Grand Tetons/ Yellowstone Day 11 part 1

Today we headed back into Yellowstone with Bill and Melinda's friends. This time we headed for the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Sulfur Cauldron, and the Mud Volcano! Today could also be called the day of the Bison because we saw a ton!

Here's the first Bison we saw of the day
I thought this was going to be the closest we would get to a Bison....but I was wrong.

First we took a very steep and winding trail to see the lower falls of the canyon.

First look at point

Lower falls

Lower point, living on the edge.

On our drive to the Sulfur Cauldron we got stuck behind a Bison.

You can hear us joking around if you listen carefully. We were stuck behind him for kind of a long time, so we were getting frustrated that we couldn't get around him. However, I'm glad we were in the lead car getting to watch the action instead of 20 cars behind us wondering why we were stopped in the first place.

This is the one second video I got of us passing him!

I will admit that I had my zoom on, but he was still huge and relatively close to us!

After that we got stopped by a herd of bison crossing the street! In the beginning you can see a baby bison and then all sorts of shapes and sizes after that!

My question is why are people getting out of their cars! They are the biggest cause of human injury in yellowstone! People think this is a petting zoo or something, or that they are on some Universal Studios safari ride!

Well because of all the video--you can't capture the Mud Volcano and Sulfur Cauldron with still pictures I am going to have to break this post into two. Just drawing it out for you guys because I don't know when the next time I'll have blogging material!!

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Day 10

Today we went on our second white water rafting trip. This time it was only me, Graham, and Bill. The rapids were supposed to be bigger so we were excited! Although there were more rapids on this trip they still weren't that big. If you want to see the pictures it's a process that I have listed below. I think I have come to the conclusion that since I grew up getting tossed around by the Atlantic and have done quite a bit of tubing, wake boarding, a knee boarding in my day, I am used to getting thrown around by the water and need more challenging rapids to give me a thrill. It was late in the season so perhaps next time I go whitewater rafting it will be early spring when the water is really moving!

After our rafting trip we met up with one of Bill's old highschool buddies and his wife. We went out to dinner at the Montana Steak Co. (at the stagecoach inn in West Yellowstone). I would not recommend this place, it was nothing spectacular..so file this away in your things not to do next time you're in West Yellowstone.

To see the pictures (again I'm not sure how long they will be up) go to:
www.bigskyphotos.com
Then click on the third tab "See photos online"
another window should pop up
In this window, on the date calendar click on 7/24/10 and click find
On the top row on the very right it says "07-24-10 Geyser White Water" Click on that
It will ask for a password, enter in 072410SAT
Then click on 130 Lower Gallatin\Matt S
Finally you can see all of the pictures they took!

I warned you it would be a process!

I am always on the right side (looking at the photo) but in the beginning I'm second from the front and then I switch to the front!

Only one more day left of sightseeing to go :(

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Day 9

Today was supposed to be a rest day, but it ended up being busy! In the morning Bill, Melinda, and Graham took Fi to the West Yellowstone Airport (I stayed behind to catch up on my blogging). Apparently this is a one gate airport and after you go through security you're practically on the Tarmac. It was only 1.5miles from where we were staying, so much more favorable than driving 2.5hours one way to Jackson.

Once Bill, Melinda, and Graham returned we went out for a yummy lunch at Beartooth BBQ and did some shopping afterward. Then we went to the IMAX theater to see an movie about Caves. I can't remember the full title, but it was really excellent! As a side note, when Graham is waiting in line to buy tickets the lady in front of him was taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R. When he finally got out of line I asked him what took that lady so long and he quoted her saying in a British accent "and what is the movie 'Bears' about"? As Bill Engval would say "Here's your sign"

We had KFC for dinner and then headed to the West Yellowstone Rodeo! It was a small time rodeo but it was my first Rodeo! And now I can say "This ain't my first Rodeo". :)




Enjoy some short video of the events!



Cattle Roping

Then they put a ribbon on a calf's tail and had the kiddos come out and chase the calf around. First one to get the ribbon won a prize.

Kids calf chase




Barrel Racing


Bull riding

Then they had this cute little doggie running out there to herd the Bull back behind the gate, it was quite amusing!


The dog chasing the bull

Tomorrow is our second white water rafting adventure!

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Day 8

Today we went to Mammoth Hot springs. We first drove all the way to Mammoth village to get some lunch. After lunch Graham and I got ice cream (I got Montana Moose Moss which might be my new favorite flavor of ice cream, and Graham got "Graham Slam" which was also delicious) and walked around the town. I look over to this building and say "Hey, look at those horses tied up". Graham points out that they weren't horses but wild Elk just roaming around.


Getting up close and personal with the elk!



Afterward, we walked around the hot springs where we encountered many signs like this one:
For some reason I think this sign is hilarious and it might be because the man in the picture is totally oblivious to the situation while the lady just points and stares.

This is definitely the prettiest picture from the day, but sadly Mammoth Hot springs was a little bit of a disappointment. I think the springs were drier than usual so you didn't see the beauty of the water flowing from flat to flat.

Graham, me, and Melinda enjoying the sunshine.

That night we went to Sydney's Mountain Bistro in West Yellowstone, MT for dinner. It was Delicious! A little upscale from our previous nights dinner (which I forgot to mention was at Bullwinkle's and was like a diamond in the rough. The outside looked sketchy, but inside the food was great!). I would DEFINITELY recommend Sydney's to anyone staying in West Yellowstone. The restaurant is really small, maybe 10 tables, but you can call ahead to get on the waiting list.

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Day 7

We finally entered Yellowstone National Park today! We left earlier than any previous days in hopes to catch some early morning wildlife. We did see some Elk in the River, but no other wildlife that morning.


We first drove to the Old Faithful inn to enjoy a breakfast buffet before beginning a full day of sight seeing.



After Breakfast we began our day by visiting Old Faithful. It was overly crowded and after two days now of seeing many many geysers Old Faithful definitely wasn't my favorite. However, you can't go to Yellowstone for the first time and NOT get a few pictures!




When then took a hike up to Observation Point and Solitary Geyser. On the way up we saw a cute chipmunk (I think) eating on the trail.



Solitary Geyser

Check out this video of Solitary geyser

Solitary geyser was definitely my favorite thing of the day. It was only the four of us up there and watching the geyser getting ready to go off was exciting! First you would see the pool starting to make waves and then all of a sudden a little burble of water would come up. It's not as large or long lasting as some of the other geysers, but there wasn't a crowd of people!

On our way down we saw another animal. We think it's a marmot.


After the Old Faithful area we headed to West Thumb on Yellowstone Lake.
It started to rain on us and it was freezing!

You can see the geyser on the lake bed. Even with all the hot springs the temperature of the lake is only around 38 degrees Fahrenheit in late July.

Black Pool. It was named this because it used to contain a bacteria strain that turned the pool black. However there was an earthquake in '88 that raised the temperature of the pool 40 degrees which was the perfect temperature for cyanobacteria to thrive, thus turning the pool blue.

We then stopped along the road at another waterfall

Kepler Cascades

A pool in upper/midway/lower geyser basin. I can't exactly remember where this one was.

We then headed to the Fountain Paint Pots, which is where the mud boils. It's caused because the bacteria converts sulfide gas into sulfuric acid which breaks down the rock. These videos aren't the best and again some of them are sideways, but you get the picture.








On our way out of Yellowstone we saw our first Bison.

Not our closest encounter with a Bison but still our first so this picture deserves a post!

Next, Day 2 in the Park...Mammoth Hot Springs.

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Day 6

Today we drove from Victor, ID to West Yellowstone, MT. On the way we took the scenic route so that we could see the lower and upper Mesa Falls. These falls were also spectacular. There is something about waterfalls that I find to be mesmerizing.

This is a marker for snowfall, but the little kid in me had to see how tall I am!

And how tall Graham is

Upper Mesa Falls. I love this picture because you can see the rainbows in the water.



Top view of the falls. I always imagine explorers canoeing down the river to come to the place where it just vanishes. I'm sure they had their ears tuned to the sound of roaring water...but there has to be a first time for discovery right?

Otherwise it was a pretty low-key day. We got into town, settled in, went and saw an IMAX movie about Yellowstone (which was pretty lame to be honest) and made Pizza at home for dinner. Tomorrow is Yellowstone National Park!

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Day 5

On Tuesday Amy was flying out of Jackson and needed to be at the airport at 1:15pm so we enjoyed a DELICIOUS breakfast in Jackson at the Bunnery. I had one of the best Bloody Mary's I have ever had! It was perfect! They also had awesome fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, cinnamon rolls, and croissants. The only let down is that three of us really wanted to get the Cowboy benedict which is two fried eggs and sausage on a buttermilk biscuit smothered with pepper gravy (Yum!!) but they stopped making gravy because it was already 11 or so. If I get another chance, I want to go back earlier and try that!

Finally got a picture of the mountain pass that get's us from Idaho into Jackson.

All of us at the Bunnery. Not the most flattering picture of everybody, but it's the only one we took!

After breakfast we walked around downtown Jackson for a bit an did some shopping. There are so many cute shops down there and we didn't have that much time! Even though this is a long vacation it still feels like there is still so much more to do!

After shopping we took Amy to the airport and then headed to Jenny Lake. Graham and I took a shuttle boat across the lake (the others stayed behind) to hike up to Hidden falls and Inspiration point. The hike was relatively easy and the view was spectacular!

Heading across Jenny Lake

Standing over a raging river

Hidden Falls! The video is sideways! Sorry I couldn't figure out how to rotate it.

I know this is a terrible picture of us, but look at how bright the falls are.

The path to inspiration point. If you are afraid of heights, this is not the place for you.

Inspiration point!

Self portrait

Beautiful mountains

After Jenny lake we headed further north to Jackson Lake Lodge for a delicious dinner. The food was spectacular but the service was not. After dinner we went outside for some photos and to watch the sun fall behind the mountains.

The view from our table at the Jackson lake lodge.


Group picture at Sunset outside of the Jackson lake lodge.

Sun setting behind the Grand Tetons.

On our way home from Jackson Lake we saw some elk and black bears! It was a momma bear with her cubs! So cute! I know the picture isn't spectacular but hopefully you can see something!



We also took pictures of the Elk we passed, but we've actually seen quite a few Elk on this trip and have taken much better pictures, so I will post pictures of them later.

Next post is the drive to Yellowstone!

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Driver's License Update

Monday morning I woke up and went for a run because I was feeling really stressed out about my driver's license. It felt like all the dreams I had the night before were about my driver's license. When I returned from my run I called the Jackson police station to find out what I needed to do about my lost Driver's License. All they said was that I needed to show up early to the Airport so that they can ask questions, search me, and all my stuff (which is the same information we found from the internet). Bummer. Then I decided to upload all my pictures to the computer and what do I see? A series of pictures of my driver's license falling out of my pocket!! Graham's horse was behind mine and he was the one with the camera. If only he noticed!!

You can clearly see my ID in my back right pocket, so I definitely didn't lose it someplace else.

The last picture with my ID coming out of my pocket.

No more driver's license.

Unfortunately my horse got in front of Melinda's horse for some of the time so we don't have an exact place of where it dropped. In addition, even though Graham took a lot of pictures he wasn't taking them non-stop so all we have is a chunk of time where we know I had it and where we know I lost it. Which is better than nothing because this was a 2 hour horseback ride so at least we narrowed it down in a 15 minute window or something like that. We e-mailed the guy the pictures so they could look more carefully in that window, but so far (Thurs. 7/22) no such luck.

Hilarious to some, frustrating to me! I keep having the what if's, if you know what I mean.

Grand Tetons/Yellowstone Day 4

Day 4 was the day of our Whitewater rafting trip with Dave Hansen rafting trips. I was really excited and nervous about this trip because I had never been whitewater rafting before. We of course didn't take cameras with us so the only pictures I have right now are the ones that the professional photographers took and I'm not sure how long they'll be online, but you can see them here. Looking at the pictures I'm on the front left and Graham is right behind me. Amy is front right and Bill is right behind her. Bill also took a waterproof film camera, but I imagine it will take me quite a while to get those pictures. For me the rafting trip was just a little appetizer. It wasn't nearly as thrilling as I was hoping and expecting. They were only Class II and Class III rapids, so I think we might go rafting again in Yellowstone on Class III and Class IV.

After the rafting trip I was a little disappointed because the Horse people told me when they found my I.D. they would bring it up to Dave Hansen's and when we got back at 3pm they still didn't have my license. So I knew that when we got home that night we would be doing some research on what I had to do in order to catch my flight back home. Bummer.

After our rafting trip we had a snack at Cutty's and then headed out for dinner and a show at the Bar J Chuckwagon. This was definitely a tourist trap, but a good one at that. You show up early and walk around this little town they have. You can go on a wagon ride, taste some steak and dutch oven biscuits that they were cooking, and they had a souvenir shop.


Me and Amy hanging out on the swing.

After walking around for a bit we sat and played games until dinner was ready. The food was mediocre but the show was fantastic! Definitely cheesy but really entertaining.

3 out of the 4 wranglers.

The 4th wrangler. This guy was an incredible banjo player.

The six of us after the show