2nd August, 2017

Oh dear, this is getting worse and worse as I type this in the morning of 8th August. It has been really busy what with trips, driving and family reunions. So, to ensure I am still not catching up with this at Christmas, I will try harder to get the act together,

Well, we left Rexburg, quite early after a MacDonald’s breakfast (not as bad  as I feared) heading east initially and then south with the Grand Teton mountains on our left looking hazy in the sun. We feared that the views might not be so good, but we were wrong as we skirted the southern edge of the range and headed north past Jackson and into the Grand Teton National Park.

A quick word about the word Teton, the name some French explorers gave to the pointy mountains as it reminded them of a certain part of the female anatomy, though it may have been some time since they last saw one as the likeness is not perhaps immediately obvious. I leave it to you to judge. They are very photogenic, so don’t worry, there will be some more views of them in this blog.

 

We had been driving some hours, so it was time for a walk, which we did alongside String Lake, one of the smaller lakes in the park. Lovely temperature for walking and stunning views.

 

On we drove northwards towards Jackson Lake and a fairly impressive dam.

 

And more fabulous views across the water…..

 

We were now heading for the famed Yellowstone Park, driving through forests and past waterfalls, with sadly many trees suffering from past fire damage. Everyone still in good spirits though!

 

We were merely passing through the southeast corner of Yellowstone on our way to Cody, but we still had time for one visit to the West Thumb geothermal area. As I am sure you know, Yellowstone is still a vast active volcano, though the active parts are thankfully only manifested in geysers and hot springs. These are fascinating though and I only wish I had a better understanding of them. The colours and smells were spectacular as were the views over the massive Yellowstone Lake, which at 7,000 feet up is the highest alpine lake of its size, I believe.

 

And views of some of the party (still unable to behave in a photo!) and the lake…..

 

Time was pressing and we still had a two hour drive to Cody, but it was a wonderful evening and the drive out of the park and down the Shoshone River was a bonus in the evening light.

And so we made it to our home for the next few nights. We went out to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant and immediately ran into my first cousin, Michael and our hosts and more distant cousins, Bill Garlow and his daughter Lindsay, which was a nice coincidence to round off a wonderful day.

Tomorrow – the Yellowstone Marathon!