Prelude To Glacier National Park

I was 7 when I came face to face with a bear. It was gigantic. But, then again, I was seven.
I was 7 when I came face to face with a bear. It was gigantic. But, then again, I was seven.
After a relatively dismal experience in Yellowstone, our outlooks needed cheering and it was lunch time. So, rather than even attempting to get to Mammoth Hot Springs, we headed west to get out of Yellowstone National Park and into the tourist trap that is West Yellowstone. Yet, along with the jumbo sized McDonalds, massive visitor's center, and ads for wolf and grizzly zoos, West Yellowstone has Las Palmitas.
The Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone National Park is interesting for many reasons. The Porcelain Basin is one of the most colorful expanses of land in Yellowstone. The variety of thermophiles that thrive in the hot, acidic environments of the basic come in a rich pallet of colors. The steamboat geyser is the worlds tallest active geyser. Unfortunately, it is notoriously unpredictable and infrequent. It does still plop up the occasional sprits of water for hopeful viewers, but that is about it. But for those interested in the macabre, there is also a body here that was never collected.
Today, we leave the Grand Teton National Park, headed north. Guess what’s directly north of the Grand Tetons? That’s right! Yellowstone National Park. Given we had to skip certain stops on our previous day in Yellowstone, we thought this would…
On occasion, I have alluded to the fact that I do not drive. When I refer to my fearless driver as "my driver" it is because that is an exclusive position. I do not drive. I haven't driven for almost a decade. Instead, I lived in metropolitan areas where I could walk to work and social life could be served via mass transit.
While much of the Grand Teton National Park is paved, there is a rare off-roading opportunity on the River Road. Join buffalo and elk along the Snake River. This 12-mile gravel and boulder route winds through tall grasses and sage brush with clear views to spot wildlife and the Grand Teton Mountain Range constantly visible in the background.
Tell anyone that you are going to the Grand Tetons, and they are likely to tell you to go to Jenny Lake. It's the Old Faithful of the Grand Tetons: Everyone goes there and it is, as a result, a logistics disaster. Parking is a fiasco. Points of trails are so narrow and hazardous that one has to wait for a stream of hikers to pass before traveling in the opposite direction. The wear and tear of these visitors has lead to one of the major allures of the lake trail, Hidden Falls, to be closed for reclamation.
I burned my hand this morning. It was an amateur mistake. It didn't need hospitalization, but it looks like I'll have a dime sized scar on my palm.
I couldn't sleep last night. I was too hot. I was too cold. My shoulder hurt. My other shoulder hurt. By 4:30 AM I had pretty much given up. That, and my driver woke up. We looked at each other. "You want to get some pictures?" I nodded.
Today, I walked around a corner and came face to face with a buffalo. That is arguably hyperbole but 15 feet might as well be face to face when Buffaloes are concerned.