Leaving Yellowstone

It was a good visit and we could have stayed another day. Four to five days would have been enough to allow visits to all the areas of interest. We didn’t have time to travel Northeast track of the park, which is supposed to include one of the most scenic drives in the world (next time). Yellowstone is so large; you must be prepared for a lot of driving.

Yesterday, we drove into the Grand Teton National Park – it is south of Yellowstone and is absolutely spectacular; the landscape was similar to portions of Yellowstone. We saw a coyote along side the road, trying to catch a tiny chipmunk (who, by the way, was quick enough to jump under a log to safety). I couldn’t get a clear photo because the coyote was jumping around trying to catch the mid-day snack.

We drove to Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons and took a boat over to the mountains. We then hiked up Moran Mountain to Inspiration Point. Inspiration Point is over 8,000 ft. above sea level…Moran is over 12,000 above sea level. It was quite the hike! I was struggling for breath when we came upon a breathtaking view of the lake and the mountains. I was feeling pretty “inspired” and thought surely we had reached the top...until I saw someone walking toward us from behind. A young man said, “If you like this, just wait until you are at the top!” What?!?! This isn’t Inspiration Point? The twenty-something guy with obviously young lungs laughed and said, “Trust me, it is worth it.” Then he just had to add, “…but go slow on the last several feet, it is a smaller ledge with loose rocks.” Well, what was it we have been hiking on thus far? I looked at Ken and could see he wasn’t “inspired” at this level – so onward and upward we went. It was worth it – and indeed at the higher level, I was plenty inspired. Inspired by the depth of beauty the mountain at this elevation has to offer and inspired by the fact that we made it alive. It really was a fun day.

By the time we made it to the bottom of the hill, we already had our energy back; however, it didn’t last long. As we have done nearly every day on this trip, we drove our tired bones back toward the RV, had dinner and dropped, exhausted into bed. There is no insomnia on a trip like this one.

The drive today is magnificent. I am especially fond of driving on roads that split water and mountains. We are now headed to Cody, Wyoming; however, since we are going to arrive there so early in the day, we will most likely not stop. Friends (the Padgett family) told us there was a great rodeo in Cody and if we had stayed longer in Yellowstone today, we would have stayed over and enjoyed the Cody rodeo.

Update: We drove on to Sheradin, Wyoming and will head to Mt. Rushmore tomorrow morning. The last leg of this drive was horrible for Ken...lots of torn up roads and very steep up and down driving through the mountains. It took much longer than originally expected. I helped with my pretend brake and gas pedal...good thing Ken has a co-pilot. I know I am very helpful to him..."Whoa...how close are you going to get to this cliff, Ken?!?!" He really appreciates my assistance. :-)

Hello to Ryan, Hayden, Erica, and Matt, who are following our journey from Charlestown, Indiana.

Nite ~ Carol and Ken