Yellowstone, Grand Tetons and Idaho Falls

After Tuesday's cookout, we didn't fall to sleep until almost midnight, so a 6:00 am sprint wasn't filling either of us with optimism. Instead, we slept in until 7:00 or so, had a sit-down breakfast at the Two Bears Pancake House recommended by the motel proprietor, did some shopping for picnic supplies, and finally drove into the park a little after noon, headed for the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

Taking the North Rim Drive around the canyon, we were able to find parking at Lookout Point, Grand View, and Inspiration Point. This picture is from Grand View. It was raining intermittently, but at each stop we were able to get out and walk to the overlook. 

The canyon is incredibly steep and I felt really unsteady any time I got near the edge. The height's didn't bother Kathy at all. One of the other visitors, who noticed my uneasiness, started telling me about the book Over the Edge, accounts of tourists who backed up while taking selfies and subsequently fell into the Grand Canyon. He told us it had to be reprinted each year to keep it up to date. The conversation didn't make me any less apprehensive. 

Both Inspiration Point and Grand View had longer paths that wound down to the river, but I resisted Kathy's entreaties to take the hike down. (I don't mind going down. It's the coming back up that bothers me.)

From Canyon, we headed south around Yellowstone Lake, then down towards the West Thumb Geyser region and past old Faithful, intending to arrive at the Midway Geyser Basin and the Grand Prismatic Spring. The drive around the lake was lovely. I didn't realize how huge it is. In the Hayden Valley we saw more herds of bison, but the traffic didn't stop like it did yesterday.

We stopped to see the Mud Volcano and the Dragon's Mouth Spring. Both were a nice chance to stretch our legs. This is a picture of the Mud Volcano, which, despite it's name, is now just boiling mud pool, having last erupted in 1872 and blown off it's top. The Dragon's Mouth Spring is a little spooky; the steam makes all sorts of growlings and grumblings which emerge from the cave.  

We arrived at the Grand Prismatic Spring about 6:30 pm. We were able to find a parking space, although, surprisingly, the parking lot was still almost full.

The wooden pathway around the Spring is very well designed, with a one-way loop that keeps everyone moving in the same direction.

After one last picture of the Spring at sunset, we headed back to West Yellowstone in time for an 8:30 dinner at the Serenity Bistro around the corner from our motel. Kathy had Panang Chicken and I had Buffalo Tortellini. The food was good, but the lighting was too dim to get a good picture. We got to bed before 10:00 pm.

We tried to get an early start on Thursday, since we didn't know how long it would take us to head through the Grand Teton National Park to our destination at Idaho Falls, since driving through Yellowstone took much longer than I would have anticipated from the distances. I had originally wanted to spend Thursday night in Jackson, and then head to Idaho Falls, on the Snake River, on Friday. However the prices for hotels in Jackson convinced me otherwise. I don't mind staying at the Motel 6, but I won't pay $300 a night to do it.

Surprisingly, there was much less traffic along the road through the Grand Teton National Park. We also never encountered a park entrance, perhaps because we came directly through from Yellowstone. At the top of the park we stopped at Flagg Ranch and had a delicious breakfast. I had the Mountain Man trout and eggs, while Kathy had a Frittata. The prices were very reasonable, and we both thought that food and service was of higher quality than we found in Yellowstone. Our waitress told us that was because Grand Teton has a different concessionaire than the one in Yellowstone.

Driving through the park, we stopped several times to enjoy the view, and Kathy was able to snap this picture of a horseback ride from out of her car window.

At one stop, another tourist volunteered to take a picture of both of us. Despite the crowds, almost everyone we met was kind, patient, and friendly.

Well, except for the car driving behind me, who honked at us when I stopped in the main intersection to take this picture of the famous "antler arch" in Jackson. We drove through Jackson at noon, and it was a zoo. I'm not a great driver in a congested environment, and trying to shoot pictures and drive at the same time added to the stress. In any event, both of us thought that Jackson itself was overrun with tourists, and had a little bit of the Sedona vibe.

We got to Idaho Falls by 4:00 pm and followed the robotic Google Maps voice downtown to the Destination Inn. In my old age, I find I like staying in mid-range three-star chain motels like the Comfort, La Quinta, or Hampton Inns. For some reason, on the date we were arriving, those hotels were all going to cost between $200 and $300 instead of the $150 or so we usually pay. However, the Destination Inn was only $200, and so I chose the Paris Room because I took Kathy to Paris for her 60th birthday. Kathy thought that it was a sweet idea, but as a hotel room it was kind of impractical.

The main reason that we stopped in Idaho Falls was to visit Glenda Kaser who retired from the Women's Ministry at Calvary Chapel, and moved to be closer to her children and grandchildren who live there. We got a tour of her beautiful new house and went out to dinner. It was great to spend time with her and see and hear of how God is blessing and using her in her new home.

On Friday morning, we turned off the fountain in our hotel room, and headed south through Salt Lake City. The headline on today's Salt Lake Tribune was Salt Lake has the worst air in the world as wildfire smoke moves in. I had seen pictures like this from places like Beijing, but had never before driven through it. It was a dense brown fog from Ogden, though Salt Lake, and down through Provo. It didn't start to clear until we reached Fillmore, Utah.

We stopped for the night in St. George, Utah. We aren't seeing anyone or anything here. It's just the furthest we can comfortably drive in a day. Our Comfort Inn hotel room cost $89, with breakfast. In the morning, we'll start out early again, and are looking forward to pulling into our driveway by tomorrow afternoon. It has been a great two weeks!