a National Park Pass and even better if you are eligible for a Senior National Park pass.

There are views of the majestic mountains as well as beautiful blue lakes.

Lots of National Forests through this area as well. Yes, that is snow that you see on the mountains.

Ah, Yellowstone National Park.....

Again, I got to use my Senior National Park pass but, pass or not, it's definitely worth a visit.

 

We passed some areas where there had obviously been some forest fires some years before as there were dead trees and new growth. 

We came in the south entrance to the park. One of the first places we ran into slow downs and people parking was Lewis Falls.

There was a great view of the falls and surrounding area from the parking area.

Lots of beautiful views of lakes right along the roadway.

Of course, we crossed back and forth along the Continental Divide just as we did coming across central Colorado.

For those that don't know, Yellowstone is a large park with entrances on all four sides. Although we were only going to be able to do a short visit coming in the south entrance and exiting through the west entrance, we were still able to see a lot of interesting sights. You should keep in mind though that you could visit for a week and still not see all the park. We definitely wetted our appetites for another visit. And on the next visit, we really would like to see some animals!

We arrived at the Old Faithful site which is also the location of the main lodge. Of course, we managed to just miss the eruption but there is plenty to see while you wait 90 minutes for the next eruption.

This is Old Faithful sleeping.........

People start gathering well in advance. There is a walkway all the way around the geyser.

Wait for it.........

Wait for it.........

Here it is. The wind was blowing in our direction and those that were really close starting moving out really quickly when the geyser water headed in their direction. Due to the breeze, there was quite a bit of steam on our side of the geyser which slightly obscured the view but it was still magnificent. Those in front actually got a bit wet from the spray. I think you can actually the eruption better when you are a little further back like we were under the trees.

 

Old Faithful is actually only one of many geysers in Yellowstone but the rest of the geysers don't erupt with the same regularity. Old Faithful is on a 90 minute cycle that is pretty darn predictable. 

Steve and Helen did some exploring while we were waiting.

I was really tempted to change our planned route and go out the north entrance so we would see a bit more of the park but Angus and I had a really nice chat with a Canadian visitor while we waited for Old Faithful. I remarked that there was not nearly as much traffic as I expected and we hadn't seen the construction everyone seemed to be talking about online. She said that was all on the way out of the north entrance and it had taken them quite some time to come in that way that day. So we took our planned route and left through the West Entrance. There is a nice little town there and a number of nice RV parks that many RVers stay in rather than in the Yellowstone campgrounds.

Gas and diesel are quite a bit higher here than what we are used to seeing but you don't want to take a chance as towns can be quite a distance apart,

 

 

So long Yellowstone......we will be back to see more of you.