The flight into Jackson Hole was picturesque. Dropping in
between snow covered mountains gave meaning to the “Hole” of Jackson Hole.
The town was not big but even so, it was lively. We
collected our rental car and headed north.
The Teton Mountains towered on our left for the first half
of the drive. At 13,770 feet they were snow capped in June and some of the 10
permanent glaciers were clearly visible. They have no foothills which make for
very dramatic sights as they jump up from the valley floor. The abundance of
rivers and lakes make for post card shots everywhere. Along the way there is
plenty of turn outs with great photo opportunities. Gradually the trees closed
in which gave the feeling of driving into a forest. We did see some Elk along
the road, but the Moose evaded our prying eyes.
Shortly after passing through the Park Entrance a narrow
valley appeared on our right and when the riverbed suddenly elevated, we
realized that we had passed a substantial waterfall.
The road winded on upwards through the heavily wooded area,
past lakes and over rivers, until we reached the shores of Yellowstone Lake at
an altitude of 7,700 feet. With an area of 136 square miles it is quite a
dominant feature. The west side of the
park is mountainous, this is where Old Faithful is at. The southeast is much flatter
especially around the lake. The northeast is made up of mountains and big
valleys occasionally cut up by the mountain ranges. The wildlife is abundant.
We saw more Elk and Bison along the way to Canyon Lodge where we were staying
for three nights.
The next day we did the Northern loop. Over the Dunraven
pass and past Mount Washburn and then into the Lamar valley.
Shortly after the turnoff there was a black Bear right next to the road, a little later some big horn sheep crossed right in front of us. In the flood plain of the Lamar River we saw lots of Bison.
We headed west over mountains and rock formations, spires
standing guard over the way. Through valleys and over deep gorges to Mammoth
Hot Springs. At first glance the springs did not seem like much but walking up
to it revealed 50 hot springs that had cut through the travertine
and had built up sediment displaying an incredible array of terraces in various colors
and forms. What seemed like dirty foam from a distance was in fact sculptured
rock. It was well worth the time we spent there.
On our way back we were slowed down by roadworks and in a narrow
spot we came face to face with a Bison. He walked purposefully towards us as if
intending to walk straight over us before he veered off and we could pass
safely. We returned to the lodge and after a quick regroup we drove south a
couple of miles where we parked at a lookout and spend a late afternoon hour
just sitting and staring over the scenic river valley enjoying pretty nature. At one stage there was a Coyote/Wolf in the tall grass on the other side of
the river stalking the Canadian geese. We could not come to an agreement
amongst ourselves whether it was a wolf or coyote.
The Restaurant at the Lodge was reasonable. The food was tasty,
and the pricing was average. We had our dinners there and breakfasts at the next-door
buffet.
