Thursday July 15, 2010

After a quiet night in Gardiner, MT, we had the free breakfast at the Comfort Inn, got an early start and saw some elk mothers and their young lounging in the square in Mammoth Hot Springs, just inside the park. Temperatures were in the low 50's all morning so the wildlife were actively feeding as we saw more elk, buffalo, deer and antelope but no bears today. We were able to get a good shot of the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River as it roared down near Canyon Village.

After a beautiful morning we finished up our time in Yellowstone, exited the South Gate and stopped for lunch at Flagg Ranch just outside the park. We were treated to a great BLT and Ruben Sandwich in a grand log lodge with excellent and speedy service.

We then entered the Grand Teton National Park and were quickly blown away by the mountain and lake scenery. Each mile seemed to be more beautiful than the last and each picture was better than the previous one. We drove by Jackson Lake, admiring the cold clear water and the bold mountains seemingly rising from the depths of the lake. We dropped off post cards at the Moose Post Office and continued south along the snake river.

Near the south end we saw jets leaving the Jackson Hole airport reminding us of the life outside the wilderness. Soon after we left the park and arrived in Jackson Hole. As we still had some miles to cover, we kept driving along the scenic Snake River canyon to the southwest and then east into Idaho. As we crossed into Idaho, Palisades Lake greeted us and showed us several miles of beautiful water and shoreline. Soon the lake was behind us and we were led eastward toward Idaho Falls by the Snake River.

Twenty five miles or so east of Idaho Falls, we stopped at a rest stop along US Highway 26 and shot pictures of the Snake from above and as a bonus were able to get this picture of a turkey vulture perched above the river overlooking its mate guarding a nest. We marveled at the fertile river valley and saw potato fields and other rich agricultural crops of hay and wheat. Our day ended with a car wash and dinner at the Olive Garden. Tomorrow we are off to Boise and whatever adventure we encounter between here and there.