Surprise!

We spent some time yesterday trying to decide on our route home. We came and saw what we wanted to see in Canada and knew we could take our sweet time getting home. Sooooo, when we left Kalispell, Montana this morning we headed south. We passed through Missoula and Butte and landed in West Yellowstone!

the Wop Chop and fries and the Wop Chop with Jo-Jos... 

...from this dive in Butte, Montana--home and resting place of Evel Knievel 

When we got to West Yellowstone, we headed on into the park to get a look at the Grand Prismatic Spring. We saw the spring in 2014, when we stayed in the Tetons. In 2014, we were able to walk a trail to the backside of the spring and climb a hill, getting this perspective:

It was an absolutely gorgeous view. They closed the trail and have made the hill we climbed off limits because it was doing damage. They were supposed to reopen the trail and add a new part up to a small landing in mid-July, which would be right about now. From the looks of the parking lot (or lack thereof) they've got a ways to go before it's finished. We could see the landing they'd built, but the trail wasn't ready. Instead, we settled for this. Not bad but not a view from above.

 Grand Prismatic Spring from the boardwalk

  Grand Prismatic Spring from the boardwalk

For dinner we ate on a bus--a stationary food bus by the name of Las Palmitas to be exact. They served up some really good Mexican.

I got Camarones a la Crema--Shrimp mixed with peppers, onions, mushrooms, and sour cream sauce.

Tim got the burrito Mexicno--flour torilla with rice, beans, and steak covered with red, green, and sour cream sauce.

They were both excellent. I would go so far as to say that the shrimp I had was as good as any Mexican I've had anywhere! I'd go back tomorrow for that dish.

Tomorrow will take us back into Yellowstone to explore just a little. We'll rest our heads in the Tetons--one of our favorite places on Earth.