Day 6

Greetings from Jackson Hole, Wyoming! We left West Yellowstone,
MT this morning and headed back into Yellowstone National Park. The first site we encountered was the falls on the Firehole River. This river is aptly named due to the abundance of hot springs which flow into it and warms its temperature.

We also toured several small geysers and thermal vents which put out quite a bit of steam. Especially early this morning due to the chilly temperature. We were supposed to have a low of 47 degrees last night here.

Our next stop was Old Faithful, which is the famous cone geyser which can erupt up to a height of 130 feet. As we sat on the benches nearby, you could see the steam building up slowly. Geysers slowly build pressure because there vent is plugged. When they finally build enough pressure they blow. A ranger said that the plugged vent on top is the only difference between a hot spring and a geyser. Once OF finally erupted it lasted approximately 5 minutes. There wasn't much wind so the steam stayed in place and blocked the view of the actual water spraying out, but it was still very impressive.

After viewing Old Faithful, we stopped at the nearby Old Faithful Inn. This inn is the largest log hootel in the world. It is completely supported with nothing but giant logs. It first opened in the spring of 1904. The inn is four stories high and two floors remain open for people to stay the night in. This inn was a personal favorite of both of ours and we hope to stay here someday.

Before leaving, we stopped by the deli and picked up a couple of sandwiches for the road.

We headed south out of Yellowstone and encountered 15 miles of road construction before reaching Grand Teton National Park. The tetons are absolutely beautiful. These peaks have no foothills. Instead, they rise almost straight up some 7,000 feet off the valley floor. Since the elevation of the valley is already over 6,000 feet, these peaks are some of the tallest in the Rockies.

Here, Amy is having some fun illustrating the height of the tallest peak in the range, Grand Teton.

Lake Jenny lies along the eastern base of the Tetons. We took a ferry (actually a large pontoon boat) a mile and a half across the lake to the base of the mountain. We were cautioned about recent bear activity in the area and I was hoping we might be able to see a grizzly feeding along the shore (from the boat of course). We saw no bears, only a mule deer doe.

From the dock at the base of the mountain we hiked nearly a mile up the mountainside to this waterfall. This is Hidden Falls. It is over 200 feet tall and well worth the short, but strenuous hike.

Tonight we are staying in Jackson Hole at the southern end of the Grand Teton National Park. Tomorrow, we will head west again through Idaho, then south through Utah. We will be driving all day, but we'll be on the lookout for something interesting to photograph and comment on.

-Matthew and Amy