Friday, October 24, 2008

Yellowstone


Alright so I would like to take a half hour to write about my trip to Yellowstone while Griffin naps. Thursday night, Jason, his sister Jessica, Griffin and I left for Pocatello. We couldn't leave until Jess got off of work, so it was around 7pm when we were finally on the road. Jason's parents, Joel and Raeleen, and his littlest brother, Ryan, were already there because they had some business to take care of that day. We got to the hotel around 10:30pm and it was really nice. They had gotten a 2 bedroom suite. Jason and I had our own room (with Griffin in the Pack N Play) and Joel and Raeleen had their own room and Jessica and Ryan slept on the fold out couch. The next day we headed for West Yellowstone to see the town where Raeleen used to live. When we got there we immediately entered the park. I was astounded to see buffalo early into our arrival. They are so huge and I have never seen them so up close and personal. The traffic doesn't even faze them. We also saw a few coyotes, elk and deer. Our first adventure was to see Old Faithful. Mind you I have never been to Yellowstone or surrounding areas, so I was very excited. This natural wonder is so cool. The park rangers are able to predict when it goes off, about every hour give or take ten minutes. They told us it would start at 6:08pm and they delivered with it going off around ten after. 
We tried to get a room inside the park, but they were all full, so instead we stayed at the Holiday Inn in the town of West Yellowstone. We had a hell of a time finding somewhere to eat as almost the whole town was shut down due to the onslaught of winter. We ended up eating at the restaurant at the hotel, but they were so lacking in help, that it took over two hours to dine. That night Jason, Jessica, Griffin and I stayed in a hotel room, while the others stayed in a room adjacent to us. The next day we went driving all around the park. That day we saw moose and antelope. We went for a 2 mile walk around the geysers too. That was a lot of fun. It was pretty cold out, but I loved every second of it. We were going to try and make it to Jackson, WY to spend the night but we got sidetracked for about an hour when we were driving along and saw some other cars pulled over, so we pulled over too. It was then we saw the bear! It wasn't like you know real close and pawing at our car like in the movies or somethin' but it was still pretty dang cool. Bears don't typically come out like they used to because they banned people from feeding them. They had signs everywhere that read "A Fed Bear, is a Dead Bear." Still it was very exciting watching this bear and following him along the mountainside. At one point he stopped walking and looked directly at us. 
We stopped to go on a little hike to Jenny Lake, which was beautiful because it was right beside the Tetons. Then we were off to find somewhere to eat. We ended up finding a place called Signal Mountain Lodge that had a restaurant and convenience store. Their whole mission at that place is to instill in others good recycling habits and keeping our environment healthy. Many of their dishes at the lodge were either vegetarian, organic or both. They had a recycle can for everything: cans, paper, fishing hooks, batteries.....   We decided to stay there because it was their last night open and we were tired of driving. It ended up being really cute. We got a basement of a cabin with a view. It had one room with two beds, a fold out couch and tiny kitchen. That night while Jason and I were bringing in some luggage, there were five deer laying down in the grass just steps away from us. Their eyes gleamed but they did not move. I have seen deer a lot, but this was beautiful. We ended up playing Monopoly as a family that night and of course Joel and Raeleen won. They own property as their real jobs after all, but I swear it was because they hit Free Parking. 
The next day we played around the lodge for a little while, then headed back to Provo. We went through Heber and Park City, then finally through Provo Canyon and got home around 7pm. It was a great trip. Here are some pictures, 'cause you know we took like 500.
As you can tell, this was taken with my broken camera, but I just like how Griffin is peeking out.
Old Faithful being faithful.

What a cutie.
Griffin was totally lovin' this trip because this kid LOVES to be outside.
Here is Jason, Griffin, Raeleen and Ryan checking out where Raeleen lived one summer as a child. She, and her family-mom, dad and three siblings lived in a tent in West Yellowstone till the snow caved it in. She was in the 7th grade. We stopped there and had a picnic lunch. 
The buffalo were everywhere! They were just chillin' in the parking lot. 
Old Faithful before it erupted.
Jason and I looking down at the river and waterfall.
This is Joel and Jessica. I thought this was such a great pic.
There were geysers or "hot spots" everywhere! The steam would rise up like smoke and it almost looked as if parts of the mountainside were on fire. I thought it was really cool.
Raeleen and a not-so-great picture of me during our walk around the geysers. It was so windy and the steam was overwhelming, not to mention the sulfur-y smell. 
The ginormous waterfall. 
Here is Me, Jason, Griffin and Ryan. You can't tell from the picture, but it was freakin freezing right then. 
This is pretty much how it went: we would get Griffin somewhere then when it was time to leave, he would be pissed. He definitely did not want to get back in that carseat.
Griffin's new favorite thing to do is throwing things. Here he is throwing rocks into a lake that was right outside of our room at Signal Mountain Lodge.

1 comment:

Lyssa said...

I'm so jealous, I love Yellowstone! Dave has never been, so it's definitely on the list for next summer.