Grand Teton National Park Part III - Excursions beyond the park

We took a couple of day trips outside of the Grand Teton National Park while we were there.  The first one we did was to revisit Yellowstone.  That was a big requirement for me because I LOVED it so much last year.  Since we were going to be so close I really wanted to see it again. In fact, I think of all the things we were going to do over our summer trip, seeing Yellowstone again was the activity I was looking forward to the most.

Yellowstone National Park:

Staying only 2 miles south of the entrance to the park was a big bonus.  It took us about an hour to get to the Old Faithful area, which is pretty close to how long it took us when we stayed at the West Yellowstone KOA last year.

Opal Pool

 Since we were just there last year, we focused on some areas that we did not get to explore.  The first area was the Midway Geyser Basin, which is just north of Old Faithful by about 5-10 miles.

Grand Prismatic Spring

 The big draw in this area is the Grand Prismatic Spring which is the largest spring in the United States.  Not only is it huge, but the colors from all the bacteria make it absolutely gorgeous.

Excelsior Geyser

The excelsior geyser was also really impressive to us.  Deep blues and all the burbling made it fairly hypnotic to watch.  It also causes water to pour down the cliff side into the river, which is fun to watch. 

Runoff from Excelsior Geyser into the river

From there we went back towards the Old Faithful area to have lunch in the historic Old Faithful Inn.  I was pretty pissed last year that we forgot to go in this building (I mean, we were RIGHT THERE!!!  Twice!!). So we made up for it this time and went in to see the old lodge that I have heard about and seen on TV several times.

Old Faithful Inn - stone fireplace, clock, wood beams

From there we headed out to walk the the boardwalk area to walk through some of the areas we didn't get to last year. 

Beautiful bacteria mat in runoff from one of the geysers

It was amazing to see Yellowstone again and I can't wait for the next time - I never get tired of it.  However, there were about 50% more people in the park (at least the areas we were in) than last year. That made the roads, parking, and especially the boardwalks VERY crowded.  Looking at beautiful nature and geology loses something when you are constantly surrounded by chattering people all trying to get their best selfie.  I don't know why the amount of people was different (time of year?), but that would have been frustrating if it had been our first introduction to the park. 

This geyser was so cool - the water sorta "hopped" up and down across the whole pool - it reminded me of a heartbeat or something. 

Jackson Hole Mountain Resort - Aerial Tram:

The next day, the weather started to turn and thunderstorms and rain started to move in. So we decided to head down to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort to check out the tram to the top of the mountain.

Looking back towards Jackson Hole as we climb towards the top. 

The tram takes about 15 minutes to take you all the way to the top at 10,450 feet.  

10,450 feet elevation and a balmy 46 degrees!!  Brr!! 

Once at the top you can take as long as you want to look at the views before catching another tram back down (although some people actually hike all the way down!).

One of the views from the very top

Of course, for us, the cold and the serious amount of wind kept us from lingering too long up there. 

Us clinging to the mountain hoping we don't get blown away

Even with the clouds and rain, it was incredible being up so high - being higher than the clouds is a very cool sensation. 

We are above (some of) the clouds!

After we had enough of the cold, we headed into Corbet's Cabin, a lovely little place on the top of the mountain serving waffles and WARM coffee (plus a little Baileys or Irish Whiskey if you want). 

WAFFLES!!!!

I am telling you - those waffles were the best damn waffles.  It may have something to do with how cold we were, or maybe how we just about damn flew off the mountain with the wind, or maybe the altitude was getting to us - but whatever the reason, if you ever find yourself doing the tram ride, you must get and share the waffles.

Enjoying the warmth of Corbet's Cabin

On the way back down, the clouds really rolled in, so for a few minutes it was pretty eerie - except for this amazing break in the haze to get this picture of the mountain peak.

A break in the clouds on the way back down

Once we were back down we browsed the area at the resort. I found a cute little bear that was ok for me to hug, while Jason proceeded to take things to second base?

And, once again, I found another piece of home - Some Umpqua Indian Foods Jerky!!!

So this concludes my posts on the Tetons.....I am sure that I could prattle on and share hundreds of more pictures of this park that captured our hearts, but the better thing is for you to go check it out for yourself and see if you can glimpse a little of the magic in those mountains.