Tour of Danger

Let’s start with an animal we haven’t shared yet.  I give you the moose.  The moose is on all kinds of memorabilia that represents your stay here in the Tetons, although many other animals are more easily seen.  As we learned at a ranger program one night, don’t run from a bear, but do run from a moose.  They are very accurate with kicking their hind legs at a target.  Since many of these creatures are about 6’ tall at the shoulder, they are massive animals, with massive mass, that translates to broken stuff.  Even bears run from moose.

This moose and a couple of others area are a daily road side attraction
just outside of Jackson...the source of the moose-jam from another posting.

The title of this post refers to the fact that as we acted as tourists today, we could have been killed or died at almost any moment.  From stepping in the wrong place at the wrong time and being poached in water heated from deep within the Earth, to slipping off any one of a number of “inspiration points”, to my driving while searching for wildlife, it was a death defying day.

Here, highly trained Inspirational Point pointers show the way to inspiration.

With Betty and Andrew leaving tomorrow morning, their last day was a whirlwind tour of the southern half of Yellowstone National Park.  It was Andrew’s first time to experience Yellowstone.  Our sightseeing began in earnest at Yellowstone Lake with a first glimpse at bubbling and steaming vents and I don’t mean Betty’s butt, although I could make a good argument for that. 

Next we traveled through Hayden Valley.  This valley never ceases to produce a view of some kind of wildlife.  This time, the bison were on display and we stopped to take in the valley and it’s approaching fall colors.  This was followed by a stop at the Fishing Bridge Visitor’s Center and Museum.

Hayden Valley always produces.  We've seen wolves and bears here too
over the years.

On to Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.  One of the neat features of this park is the diversity, not only in it’s living things, but the topography and geology.  The canyon served as our lunch stop.  We got a fair amount of exercise walking up and down, zigzagging on switchback trails, and fighting to keep our balance while being blasted by the wind.  Combine this with working your way through crowds of people and there could be a good argument for tourism as a contact sport.

The upper falls.

The lower falls

After lunch we hustled on toward the geyser basin and Midway in particular.  This is by far one of my favorite stops.  The colors, the sensory overload, the science…love it.  This time, as we were heading for the car after viewing, I noticed a few people across the road ascending a big hill for a higher view of the area.  Not to be one-upped, I huffed and puffed my way up the hill for a better vantage point for my camera (see below).

The colors are phenomenal, thanks to thermophiles
(bacteria that thrive in the hot, hot, hot...did I say hot...water.

Looking down on the two main pools.  The picture does not do it justice.

We topped off our road trip at Old Faithful Inn and viewed Old Faithful Geyser for it’s 3:31 showing.  After it was over Betty and I moved to sit on the front of the viewing platform and dangled our legs over the front.  We stayed around a bit while the crowd dispersed.  When we felt all eyes around us were back to going their separate ways, Betty and I bent over and slipped dad under the viewing platform in front of Old Faithful.  Betty treated for ice cream to relieve the stress of getting caught doing illegal activities, then we wandered the inside of the Inn.  Back on the road one more time to get home to feed and potty the boys (not me and Andrew, the dogs) by 6.  Yellowstone in a day…impossible…not for us!  We (I) did drive a little fast, we hit the highlights, and some of us napped between pullouts.

Old Faithful Inn (a.k.a. ye old ice cream shoppe) 

The crowd awaiting the always dependable Old Faithful Geyser.

Right on time...give or take a few minutes.

We gathered a smorgasbord from the refrigerator for dinner and played some Parchessi.  I won the first game and quit while they continued.  I know my limits!

It is up early in the morning to take our guests to the airport and I will be fishing all the way back to the campground.  The Snake River is calling and I have many river access roads to explore.

My Zen from the Road:  This planet, this continent, this state, these parks, …awesome.  You cannot be exposed to such things without being touched in some way.  I have been accused of being touched, but this is a little different.