Yellowstone and Jackson, Wyoming!

Keith and I woke up early since we wanted to spend as much time as possible in Yellowstone. Bill, one of the innkeepers and formerly a truck driver (who supposedly roasted chicken on his hood!), was now the chef, and he served us fresh scones and fruit as a starter. Keith and I agreed that these scones were one of the best that we’ve ever had! They were so buttery and flavorful—we were quite pleasantly surprised. Following that, we had buffalo patties with sour cream pancakes. Dale, Bill’s wife, told us about how she personally visits various ranches in Montana every year to order the buffalo meat. We found out that buffalo meat is actually healthier than beef, because it is leaner. It’s just as tasty, too!

That morning, we kept calling the Yellowstone hotline to find out if the East gate would open up, since it had been closed for the last 2 days due to forest fires. It opened up the morning we were driving to Yellowstone, but since we were concerned about the residual smoke, we decided to take the longer northern route up to the Montana border, and then enter Yellowstone through the North gate. That way, we could also have a greater chance of spotting wildlife! The drive was long and windy along a two lane highway, and Keith was quietly cursing at all the slow cars in front of us (Keith: that is because we had a lot of driving to do and goals packed into our schedule).

After we entered the North gate, we drove through the Lamar Valley and had a chance to see some beautiful scenery. We saw herds of buffalo grazing the grounds, and we also got really close to a few of them right along the road! Apparently these buffalo can run quite fast and they have been known to charge at people (with their 2,000lbs mass). Other animals we saw included deer, pronghorn, moose, and wolves. No wonder they call Yellowstone the “Serengeti of America.”

Our first stop was the Mammoth Hot Springs on the eastern side of the park. They were amazing! You walk along these wooden planks right over the sulfur-smelling hot springs, which consist of limestone being dissolved by the underground volcanic system of hot water. Thermophiles (heat-loving bacteria), grow in these areas and create tapestries of color in the ground. There was steam everywhere, and stunning rock formations. It is hard to imagine that nature can take such varied forms! (Keith: it was fascinating how energetic and active the subterranean volcano was... at times you can see boiling water bubbling through the cracks a few feet from the boardwalk... the signs for us to "Stay on the Boardwalk" was literally for our own protection.)

Because of time limitations, we made a stop to see the Black Sand Basin, where the bright colors of Sunset Lake and Emerald pool impressed us. There was steam and smaller geysers as well. We wished we could have stayed longer to see all the stops along the road, but we had to get going and check into our inn.

Around 6 p.m., we arrived in Jackson, also known as Jackson Hole, the famous resort-town, snuggled in the valley of the Grand Tetons. Upon driving through downtown, it immediately seemed more upscale, with nice restaurants and hotels all around. We checked into the Bentwood Inn, a beautiful B&B that was built from trees recovered from a forest fire. The Inn had tons of character, are we were warmly welcomed by Keith and Susan, the innkeepers. We arrived right during the evening wine reception that is held every night for guests, and it was a nice relief from all the driving and walking that day! We were even invited to join the hosts for dinner, since they were having a small gathering with local friends. Instead, we decided to meet up with Mindy & Mark (MM!), our friends from the Bay Area, who were also in Jackson for the weekend looking at wedding sites. It was wonderful to catch up with them—we ate at a small local restaurant called Nora’s Fish Creek Inn, where we enjoyed house specialties such as nut-encrusted trout and ribs. Whew! What a long but fun-filled day. We returned to our charming inn for a night of much-needed rest.