Wyoming

For my final stop with Dyann, we left Yellowstone and headed south to Grand Teton National Park, after spending a day in Jackson, Wyoming, an artsy town located in between the two national parks. Upon recommendation from a friend, we went out on a boat on Colter Bay, one of the many lakes in Grand Teton. As you round the bend about 20 minutes into the trip, you become surrounded on all sides by the Grand Tetons, some of the most picturesque mountains I’ve seen. These mountains were carved out by glaciers and one still remains, though much smaller and continuously melting. We were actually taken to the spot where the glacial melt flows into Colter Bay. Pretty neat. We spent the remaining time checking out the other various lakes in the park. I definitely could have spent more time in this park, but was due in Denver for the wedding of my long-time friend Emily!

We headed into Denver and I said my goodbyes to Dyann, thanks for being a fantastic road trip partner! I’ll work on my random animal noises for next time. I met up with one of my best friends, Barb, stayed in a fancy hotel in Denver, and actually put on makeup and a dress for the first time in a while! The wedding was a rockin’ good time, I was elated to see such great friends FINALLY tie the knot (they were going on like 10 years together or something). Congrats Emily and Dan!

Dyann and I left the wonderland that is Glacier and headed south to Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The few days at Yellowstone were spent fighting our way through the crowds to see the amazing landscape of the park. Because the park is located atop a volcanic hot spot, the features are truly unique. There is of course the geysers, most famously Old Faithful. And it was neat, but the crowds flock to it in droves. And when I say crowds, I mean giant tour buses filled to the brim with tourists. In a way, I guess its good for the parks to get the attendance necessary to upkeep them. However, the high tourist draw has turned Yellowstone into a small city, complete with hotels, restaurants, auto mechanics, shops, etc. Not really my jam, especially for camping and exploring, but it is what it is. Besides the geysers, I thought the coolest part of Yellowstone were the beautifully colored hot springs. They look like smoky paintings and are unlike any other hot springs I’ve visited. Very neat.

Yellowstone is gigantic, and a lot of time was spent driving from one geologic area to another. At dusk one evening, we decided to head to the grasslands to try and get a glimpse of the Yellowstone wildlife. And we were lucky enough to drive through a large herd of passing bison. One literally walked right past my car window, close enough that I could reach out and touch the giant animal if I dared. Which I did not. It was unlike anything I’ve ever seen! Luck was on our side in Yellowstone, we were able to get campsites without reservations every night, something that everyone kept telling me was an impossibility. We ended our time with a hike down, and back up of course, about 350 daunting steps to get a view of the Lower Falls, one of the most stunning waterfalls in the park. Overall, a gorgeous and unique park, if you’re able to see it through the masses!