We checked out of our elegant accommodations at Snake River Lodge and performed the miracle packing job again. Then on to our favorite backroad, Moose-Wilson Road. As we drove this for the last time, we saw 3 little chipmunks run across the road in front of us, too quick for cameras.
Back on the scenic drive in Grand Teton National Park, 3 pronghorn appeared as if to say good morning to us. The road and pathways were loaded with bicyclists who must have thought this was the morning to ride. They seemed like they were everywhere.
Since Signal Mountain Lodge had breakfast on its menu, we decided that was where we wanted to eat. The food was again excellent. We tried different foods so we could taste some of the options. Robin got huckleberry pancakes which were delicious. Teddy ate from Sharon's plate. He loves bacon!
We stopped at the Colter Bay Visitor Center which was the last visitor center for us to see in Grand Teton National Park. A crowd was gathered around a tree close to the front doors so, of course, you gather, too! There was a beautiful black and white woodpecker doing his thing, tapping away at the tree. It seemed totally unaware of the people watching and snapping photos.Inside the visitor center, Sharon and Robin examined the variety of antlers there for hands-on exploration. The moose antler was hard to lift because of its weight. We talked with one of the rangers who told us about how he got his job as a ranger. He is a retired teacher and only works during season. He has done this for many, many years, even when he was still teaching.
We left Colter Bay and drove on the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway which is the connecting road between Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. It was very scenic. We also passed the Continental Divide Sign, more watercraft inspection signs, and beautiful views of the Snake River.
On the way, we saw cars pulled over so we stopped. There was a mother grizzly bear and a cub down in the trees. There was a ranger already there to make sure people were maintaining a safe distance. He started moving people back as the crowd gathered. We were able to capture a few quick pictures before we left, but never did see the cub.
National Historic Site #26 - Yellowstone National Park
Finally, we arrived at Yellowstone National Park. We stopped to take our pictures at the sign and got to see another sight. Down below in the bush by the Snake River was a deer. It continued to eat while we took our photos.
We stopped at the first visitor center which was Grant Village Visitor Center. Yellowstone has a lot of visitor centers. As we had driven into Yellowstone, we were absolutely amazed at how many trees were down with logs laying all around the hillsides. We asked the rangers and they explained about the fire of 1988. There was so much destruction. However, the approach taken was to not clean up the damage and let nature take its course in returning the material to the earth. We watched both movies the visitor center offered to help us better understand the whole process.
After leaving Grant Village we continued on to Lake Village. We did not stop at their visitor center this time because we had to be at our cabin for check in within a couple of hours. However, we did stop and were able to see 3 large elk with antlers. Again, they were very calm and seemed used to people. We saw Yellowstone Lake and some geysers along the road.
From Lake Village to Canyon Village, we did see several small herds of bison in this section. We briefly stop one time one time when we saw several mommas and babies in the herd which was close to the road.
We continued on to Canyon Village and then to Norris. We saw 2 bison and 1 deer on this stretch of road.
Next, we drove from Norris to Madison where we saw more groups of bison. We left the loop at Madison and headed out of the park to the city of West Yellowstone.
It was getting dark and our time was dwindling before we had to check in. We didn't realize that the cabin we had rented was about 30 minutes west of West Yellowstone. We checked in and were told that Internet access was only available in that building, not in our cabin. Since there was nothing around except the little restaurant in the check in building, we ate dinner there at the Lodgepole Grill. It wasn't bad, but nothing to write home about.
We drove to our cabin and brought our luggage in. The cabin was very nice, but definitely rustic and not elegant. Richard decided immediately that they didn't want the master bedroom since it was up the stairs, even after seeing it had a fireplace and hot tub in the room. We took pictures of the cabin before we spread out.
We were all tired. It had been a long day. It didn't take us long to fall asleep. Tomorrow would be another day.
