Yellowstone is Not a Day Trip

Grand Teton borders vast Yellowstone.  My brother Curt encourages us to detour up there for at least a day.  It seems as soon as we cross into Yellowstone the traffic increases ten-fold.

We join a throng stopping to photograph Lewis Falls.

We pull over to gaze down into Lewis River Canyon.  In 1988 powerful 80 mile an hour winds drove a fire through the drought-stricken forest.  The fallen snags litter the slopes.  Ben ventures out to the rocky overhang for a close look.

We are headed towards Old Faithful, but we stop to see Lone Star Geyser.  A chance to ride our bikes the 2 mile distance is much more appealing than trailing other cars on the main road. The trail is peaceful and follows the shimmering steam.

A ranger-led group is just leaving as we arrive.  The last eruption of the geyser started at 10:35 and won't happen again until 1:00.  We join a young couple in the shade, and fight off biting flies and chat about travels.  A few others arrive over the next hour as we all wait to see the occasional spurts of roiling water and steam finally develop into a 30 foot tower of scalding water that erupt dramatically at 1:10.

The show lasts about 8 minutes and then subsides.

We hear  plenty from our geyser group about the crowds at Old Faithful and they share their frustrations about clueless tourists (especially with the hordes of Chinese visitors, some of whom ignore signs and warnings).

We are ready to head back to the sanctuary of Tetons and take on Yelliwstone someday when we have time, and not at the peak of summer.

Our campsite is a refuge.  We make a quick dinner with the plan to take an evening bike ride to enjoy the sun setting behind the jagged Tetons and maybe see some elk.  We park at the Chapel near the lake and head out.  Dark clouds border one side, but brilliant evening sunshine illuminates the meadow.

Rain is coming, so we pedal fast to get in a 10 mile ride.  We see elk herds in the far distance.  On our return ride, lightening is starting to strike.

It's a soul-lifting experience to race the rain, take in the wild flowers close by; the dramatic cloud-haloed peaks standing sentry.  Later, rain will lull us to sleep in our little Chalet hideaway.