Day 5, morning: Yellowstone

Golden Eagle

Jackson, WY

 This was our last morning in Yellowstone. We backed up, ate another great breakfast at our Best Western Desert Inn, and headed east into the park. The bad thing about staying in West Yellowstone is that you are driving east (into the sun) to the park in the morning and west (into the sun) to get back to your hotel in the evening. That into the sun part is a pain. I suppose we could have hung around the hotel until later, but there is too much to see--including the early sun on the mist along with the elk in Madison River.

We were headed south toward Grand Teton National Park. The plan was to stop at places we missed yesterday on our way. Of course, there is way too much to see and it wasn't possible to see everything we had missed. 

We took Firehole Canyon Drive, a one-way side road up a canyon with a waterfall. Wonderful views and even a swimming hole among rock pillars above the falls. I HAVE to go back in summer and swim there!

Here is one of my favorite mud holes at Lower Geyser Basin.

The real name it turns out is Red Spouter, on a sign at the far side. It emerged after an earthquake in 1959. Midway Geyser Basin was completely closed in with fog. Mom sayed in the car, but we didn't go far. Just a short distance down the road the Biscuit Basin had blue skies.

We did run into stopped traffic. Quite a herd on both sides of the car.

Kepler Cascades was spectacular and right by the road--an easy walk for Mom, but she said it needed a sign saying, "View in the afternoon" since it was in the shade this morning and pictures not worth sharing. We headed south with no more stops.

We left the park for national forest land. We saw lots of evidence of past fires in Yellowstone, but today we went through an area of recent damage. 

The ground was still black and clean-up vehicles were pushing around fallen logs just like in grandson Simeon's favorite movie Planes: Fire and Rescue. By tonight's TV news, I think it is still going on. Simeon, we need Dusty to come help! 

By lunch time we were into Grand Teton National Park. So, today has two posts.

Thank you, Lord, ...

for sunlight on the misty river.

for elk in the mist.

for canyons and water falls.

for those placid bison among the cars.

for firefighters protecting our forests and towns.

that more didn't burn.