Day 11
13906 mileage
6:45 A.M.
13080 steps
May I wax poetic for a moment on the town that is Jackson? It is such a cool little town, that I have to give a few moments here to talk about it. Kudos to the city planners for they must be geniuses. There seems to be a strict building code to make each and every structure in town have this really great old fashioned log cabin feel. Throw in the antler archway on the town square and actual horse-drawn stage coaches running riders around the city (for a fee) and you have a fun place to hang out. In addition there are all of these unique boutique stores selling everything from wine koozies, to bear themed adult onesies. There are several great restaurants that are not part of a chain making for a variety of choices. If you have a chance, GO to Jackson, Wyoming.
Another clear and beautiful morning had us racing Elk along the preserve and finding another buffalo blocking our path just to tease us after our ordeal on the highway yesterday.
Just inside the Grand Tetons Park Entrance on the Teton Road running alongside Jackson Lake there was a huge line of cars at 8 A.M. Neither G nor I could figure out just why. It was a beautiful morning with a few clouds skimming across the tops of the Tetons, Many of them had out these enormous camera lenses. But it didn't look any different than the day before, so we were perplexed.
After our hour and a half drive in, we find ourselves turning towards the right inside Yellowstone this time. We will be viewing the lake area of the park with a concentration on what is known as the 'Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.' We were going to start on the eastern side of the Yellowstone River where the South Rim Drive would be. Get ready for a TON of pictures.
Our first stop was at the Mud Volcano. Interesting name piqued my curiosity so we got out and walked around the boardwalks. They had these pools of water that were just churning and bubbling over from the heat far beneath the ground. There were gently gurgling pots of mud that build higher as they harden. We even saw plenty of fumaroles, which are steam vents that have cracked the surface of the earth. That scent of sulfur was pervasive throughout the walk. We've been dealing with the stench since yesterday and I'm not sure I can ever look at eggs the same way again. Still the amazing visuals of these geological formations made up for it. We definitely don't have these next to the Walmart back home.
We walked along Uncle Tom's Trail for a bit in honor of my actual Uncle Tommy's birthday. From here we could see the Upper Falls and a little bit of the area known as the Grand Canyon.
We hopped over to the Canyon Village for some lunch and found some snow piles.
The North Rim Loop out to Inspiration Point was just more eye candy. There are a lot of pull outs to park the car and walk along the rim to gaze down into the valley below. It was spectacular.
On the way home we were treated to more bear and Elk sightings.
I've fallen in love with the trees out here. I don't know what it is exactly about the shape they take as they die still trying to cling to the ground around them be in on the side of a cliff or even with roots dug deep into a boulder. There's something just so organic about the twists and turns that I can't get enough of. They are survivors.
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