1998 West Vacation -- September 8 through September 19, Part 2

My 1998 West Vacation. 11 days, 4315 miles.

Once you leave the urban areas of Idaho Falls (and I have to admit that "Urban" doesn't quite have the same meaning in Idaho Falls as it does in Chicago), US-26 joins and follows the Snake River, as it curves it's way South around the mountains. You can spy the dam upriver before you get to the Reservoir, and to me, it's the gateway to Jackson Hole, Grand Teton and Yellowstone.

I passed through this way again in 2001, during a drought. The water levels were significantly lower than what you see here...

US-26 / Palisades Reservoir / Snake River

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The weather was sorta crappy when we were in this area, raining on us off and on all morning. When we got to the Tetons, we only saw the -tons. The Tets were obscured by clouds. Not very impressive. We told ourselves we'd take a day from Yellowstone, and come back down and do a cursory tour of the Tetons. We never did, of course. We had completely underestimated the wonders of Yellowstone.

I would come back in 2001, but due to lousy circumstances of the day, we never saw the park then, either. We would finally do the park justice in 2006, when we stayed in the park for 2 and 1/2 days. If you're looking for Grand Teton National Park pictures, check out 2006...

Jackson, WY / Grand Teton National Park

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John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark expedition, is generally credited for the first exploration of the Yellowstone area by an American. But no one believed him. They dubbed the place "Colter's Hell".

Later mountain men, such as Jim Bridger and Joe Meek, so exaggerated most of their own stories, that no one believed them, either. It wasn't until the Washburn expedition of 1870 that the wild tales from those mountain men were confirmed. In 1872, U.S. Grant made this place a National Park.

And the tourists started showing up not too much later. They haven't stopped.

And while the longest I spent in Yellowstone was in 1998, I returned in 2001 and 2006.

Yellowstone is my favorite National Park. It has everything you could ask for: many types of wildlife; breathtaking mountain ranges; geothermal features; magnificent waterfalls; deep, blue, clear lakes; deep canyons; natural forests; even the entrance roads to the park are breathtaking.

Count on me being there whenever I'm in the area.

My first day in Yellowstone was an abbreviated one, since we started the morning in Pocatello. We stopped in at a couple of thermal basins along the Western part of the Grand Loop Road, and made our way to base camp in Gardiner, Montana.

We saw our first Elk that day, and like the first sightings of anything, we thought it was pretty cool. But we'd later find out that the best place to see Elk, is in Mammoth Hot Springs...

Yellowstone National Park, Day 1

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Day 2 in Yellowstone started at the Boiling River, thought to be the runoff area for the terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs. It was a cool morning, and the hot water caused so much steam that visibility was zero in places.

We also visted the Terraces themselves, with their multi-hued algae growths. There are two levels, the upper terraces are accessible from another road just south of the lower terraces.

We then travelled the Grand Loop road clockwise, with stops at Undine falls, and one of the last standing petrified trees in Yellowstone. The rest were victims to tourists, long before the laws were enforced.

Following the Grand Loop road brings you to the Overhanging Cliff, with the basalt volcanic formations visible here and across the Yellowstone River. You're actually still seeing the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone here, much less impressive, but very much more accessible.

Following the Loop road will bring you to Tower Falls, one of the more famous falls in Yellowstone. You walk down switchbacks, for a total of about 300 vertical feet, which doesn't sound like much until you realize that it's equivilant to a 30 story building. A separate path will get you to the Yellowstone River, where only hours before it fell over the Upper and Lower Falls.

Tower falls is an impressive fall, where the water roars as it splashes down in the narrow canyon it's carved over it's past. If you can do the walk (it's at 5000 feet above sea level, remember) it's an impressive site. Highly recommended.

Yellowstone National Park, Day 2 - Part 1

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End 1998 West Vacation Part 2
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