Sunrise adventures, Farkle, and a bison safari

Good morning from Yellowstone! We have a guest star joining us this week, although he is not stuck in our big blue truck, Sean brought his own vehicle to live in. Our caravan has been having the best time traveling throughout Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks this week. It is quite spectacular here...Yellowstone is simply unlike anything I have ever seen and the Grand Tetons are aptly named, grand in every sense of the word. They tower above all other mountains in the area and are stunning in their jagged shape, snow-spotted crags, and prominence. 

Day 1 Grand Teton National Park- We had a very windy night's sleep prior to rolling into Gros Ventre Campground on Monday morning, so the team was in mediocre shape. It was also raining and the outdoors was not the most inviting, so we decided to have a tasty lunch at our campground and then take a solid nap in our vehicles. When we woke up it had magically turned into a sunny day, so we found a short lake hike to check out nearby. Phelps Lake treated us to another scene of an alpine lake surrounded by mountains. Matthew took a dip as per usual. The water appeared to be warm because Matthew was able to make a regular(ish) face in the photos we took of him. I almost joined him, but a very loud crack of thunder deterred me. We decided to head back to the car after another clap of thunder and perhaps should have been a bit quicker with our decision. This was absolutely the closest I have ever been to a bolt of lightning in my life. It lit up the meadow area we were running through in the downpour and left a distinct zigzag path of clear light in its wake. We made it safely and soaked back to the big blue truck and we headed towards Jackson. Jackson, Wyoming had several breweries for us to choose from, but unfortunately, everyone else was trying to escape the rain. Snake River Brewing, the oldest brewery in Jackson, made room for us at the bar. We had a beer and a snack....we may have hit DQ on the way home... and then went to bed early, planning on a big hike in the morning.

Zoom in for a handsome Matthew face

Day 2 Grand Teton National Park- This morning we woke up to a beautiful day, packed some trail snacks and headed for Lupine Meadows Trailhead. This trail to two beautiful alpine lakes began on a nice trail through the forest. It quickly got tough with some steady, exposed switchbacks up the mountainside. The sun was hot and this was the most humid day we've seen by far, so we were struggling up the trail. When we stopped to catch our breath we were treated to a spectacular view of two turquoise lakes enclosed by forests down below. This was also the third time on a trail we've heard someone coming down the mountain say "Did you see that bear?" and we were lucky enough to answer "No," each time. Our destination was Amphitheater Lake, but we strolled up on Surprise Lake just before, both were stunning, peaceful scenes with views of the Grand Tetons. There was a surprising amount of green on the mountainsides enclosing each lake. After snacking in the beautiful scenery we headed down the mountain and ended perfectly with some trailside brews. We checked out a gorgeous beach spot near our campsite for sunset on Jackson Lake with the best view of the Tetons yet. The sky turned into so many shades of purples and blues and softened the monstrous mountains in our view. I couldn't look away. 

 Day 3 Tetons/Yellowstone- Today we decided to wake up and catch a mountain view sunrise. We weren't disappointed! We even spotted our third moose of the week having some breakfast in a stream on the drive over. We set our alarms for 5:45am and took off to a few good spots we'd scoped out.  The Grand Tetons were mesmerizing with the soft glow from the rising sun peeking out around their rough-edged summits. They also produced a beautiful reflection in the calm lake below. After snapping a few perfect shots, we headed back to camp for a pancake breakfast. Nothing like a nice, slow morning and a syrupy pancake-- am I right? Our next campground was north between the Yellowstone and Teton parks, so we decided to do some driving into Yellowstone and take in the sights.

We strapped our cameras around our necks, put on our Yellowstone T-shirts purchased at the local gift shop, and slipped into our socks and sandals-- We got our tourist on today. Although we read in the media that Yellowstone is experiencing a low number of tourists this summer due to severe flooding, there were still A LOT of people. I am thankful we came when we did. It absolutely makes sense because the things we were able to see were like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. Yellowstone's otherworldly landscape was full of spouting fumaroles, rainbow-colored hot springs, gurgling clay pots, and geysers spewing out of the earth every so often. The bizarre quality of these features were highlighted by the natural scenery in its background-- rolling hills dotted with green, wildlife all around, deep canyons, and wide, forceful rivers. We checked out the Old Faithful Visitor Center upon arrival and the atmosphere was a mix between an airport and an amusement park. There was a big screen that displayed all of the predicted times each of the geysers nearby would erupt and crowds of people would gather around the show a few minutes beforehand to get a good spot. There were 6 geysers within walking distance from Old Faithful itself that rangers are able to reasonably predict their eruption time and there are over 500 in the entirety of Yellowstone. Imagine taking a walk along a trail and having the earth suddenly explode with steam and a 5-foot jet of hot water right next to you. Along the way you also see fumaroles- this was like a steaming pool of rootbeer constantly foaming and exploding into itself, clay pots- this looked like a witch's bubbling cauldron, only she's making clay, and then the hot springs were just on another level of weird- brilliantly colored turquoise, rimmed with oranges, yellows, and reds. Thermophiles it turns out, are bacteria that love heat, they turn the rim of the hot spring the signature red-orange color. Again, it was like you were taking a stroll on another planet. Yellowstone was just so different than anything I've ever seen.

Day 4- Woke up to rain tapping on the roof of the big blue truck today. That relaxing sound and our warm, cozy blankets made it pretty easy to roll over and keep sleeping for a bit. We were hoping to do another iconic hike in the Tetons, but a quick check of the weather showed the rain wouldn’t be letting up for a few days. We decided to have a lazy day at the campsite. We popped up the Clam— our big gray tent that has enough space for a table and three chairs. We got some laundry done, ate some warm Ramen, and went to the Lodge nearby to look for games and beer. We found some dice and a few souvenirs. After three rounds of Farkle, it pains me to report that Matthew was the official winner. We made a tasty dinner, listened to some tunes and called it a night.

Day 5- Another rainy day wake up this morning, so we decided to take in some sights via truck. Our first stop was the Mud Volcano walking path. This affirmed that Yellowstone offered the most unique National Park experience. We saw more geothermal features along this trail, the land was literally bubbling and sizzling all around us from the heat down below. Sour Lake stood out as it looked like it may have been used as a set for a Star Wars film, just a giant lake bubbling and steaming throughout. And Dragon’s Breath was a deep rivet in the rock that spewed out steam and brown water from time to time- like a tiny, dirty Thunderhole (for those of you lucky enough to visit Acadia National Park). We saw our first bison near one of the hot springs. His only movement was to lay down on his side near the steaming brown pool. Clearly he was having a spa day. We also drove through the Canyon Village area of the park which was another spectacularly different type of landscape than anything we have seen. The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone was simply epic. A giant gash in the earth spanning 20 miles long and up to 1200 feet deep it’s stone colored with yellow, orange and white bands. Trees spotted the entire depth of the canyon and Yellowstone river blasted through its base. We stopped to check out two different waterfalls that moved forcefully through the canyon and their mist added a magical element to it all. We spent the afternoon looking for wildlife. We spotted a herd of bison— one that stopped traffic crossing the road and two large elk.

Day 6- It wasn’t raining this morning! And the sun felt so good :) We decided to take advantage of the clear skies and check out Mt Washburn which is the highest point in the park and offers 360 views. It was a nice and easy hike for an excellent reward. We were treated to lush meadow views filled with all colors of wildflowers on the way up. The view from the top was much different than those we’ve seen recently because of the variety in the landscape. We could see the massive canyon, the grassland covered valley with winding waters, Yellowstone Lake, and the breathtaking layers of Rocky Mountains surrounding the summit. After making it down, Matthew treated us to a good old fashioned bison tour in the big blue truck. We stocked up with snacks and hit the road towards Mammoth Hot Springs. I’ve never been on a safari, but I imagine this was about as close as you can get to one in America. We were able to see many different herds of bison roaming free throughout the valley. We even saw a pair of them up close when we were in the truck and the sheer size of their head was astounding. The park ranger told us that bison are the largest land animal and can reach up to 2000 pounds. Most just have their heads down constantly eating the grass around them. Mammoth Hot Springs was another out-of-this world like experience offered by Yellowstone. This area of the park had thermophile covered terraces with hot, steaming water flowing down them. Some areas of the terrace looked like they belonged in the arctic with their pure white coloring. Add to this, turquoise pools of water rimmed with copper and a unique shaping of each layer and you’ve got some of the most beautiful scenery in the park.

We are headed through some Utah and Colorado parks this upcoming week. Our plans are in the making, so I look forward to filling you in next week :)