After a busy day in Big Sky the gang was finally able to hit the road and see the beautiful landscape of Northwest Wyoming. The sky was overcast with patches of rain when we arrived in the tourist filled West Yellowstone to refuel before heading into the world famous Yellowstone National park. That afternoon there were a few stops as we drove through the Yellowstone, followed by an awe-inspiring drive through the Grand Tetons, and finally dinner in Jackson before a final night time stretch to Pinedale.
As with much of the trip, we only had enough time to drive through the main north / south vein of Yellowstone without time to explore areas of the park like Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone Lake, Shoshone Lake, Fairy Falls or West Thumb. With that said, we were able to see some great sights at Fountain Paint Pot, Firehole Lake Drive, near Grand Prismatic Spring, Old faithful, and Lewis Falls before crossing into Grand Teton.
A friendly ranger at the West Yellowstone entrance gave us valuable tips that started with Fountain Paint Pot is a quick walking loops, about .5mi, that provides quick sights at the unique hydrothermal features that occur in the area including Geysers, Hot Springs, Fumaroles, and and Mudpots. This was our favorite area of the drive through Yellowstone and highly recommend people take the time to enjoy.
Firehole lake drive and the Grand Prismatic Spring area were next on our list. Unfortunately, Amaris was working hard in the car to get information to India before their day started so Alec and Fox made a quick trip to the FireHole River, Turquoise Pool, and Excelsior Geyser Crater next to the Grand Prismatic. The Orange stones where geyser runoff met the river was unique.
A not so quick stop was made at Old Faithful to see if we happened to get lucky on the timing of the Geyser. This was by far the most touristy area of the park we saw with a bit of a traffic jam to get in and out. If time is of the essence, there are definitely better stops to make.
The rest of the drive through the southern portion of Yellow Stone was leisurely as we stopped at overlooks and Lewis Falls. Upon reaching the border of the Grand Teton National Park a top three rainbow presented itself in stunning light. There would be several rainbows, including double rainbows, as we headed south towards the "big breasts" as the Grand Tetons were so aptly originally named. The Snake River and backdrop of the jagged peaks was stunning and we can't wait to return for backpacking and more time.
Finally, after a long day of driving and sight seeing the weary travelers arrived in Jackson as the sun set. Dinner was soon secured at Merry Piglets Tex-Mex where everyone enjoyed the dinner as the joint shut down soon after sundown. Without being able to stop at the famed Million Dollar Cowboy Bar we were on the way into the night. As the Subaru climbed south through the pitch black switchbacks of Teton County the familiar sight of yellow eyes broke the darkness. After an hour and a half, two half sleep adults and two definitely asleep children made it to the motel in Pinedale, WY.
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