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| Day 1 - Santa Clara, CA Day 2 - Lee Vining, CA Day 3 - Baker, CA Day 4 - Las Vegas, NV Day 5 - Las Vegas, NV Day 6 - Grand Canyon, AZ Day 7 - Durango, CO Day 8 - Glenwood, CO Day 9 - Highlands, CO Day 10 - Highlands, CO Day 11 - Estes Park, CO Day 12 - Craig, CO Day 13 - Jackson, WY Day 14 - Cody, WY Day 15 - Mammoth, WY Day 16 - Choteau, MT Day 17 - Kelispell, MT Day 18 - Sandpoint, ID Day 19 - Omak, WA Day 20 - Anacortes, WA Day 21 - Anacortes, WA Day 22 - Poulsbo, WA Day 23 - Poulsbo, WA Day 24 - Poulsbo, WA Day 25 - Astoria, OR Day 26 - Lincoln City, OR Day 27 - Bandon, OR Day 28 - Eureka, CA Day 29 - Anchor Bay, CA Day 30 - Martinez, CA FINAL THOUGHTS |
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OK, enough with this heat, already. We were up and
out by 8:00 a.m. and the day started out looking like it might be
comfortable. When we got on the road to see the Tetons, it was 57
degrees and Linda actually ended up putting on a light jacket. As
you head north on Hwy. 89 out of Jackson, you can see the Tetons off
to your left (photo 1) with promises of things to come.
About 18 miles north of Jackson, we turned left and entered the Grand Teton National Park (photo 2), my handy yearly pass saving us another $15. It is surprising how much traffic was already on the road toward Yellowstone and entering the park reduced the number of cars significantly. We took the Goldwing around the Jenny Lake Loop and then got off to walk down to a pretty little bridge that led to Jenny Lake (photos 3, 4, 5, 6, & 7). There is a boat that you can take but it costs $7 for a 10-minute ride over and back, so we let it pass.
As enjoyable as it was to linger by the Jenny Lake lakeside, we had to be getting on to Yellowstone. We head north again right past Jackson Lake and Jackson Lake dam with the Tetons following us in our rearview mirrors (photo 8). There were people fishing down from the spillway so we stopped to investigate. It seemed strange to see two pelicans, fishing just down from the spillway (photo 9). I had always assumed that pelicans were ocean birds, but these two were a long way from home. Once again, the scenery of the Grand Tetons off in the distance drew forth the camera to capture fisherman and flowers (photos 10, 11, & 12). There area very few mountain ranges in America that match the Tetons for shear rugged beauty. Jackson Lake is a big, big lake, so it wasn’t really surprising to discover a marina on the lake (photo 13). I can think of a whole lot worse places to sail a boat. Of course, the season must be somewhat short. I guess these folks figure they will enjoy it while the can.
We no sooner leave one national park than we quickly enter another. I leave Linda on the bike while I record our entrance into Yellowstone (photo 14), and then head north. We stop along the way to see Lewis Falls and various meandering rivers (photos 15, 16, & 17) but our goal is Old Faithful. We pass the Continental Divide on our way (photo 18). As you drive into the park from the southern entrance, you see the scars that past forest fires have left on Yellowstone. This fire season is not going to help since there are several small forest fires burning in the park right now. There has been no rain for the last two weeks and people are rightly nervous about this fire season. We shall see what the next few days bring to the park.
Yellowstone is one large chuck of real estate. It takes time to see all of it, or even part of it. There are two reasons for this, one is, of course, those distances we talked about, and two is that people drive slowly to rubberneck the parks many scenic sights. I, of course, want to drive faster, since I know where I’m going and what I want to see. We stop at Grants Village for some lunch and then on to see Old Faithful do it’s trick. We have to wait for over an hour and during that time, we meet and talk to some of the other people who are also waiting. One is from Redding, CA and has retired right on the Trinity River. He tells me he catches about 30 salmon a year and even shares a favorite recipe for preparing them. We buy an ice-cream cone while we wait and the hour passes soon enough.
Now there are lots of people who come to see the beauty of Yellowstone but if you want to know just how many there are in the park, show up to see Old Faithful go off. This photo shows just those who were there for this one “performance” of the geyser (photos 19, 20, & 21). The board that tells the crowds when the experts think Old Faithful will go off again says we can expect to see the geyser do its stuff at 2:29 p.m. I’ll be damned if the thing doesn’t actually go off at 2:29. I’m impressed. As you can see, it goes from a little steam to a lot of hot water that shoots a hundred feet in the air. As soon as Old Faithful finishes, everybody clears out, no small task, and the place is almost empty for an hour and a half.
Now its time for us to head for Cody, WY, a town we have heard a great deal about. We have to backtrack 17 miles and then turn east past Yellowstone Lake. As we continue to motor around this lake, the views just get better and better. At one point, near the East entrance, we stop at a nice meadow and grasslands area where fresh water rivers wind their way through the grasses to feed this magnificent lake (photos 22 & 23). As we rest at the turnout, we are visited by a Crow (or a Raven for you Edgar Allen Poe fans). It seems to be saying, “Bugger off. This is my turf” (photo 24). Last night saw us riding through a beautiful green canyon at about this time of the evening. Tonight we are riding through a rust red canyon, with the obligatory river running along side. This canyon has some green vegetation clinging to its sides and tops, reminding me of a wrinkled old man with a bad fitting toupee. It is hotter and drier than last night, but just as spectacular. It seems to take forever to get to Cody but get there we must. We pass a large lake (Buffalo Bill Reservoir), which sneaks into a small canyon where people are swimming and enjoying a break from the heat. We longed to join them. At long last, we pull into a Holiday Inn, in Cody, for the evening. We are hot, hungry, and tired, but we are also satisfied to have had a day filled with excellent scenery. Tomorrow, the Bear tooth Mountains. |
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