Grand Teton

Grand Teton National Park was surprisingly strong: towering mountain ranges, waterfalls, and lakes (we even got a boat ride).  We woke up early from Yellowstone, broke down camp, and hit the road at about 7:30 giving us plenty of time to explore the Yellowstone's little brother to the south before coasting into Salt Lake City via South-Eastern Idaho's picturesque mountain passes.  Pictures follow.

Animals of Yellowstone

We thought they deserved their own post. My biggest goal was to see bison. I succeeded.

There were bison on the hilltops...

...bison laying down...

...bison in the road...

...bison on the thermal features, and even bison in the parking lots :-)

These adorable chipmunks were everywhere.

 Elk in the road!

I haven't yet identified this little guy.

Here's a shout out to the un-pictured yet still awesome animals we saw: the birds, the flying squirrels, and the mule deer. I'll be back for you bears. You cannot hide forever.

Yellowstone Photo Dump

My first visit (and Ray's second visit) to Yellowstone did not disappoint! We saw a little bit of everything. In some cases a lot. Here is the evidence!

 Ranger lead hike at the canyon.

 Bear claw markings!

 The Upper Falls at the canyon.

We watched Old Faithful erupt 3 times! 

Glacier Photo Dump

I'll start by saying that two days in Glacier is not nearly enough time. It's such a spectacular park and there is so much to do! We enjoyed being surrounded by gigantic mountains, vibrant greenery, and wildlife while we were visiting. We achieved Aubry's goal of seeing mountain goats, and we also saw a black bear, a grizzly bear, a marmot, and lots of other small mammals and birds. We will definitely be back!

The Hitchhiker's Guide to Montana

Montana is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. Trust us. We've now covered about 1500 miles in the state of Montana and there's plenty more to see. Most of it seems to consist of wide open fields, hills, mountains, cows and horses as far as the eye can see. In fact, according to reliable sources there are two and a half times more cattle than there are people in Montana. Our drive through the state has taken us through some scenic stretches that are vast and lonely. This includes an approximately 20 mile jaunt on a gravel road in the middle of Nowheresville through unfathomably huge ranch lands where cattle and horses rule and the sight of another vehicle is rare.

If there's one thing we've learned here, it's that you almost always fill your gas tank at every opportunity because who knows when the next station will appear?