Day 11: Recoup, recover and then try to salvage the day

So, Steve and I were up before the kids (surprise) and I decided to take the laundry and get it done while he got the children going. It took me about 1 ½ hours to get it all done, and by the time I got back to the hotel, everyone had showered and was almost dressed (Pete was naked, but everyone else was ready to go!)

We packed up the car and headed out. The kids wanted breakfast. The only problem with that plan was that it was almost noon! We had needed the morning to catch up on the basic necessities of life (laundry, showering and sleep), but now we were really behind if we were going to see anything today!

After trying to eat in downtown Jackson (it was wall to wall people), we left the center of town and found a place near the outskirts. They had a “late for breakfast” special, and we all had our very late breakfast. We then headed north towards Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone. The first thing we passed was the Elk Refuge, and I’m sad to say I saw no Elk. I’ve really wanted to see Elk on this trip, but it sadly hasn’t happened yet.


Anyway, the views along the Tetons were just gorgeous. My biggest problem will be deciding which photos to include with this blog as every photo was picture perfect. They really are grand!

We made it!

After gawking at the Tetons as we drove (and stopping occasionally to get out and take a photo), we made it up into Yellowstone. All the guide books and internet sites had warned me of the bumper to bumper traffic in Yellowstone, and as it was a Saturday, I was prepared. But I must tell you, it wasn’t too bad! The areas where there was construction was worse than the popular sites like Old Faithful. And speaking of Old Faithful, we decided that we would stop there first.

We parked and walked to the Visitors Center to find out when the next eruption was predicted (they had a sign up that said “Remember, we don’t schedule the eruptions, we only predict them!”) The prediction said 4:42 and it was 3:50, so we decided to look around the lodge, take a potty break, and get some ice cream. We took the ice cream outside and noticed that people were starting to gather on the benches, so we sat down and waited.

At about 4:35 Old Faithful started sputtering and spurting, and then all of a sudden, SHE BLEW! It was very fun to watch. It lasted for about 1 ½ minutes and then was done. After that, we took a walk among the other georthermal pots and pools. It was really amazing. I’ve never seen anything like it. They say that Yellowstone has over 2/3 of the world’s geothermal activity, and I believe them!

After we made that hike, it was 5:30 and storm clouds were moving in, so we headed back to the car. We got stopped by some construction, and twice by some roadside Bison (we had to pass right next to them so I got some pretty decent photos!). It was now about 6:30 and we were passing the “Artist’s Paintpots” area and I told Steve to stop. I could hear him wimper as he thought of setting up a tent in the rain, but I knew it would be worth it! So, we stopped and took the ¼ mile trek around the mudpots, fumaroles and springs. This is really an otherworldly place!

After that, we headed over to our campsite. The small drops of rain had subsided, and soon we had our campsite, which was nestled nicely in the trees. So nestled, in fact, that the ground was still dry! We set up the tent, and then headed over to Canyon Lodge for dinner.

Now this is the way to camp!

Save $$ on lodging, but eat well. Steve and Em had Rockfish rolled in Indian spices, and Andy had the prime rib (which I made him share with me). At around 9:30 we headed back to our tent. A quick brush of teeth and a change and we were in our sleeping bags ready for a nice night’s sleep.