Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Goodbye Yellowstone, Hello Grand Teton!

Today, we finished our three day tour of Yellowstone. I have to say, it was one of the most awe-inspiring places I've ever seen. I'm not a granola-eating, sandal-wearing, tree-hugging environmentalist, but I'll tell you, I'm sure glad somebody had the foresight to set aside this amazing piece of American wilderness. Tim and I were amazed that at a time in history when much of our country was undeveloped, conservationists thought that this particular parcel of land should be set aside for future generations to enjoy. I know I enjoyed it.

Its sheer size is impressive. We had planned to take two days to see it and thought we could see everything with a little time to spare--not so. The waterfalls were really cool, and they were usually in canyons. Pictures can't even begin to show the size of these canyons and waterfalls. I think they were my favorite part of Yellowstone. Tim also liked the canyons (although they made his fingers hurt if we viewed one from the top as opposed to the bottom). He was also impressed by the wildlife. For those of you who know Tim, you know he won't eat veal because he's had those baby calves bat their little eyelashes at him while he bottle-fed them. I think, after seeing the baby buffalo, (see the pictures) I can see why he can't eat veal. How those cute little buffalo grow up to be the brutes they do, I'll never know!

We finished up with Old Faithful (quite impressive, but again, pictures don't do it justice) and one last geyser basin--it was the best of the ones we saw--lots of colors you don't expect to see together in nature. Check out the pictures of the blues, oranges, and greens.

When you leave Yellowstone at the South Entrance/Exit, you go almost directly into Grand Teton National Park. Once again, we were awe-struck by the mountains. We got to see a beautiful smoky sunset.

Tonight, we are staying in an absolutely charming Inn in Jackson, Wyoming. After fast-food and some hit and miss local food, we had a plethora of restaurants to chose from. We decided on Thai food after a recommendation from our host at the Inn (Parkway Inn as a matter of fact). We were not disappointed. I think tomorrow we are sleeping in a bit, doing some laundry, then heading to our friends Ken and Sally Best's place just outside of Jackson. We will go back to the Tetons for some hiking and anything else Ken and Sally recommend.

Hope all are well in our hometown! Molly, glad you're back and had a good trip. Hope the fall wasn't too bad!

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