Day 17 - Yellowstone and Grand Teton

Friday, June 22, 2007

After breaking camp, our day got started quickly when a black bear crossed in front of my car not more than 10 minutes after leaving camp. He walked right across the road in front of us, probably only about 25 yards ahead. We pulled up alongside him to snap some pictures as he headed into the meadow. We were probably within 10 yards of him. Trying to respect the rules of bear encounters, we didn’t stop for long.

Our big project today was a hike to the top of Mount Washburn, about a 6.5 mile hike that gains 1400’ on the way to the 10,000+’ peak. At the top there is a fire lookout station where some ranger apparently lives by himself for about five months out of the year. From here, you get a nice perspective of the variety of the park’s landscape. In fact, Yellowstone is the world’s biggest active volcano and its caldera surrounds much of the park. From the summit of Mount Washburn, you can see the canyon, the mountains, and even steam rising from some of the geysers.












On our way out of the park, we came across another bear jam. This was another Grizzly, foraging on a ridge next to a herd of bison who were keeping a watchful eye on her, forcing her further and further away. The whole scene was pretty distant, but we did get a good look at the bear through the viewing scope of a very friendly couple. The enthusiasm of these wildlife watchers really shows in how readily they offer up their equipment and insight to a couple of road-weary vagabonds.

Once we left Yellowstone, it was only a short drive to Grand Teton National Park, where we drove down the John D. Rockefeller Parkway, with great views of the mountains to the west. We didn’t do a whole lot of stopping today, because we’ll be going back through tomorrow. We did get some more great views of bison, however.














We’re staying in a hotel in Jackson, Wyoming, which is kind of like Palm Springs, but in Elk Country. There are lots of restaurants and cowboy bars, which is pretty cool. This would be a great spot for a group trip, with lots of opportunities to wander down streets that resemble Western movie sets and drunkenly say things like “pardner.”