After one night in the Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel we moved to the Snow Lodge in the Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone. It's only 51 miles from one hotel to the other, but it was an all day adventure for us, with a few additional miles tacked on as we toured more areas of the park.
First we drove eastward from Mammoth Hot Springs to the Tower-Roosevelt Section and then onwards towards Lamar Valley. We found wildlife on every drive that we took throughout the park but without question this was our most productive area. There were herds of buffalo (also called bison), some of which were grazing just off the road, while others occasionally stood stubbornly in the road causing what we started referring to as "buffalo jams". There were elk including a brief sighting of the largest bull elk that we ever recall laying our eyes on.
On the second occasion we stopped, there was only one vehicle. As it turned out it belonged to a professional tour guide who was giving a private tour to two people. He had his scope set on a pack of 10 wolves that he had been tracking. Even though we weren't his paying customers he was very friendly and allowed us to look through his scope at the adults and cubs enjoying themselves on a cool morning. He told us that the pack had taken down a buffalo a few days earlier and that the remains of the carcass was near the pack and still serving as their food source. It can get pretty rough out there in the wild sometimes!
We had to backtrack from Lamar Valley to Mammoth Hot Springs, but backtracking through any section of Yellowstone isn't a bad thing!
Our next destination was the Norris Geyser Basin which is considered the parks hottest and most dynamic of the five main geyser basins (Norris, Lower, Midway, Upper and West Thumb). Similar to Mammoth Hot Springs, there was a board walk (approximately 2 miles) that allowed us to get up close to a number of Geysers including Steamboat, the worlds tallest geyser. We made stops at the Midway Geyser Basin and enjoyed a walk to the Grand Prismatic Spring. This large, colorful spring is the one that is often found on the cover of books, magazines and postcards of Yellowstone. We were able to catch glimpses of it, but for the most part it was shrouded in smoke/fog as the surface of the hot water mixed with the cool air temperatures.
It was getting late in the afternoon and we were getting pretty geysered out at that point. We had also had a couple of more "buffalo jams" which slowed us down but were also highly entertaining, so we made our way to the upper geyser basin. This basin is not only the home of the most famous of Yellowstone's geysers, Old Faithful, but is also where the Snow Lodge is located.
After waking up and fueling up with coffee, hot tea and breakfast we were on our way for another day of exploring. We gave the Silver Bullet the morning off and enjoyed hiking the upper geyser basin boardwalk trails. These trails meander through numerous geysers in all shapes and sizes, hot springs and fumaroles (steam vents) making it seem as if you've been transported to another planet. We were nearing the end of our hike when we had to do a little backtracking. A large buffalo had decided that the best place to graze was right beside the trail. Not wanting to disturb an animal that weighed around 1,500 pounds, and with the encouragement of a park ranger, we figured that a little extra walking on an alternate trail wouldn't hurt. After watching Old Faithful erupt around mid-day we drove eastward towards the West Thumb Section and then along the shoreline of Yellowstone Lake to Lake Village before returning to Snow Lodge.
We were in no rush to leave Yellowstone the next morning because our next destination, Jackson Hole, Wyoming was just 90 miles away. We weren't the last people of the season to check out of Snow Lodge for the year, but we were very close. It was closing that day, joining the Old Faithful Inn, Lake Village and Canyon Village hotels which are now closed for the season. You can still visit Yellowstone during the winter, which I'm sure is spectacular. The Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel remains open but travel through the park, for the most part, is limited to park service transportation. It's a good idea to check the website before going, especially in late fall, winter and early spring. As we made our way toward the South Gate we stopped briefly at the West Thumb Geyser Basin and we're glad we did. Not only can we now say that we covered all five geyser basins, but we also enjoyed seeing a mink scurrying around. Unfortunately since we had just pulled in to the parking area we didn't have the camera ready so you'll just have to take our word.
After leaving Yellowstone there were several stops including at the Jackson Lake Dam, and to enjoy a short walk at Jenny Lake. The foggy morning had given way to sunny blue skies so we had great views of the Teton Mountain Range as we drove through Grand Teton National Park. We arrived in Jackson Hole in the middle of the afternoon and were very amused and pleased at the lack of people. The streets around the normally busy town square were practically empty and only a few locals and travelers made their way along the wooden sidewalks. A friendly lady working in one of the stores shared with us that during the summer her normally twelve minute commute from her home to work was taking about forty five minutes. We found a great bbq place (Big Hole) for a late lunch and walked around a bit before heading back to the hotel where a nice hot tub was waiting.
We're now in Park City, Utah. It was an easy four and a half hour drive. We took the most direct route of three options google maps gave us. The scenery was great as we made our way out of Jackson Hole following along side the Snake River for the first forty miles before leaving it and heading into less mountainous, wide open spaces where ranches with thousands of cows dotted the landscape. Like Jackson Hole, Park City is pretty empty right now. The summer crowds are long gone and the ski season is still a few weeks away. Our day was similar to our day in Jackson Hole. A late lunch, roaming around a bit (this time along Main Street) and back to the hotel and it's hot tub. Tomorrow we make the short drive to Salt Lake City, to end this road trip adventure.
We'll be in Florida until Thanksgiving night then back to Salt Lake City to retrieve the Silver Bullet and on the road again. This time further westward towards California. Adventure awaits!
