It's Big Trip Time! Part 6 - Time to See the OG

Don't miss Part 5!  It has way too many pictures of geysers!

Nature selfie!

As I mentioned in the last blog, we were at Yellowstone National Park, having finished up a stroll around the boardwalk of the Upper Geyser Basin (it took us around an hour, but obviously, we stopped to take pictures A LOT), and we'd staked out a good spot to see Old Faithful (OF) do her thing.  While Chris held our spot, I headed to talk to the Rangers at the Visitor Center, so they could give us more details on our next stop, the Grand Prismatic Spring.  While there, I took what might be my favorite shot of the entire trip:

I mean, 1) cool building, right?

But, more importantly, 2) the time prediction sign?

With the +/- 10 minutes disclaimer

and the charming, "ransom note" quality lettering?

Man, I love the National Park Service.

Everybody give them more money, okay?

Anywhoo, by the time I walked back to Chris, we had just a few minutes to chat, and then the show started, right around 11:05am.

Just tons of people, truly.

Eruptions normally last anywhere from 1.5 to 5 minutes...

...and plumes can shoot up to 180 feet in the air!

It was obviously awe-inspiring,

but it just felt like there should have been

some sort of Rat Pack-type or Celine Dion music with it.

Apparently, I've been to Vegas and

seen the Bellagio fountains WAY too many times.

Eensy, tiny people for scale.

But like for real, imagine this with

"My Heart Will Go On" blasting in the background.

EPIC.

I will say that it was nice to see everyone just stop

what they were doing and watch nature and its magnificence.

After the show ended, we headed back inside the store and grabbed some lunch from the cafe (I had a flatbread pizza and Chris had a hot dog, so obviously, it's a culinary destination worth of the Michelin Guide - actually, it was pretty good as park food goes); as we were driving out of this area of the park and heading toward the Grand Prismatic Spring (located within the Midway Geyser Basin - not all of the maps make that 100% clear - pro tip), we saw this dude, coming for a flatbread of his own:

Ped Xing, my nards.

I'll stay in the truck, thanks.

New NPS slogan: "Yellowstone: Lousy with Buffalo."

They can have that one for free.

We made a quick, incorrect stop at the trailhead parking for the Fairy Falls hike, but since we were already out of the car, and there's no shortage of amazing things to see in Yellowstone, we grabbed a few shots:

We named this the "Not-so-Grand Prismatic Spring"

But like for real, for real, don't.

By the time we made it to Midway Geyser Basin, it was around 1pm, and the crowds had truly descended.  We tried in vain to find a (legal and even remotely safe) place to park the truck and walk the boardwalk to see the Grand Prismatic Spring, but we struck out, big time.  Every spot in the main lot was full (people were waiting forever for other people to be done and get back in their cars - Chris had to stop me from yelling things like, "shopping mall rules, you idiots, keep moving!!!"), and the closest spot we found on the road was at least a mile walk back to the site.  By this time, we were more than over crowds and people and whatnot, and we knew it was time to start our long drive back to Gros Ventre.  

I KNOW that looks like a good spot,

but we had just passed a "no parking" sign.

Bananas.

We were super bummed that we didn't get to see the Spring, because check out this photo from the interwebs:

I mean, like how freaking cool, right?

Oh well - that just means we'll have to visit again!

This was taken from the overlook trail,

which the Rangers told me was currently closed, due to bear activity.  

Um, yeah, that would be a reason for sure.

As we headed back toward Grand Teton, we stopped for a quick photo op at one of the Continental Divide signs; the Divide wanders its way through the park, and this main road crossing, at Isa Lake, was the prettiest (at least, of the ones we saw):

"ISA LAKE!"

Me, doing a really poor Italian accent

"And on the day that John Wayne died,

I found myself on the Continental Divide..."

In looking at our handy, dandy NPS maps, we learned that although we'd taken the main route north from the campground to Yellowstone that morning, there was a slightly longer, more meandering route around the other side of the Snake River through Grand Teton National Park.  After a quick stop at Colter Bay Village to gas up the truck, we hopped on Teton Park Road to check out more of Grand Teton NP.  We were so stoked to finally see the sun (for a short period of time - rain rolled in again a bit later), and it set off the mountains to gorgeous effect.

I mean, for the love of all that's holy...

(this one's a pano)

Just incredible!

They run a Ragnar Trail event up here each August

(well, each August when there's not a global pandemic),

and we're thinking of it for 2022.

We even had a chance to see more wildlife!

A moose, between all the people.

This fox ran across the road right in front of us!

Almost back to the campground, we detoured one more time, to see the Moulton Barns at the Mormon Row Historic District.

In looking at all of these pictures,

I couldn't decide which of these I liked better.

The one with the mountains is so cool,

and it underscores the sense of remoteness out here.

But in the other one, you can see the barns better.

It's my blog, so you get both.

Around 3pm, we made it back to Arlene, just in time to get inside and put on comfy clothes before it started to rain, yet again.  Chris took a nap while I ate snacks (and drank canned wine), and between the sprinkles, we managed to keep a campfire going long enough to make baked potatoes (accompanied by sausages on the Camp Chef and salad) and enjoy some S'mores for dessert.

All the things you need to camper camp in Wyoming:

Goldfish, canned wine, the new Bloggess book,

water, maps, a trip journal, and of course,

bear spray.

Nappie time!

Me: "Do you really need to use the hatchet?"

Chris: "We HAVE a hatchet, I need to USE the hatchet."

"Are the potatoes done yet?"

Mmm...meat and potatoes.

It was around this time that we noticed several of our campsite neighbors excitedly pointing at something not too far away from us, heading toward the Gros Ventre River.  It was the moose we'd heard so much about!

She was so skinny!

We wondered if she'd just finished her winter sleep

(or winter starvation diet),

and was starting to bulk up again on new grass.

If you enlarge this photo,

I think you can see her ribs.

She eventually snuck down to the River,

and moved along it, eating grass and whatnot.

Lest you think this was some of the only wildlife we saw all day without a herd of people in the photos:

This one's my favorite:

"ooh, take our picture with the moose!"

All kidding aside, no one harassed her or got too near

or impeded her from what she was doing.

I still wouldn't be that close, though.

We spent the rest of the evening hanging out around the campfire until the threat of rain drove us inside once more, where we read and chatted until it was bedtime.  On the next blog, we bid adieu to Gros Ventre, Grand Teton, and Wyoming, and we head back into much warmer, sunnier climes.

Later!

Amy