Days 14-15 – Teton & Yellowstone (& a Birthday!)

[Co-written by Adam & Sheri]

Our second evening in Grand Teton was in yet another cozy cabin that felt more like a hotel room on the inside, this time with a bathtub for Maia! She hasn’t had a proper bath in 2 weeks so she spent a good 45 minutes soaking and playing in the bubbles after playing in an amphitheater facing a gorgeous scenery behind the cabin. (Meanwhile, Daddy took a much-needed nap.)

Next morning, we were on our way to Yellowstone, just a quick drive north. Our first stop was Old Faithful, the most famous geyser in North America (if not the world). Upon entering the parking lot that easily covered 10 football fields, we were greeted with the spectacular, pristine sight of cars and RVs as far as the eye could see. This was the most populated area we had been since leaving DC. We both cringed and shook our heads. Nothing like American industrial tourism on full display.

We walked the 5 minutes to the geyser, dodging herds of confused tourists waddling in every direction. Rows of benches encircled the smoking hole in the ground, so we found a more secluded spot that gave us not only a good view of the geyser, but also of many-a-butt crack. Clearly, some parts of the country have still not escaped the crack epidemic.

We even saw a guy walk by holding a cafeteria tray; he aimlessly wandered around like a lost high school student looking for someone who will let him sit at their table.

As entertaining as the people watching was, after about 10 minutes, we decided no natural wonder was worth more exposure to this side of America’s beauty.

We spent the next couple hours just driving through Yellowstone, taking in the sights while Maia snoozed in her car seat. We made a quick stop at Gibbon River, where we took turns walking down a small trail to the crystal clear mountain water.

Adam went down the same trail, and took a moment to rest his back on a large boulder and take in the sights around him. A few seconds later, a black bear emerged from the grass 100 yards up on the opposite bank. The bear stood halfway erect, sniffed the air, made eye contact with Adam, turned around and sauntered back into the tall grass without so much as a look back. Sheri was super jealous of this encounter when Adam returned and shared the story.

We arrived at our home for the evening, Canyon Lodge, in a 4-part cabin, lucky #25! The backyard view wasn’t half bad.

This was our third day with little to zero internet service so Adam walked over to the check-in area in an attempt to get a little signal so he could book our last couple nights of the trip. The RV was parked nearby so Sheri grabbed a couple of things for Maia then we went off exploring.

On the way back, we saw a couple watching some Elk out in the meadows behind a neighboring cabin, so Maia & Sheri stopped to observe.

They then embarked on a small trail before turning back due to Sheri’s unreasonable fear of a bear encounter. Maia’s hoodie with “FEARLESS” across the front tricked passerby’s into thinking that we were both brave.

Adam brought back some delicious carry-out dinner from the lodge and we were asleep early again. Even with the bed rails, this was the first night Maia managed to fall off the bed. We heard a loud CLUNK-CLUNK and both jumped up so fast to see Maia standing in the corner dazed & confused.

Up bright and early for Sheri’s birthday (!), the three of us walked down the gorgeous, dense forest trail starting from behind our cabin and a half mile to one of the most breath-taking views (and nerve-wracking heights) of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Again, words don’t do it justice so here are some pictures that try to convey the wonder of it all.

Prior to the hike, Adam went to pick up breakfast by cutting through service trails between cabins used by park staff. On the way there, he stumbled across a massive pile of droppings, unsure if it was a bison or an elk that left this present on the trail.

On his way back, he rounded a corner to find the culprit, no more than 20 feet away. A massive bull bison was quietly munching grass with his back to Adam. He managed to slowly back away to a safe distance, without spilling the coffee and breakfast, and without alerting the gigantic creature. Once at a safe distance, Adam quietly said “I’m just gonna go this way, okay buddy?” To which the bison turned, raised his head, snorted, scraped his front hoof twice on the ground, and disappeared into the trees.

One more random, unplanned stop on the way out of Yellowstone, to the phenomenon that is Roaring Mountain. This massive clay cliff is dotted with fumaroles; the only living thing that can survive on the mountain are highly-specialized bacteria that survive by converting the sulphuric gases arising from the depths of the earth, into sulphuric acid. The by-product of these unique organisms’ metabolism slowly turn the volcanic rocks of the cliff into soft clay. This gives the face of the cliff an ashy, snowy hue.

Upon exiting Yellowstone, a lone Elk lazily wandered through the center of town, almost unnoticed by the seas of tourists scrambling to get their coffee, donuts and souvenirs.

Once we were on the Montana side and finally back to some sort of civilization, we stopped in Gardiner to finalize some travel details and pick up some post cards and souvenirs. Sheri had to control her urge to purchase all the crystals in the souvenir shop.

Bozeman was a short, very scenic drive away so we stopped at a funky little brewery for beers and lunch. Adam laughed at the fact that when asking for a recommendation for a great Pilsner, the local brewery offered him a pint of Hofbrau Oktoberfest, “locally” brewed in Munich, Germany as the best beer they had on tap.