Essence of Yellowstone/Grand Teton National Parks
June 11-16, 2019
June 11-16, 2019
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The National Park travelers were at it again, this time in Yellowstone & The Grand Tetons. We were thrilled to have the same guide/driver as in Utah last year, "Capt" Kirk.
We all arrived in Bozeman MT, the prettiest airport most of us had ever seen, complete with metal-art bison. That afternoon we went directly to the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a bear rescue sanctuary. We were delighted by Bella, a "petite" 500 lbs. The volunteers also explained the differences between black and brown bears and how to handle an encounter with either.
The following morning we headed straight for Yellowstone where we wandered through the fascinating travertine mineral terraces and saw magma rock and hot spring cones. We also spotted a black bear with cubs, prong-horn sheep and some bison.
Back in Yellowstone Park on day 3, we saw herds and herds of bison, some of which ambled onto the road, slowing traffic significantly. What a treat it was to see them walking past our van! We spied what could have been a rare white wolf in the distance. We also visited various hot springs and geysers, including Old Faithful.
We visited the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" the morning of Day 4. It has a stunning waterfall which we observed from two points, the first being engulfed in quite a bit of fog. In the afternoon, we drove south, entering the majestic Grand Tetons with their stunning snow-capped peaks. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge, with incredible views of the mountains. We spent some time at lovely Jenny Lake, taking a short hike around it and we arrived in Jackson WY that evening.
On day 5 we took a gondola ride up a mountain outside Jackson, ascending over 4000' from foot to summit in 12 minutes. That afternoon, after a little retail therapy in town, we meandered down the Snake River on a float trip, with skilled guides who pointed out winged wildlife, including pelicans and adult and juvenile bald eagles.
While not sightseeing, we enjoyed some great meals, navigating our way around meat-laden menus, with game offerings such as elk, buffalo and venison. Although the trip was just 6 days, we felt we had seen all the highlights of these two wondrous National Parks.
We so enjoyed this, our second trip with the same company, that we're hoping to do another trip within a couple of years. Inland Alaska seems to be beckoning.......
We all arrived in Bozeman MT, the prettiest airport most of us had ever seen, complete with metal-art bison. That afternoon we went directly to the Montana Grizzly Encounter, a bear rescue sanctuary. We were delighted by Bella, a "petite" 500 lbs. The volunteers also explained the differences between black and brown bears and how to handle an encounter with either.
The following morning we headed straight for Yellowstone where we wandered through the fascinating travertine mineral terraces and saw magma rock and hot spring cones. We also spotted a black bear with cubs, prong-horn sheep and some bison.
Back in Yellowstone Park on day 3, we saw herds and herds of bison, some of which ambled onto the road, slowing traffic significantly. What a treat it was to see them walking past our van! We spied what could have been a rare white wolf in the distance. We also visited various hot springs and geysers, including Old Faithful.
We visited the "Grand Canyon of Yellowstone" the morning of Day 4. It has a stunning waterfall which we observed from two points, the first being engulfed in quite a bit of fog. In the afternoon, we drove south, entering the majestic Grand Tetons with their stunning snow-capped peaks. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge, with incredible views of the mountains. We spent some time at lovely Jenny Lake, taking a short hike around it and we arrived in Jackson WY that evening.
On day 5 we took a gondola ride up a mountain outside Jackson, ascending over 4000' from foot to summit in 12 minutes. That afternoon, after a little retail therapy in town, we meandered down the Snake River on a float trip, with skilled guides who pointed out winged wildlife, including pelicans and adult and juvenile bald eagles.
While not sightseeing, we enjoyed some great meals, navigating our way around meat-laden menus, with game offerings such as elk, buffalo and venison. Although the trip was just 6 days, we felt we had seen all the highlights of these two wondrous National Parks.
We so enjoyed this, our second trip with the same company, that we're hoping to do another trip within a couple of years. Inland Alaska seems to be beckoning.......
