Up early and on the road north before 8 AM. Traveled through Grand Teton National Park, taking the Jenny Lake loop in hopes of a clearer view of the Tetons. We were not disappointed.
We saw a cow moose eating in a river bed.
A bit further up the road a female elk crossed right in front of us.
She was about 50 feet away, huge animal.
After a few more curves, we spotted a male elk crossing a vast field, headed in the same direction as the female we had just seen. (it's hard to see it, as it was probably 1/2 mile out in the field.)
At Jackson Lake Junction, we headed due North towards the south entrance of Yellowstone. We stopped at one of the scenic pullouts, and while there, heard the sound of male elks trumpeting. Unbelievable! As we stood in amazement, a man came up out of the woods, telling us he had gone down the path a bit and saw 4 male elks. They are in rutting season, and were calling the females. Very, very cool! As we were headed towards the car, he commented that they sounded a lot like the sounds that whales make. And he was right!
We saw these white tail deer approach the road.
The air was much clearer today. The views were indescribable. There were places where the banks on the sides of the road went down FOREVER! I couldn't look in some spots.
We pulled off a few times to see cascading water falls. The first was Lewis Falls, a lovely sight, relaxing sounds, actually looking up towards the falls.
At West Thumb, we headed west to make the loop towards Old Faithful. All along the way, breathtaking views, huge mountains as far as you could see in all directions. We crossed the Continental Divide three different times. Highest elevation I have ever been to! Another check mark!
We came upon Kepler cascades and decided to go out on the wooden deck built out over the rocks.
Yes, those are people out there!
The view up the river was beyond words.
The view down was beyond words.
This is looking down, straight down!
We arrived at Old Faithful, and were amazed at the set up. Huge visitors center.
We arrived just about 30 minutes before the predicted eruption.
This is what he looks like most of the time.
Then he erupts. Water and steam start spurting into the air, shooting higher and higher.
This is just about full steam! People around us said they had seen it 3-4 times before, and this was the best. We both thought it would be louder, more sound, but really all we heard was water splashing. Very amazing. We both felt very moved that we were there, at Yellowstone, watching Old Faithful.
We were on the road again, making our way through the Absaroka Range, a sub-range of the Rockies. The basins all around Old Faithful, and even on the other side of some of the mountains, were filled with hot springs, and you could see steam rising in many places.
Winding our way through the park, we found vistas around every corner. This is looking down on Hayden Valley.
Another view with the free range bison grazing.
A bit further up the road, we encounter bison a bit closer.....
they were about 15 feet from us! Just crossin' the road to get to the other side!!! Huge animals!
There were many places where you could see that there had been fires in the past, some more recent than others. Kind of sad.
Another area that experienced fire. If you look closely, you can see a lake. That is Yellowstone lake looking back towards the west. There are mountains way in the distance. The sight was unreal.
Just before reaching the east entrance to the park, we saw an eagle, soaring above a chasm, and, for the first time, we saw a black bear.
This "little" one was on the side of the road, just before we got into Wapiti. The drive out of the park was a winding, breathtaking ride. The road through the mountains is a good road, but it weaves back and forth, around and down, and to be honest, at times neither of us enjoyed it.
We arrived in Cody WY late afternoon. Rested for a bit, had a lovely dinner, and hit the bed. What will tomorrow bring?
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