Second Half

After a lovely visit with our Colorado friends, we were off on the final push home. Chris had apparently attempted to visit Yellowstone 3 times in the past with no success so that was definitely on the agenda. I was there once but, OMG, that was about 30 years ago!

Abby prefers having her own bed!

Our first day on the road took us to Craig, CO. I have still not gotten over how absolutely stunning the scenery is in Colorado. Even worse, I didn’t manage to take one single picture! Where was my head? I guess the message is that we have to go back.

We spent the night in a small, privately owned motel that had a fully stocked kitchen. This is so rare. Generally , a “kitchenette” turns out to be a microwave & tiny refrigerator. No stove and no cooking/eating utensils. Clearly the intention is to provide a place to store your beer and make popcorn while you go out to eat. It was nice to be able to make a “real” meal and eat in for a change. People who travel constantly in their business lives complain that eating out gets very old very fast and it turns out that is very true.

Ahhh!

Freemont Lake, Pinedale, WY

While planning the trip to Yellowstone I attempted to locate a motel in Jackson, WY which is very close to the south entrance. HAH! Jackson is a very upscale town that is clearly set up for the more elite in society. High end hotels, condos, restaurants and boutiques with cutesy western sounding names line the streets. After spending a great deal of time perusing on-line booking sites I realized there was not a room in the town for under $200. After backing up about 60 miles I found an absolute gem in Pinedale, WY. The Lakeside Lodge Resort & Marina is a few miles out of town but well worth the drive. We stayed in a cozy cabin right on

beautiful Fremont Lake. It was peaceful and beautiful with Adirondack chairs on the porch overlooking the lake and a romantic fireplace to warm the room. Waiting in the room was a basket filled with muffins, fruit & snacks. After driving most of the day it was wonderful to sit on the porch with a glass of wine and listen to the quiet sounds of the wind in the trees and the water lapping against the shore.

The Grand Tetons from Yellowstone.

With the extra hour of drive time factored into the trip to Yellowstone we were up and on the road early. We had reservations that night for a room in Bozeman, MT so there was a lot of territory to cover including transiting Yellowstone. Driving north from Jackson you pass through the Grand Tetons, some of the most dramatic mountains in the country, just before entering Yellowstone. I had the opportunity to ski in the Tetons a number of years ago and could never quite get over the view from the top of the Blackfoot Bowl run as we looked across to the three most prominent peaks in the range. It just takes your breath away.

Old Faithful blowing off steam.

Yellowstone was, as always, amazing and Old Faithful geyser did not disappoint. The traffic was a bit tedious as there was road work going on through the entire park so we didn’t make many stops. At one point the backup was a bit frustrating but when we finally reached the apex it turned out to be a herd of bison grazing right next to the road. There is a law against getting closer than 100 yards to the wildlife but it is clear the bison have not read the rule!  Between the slow traffic and the distance we still had to travel to get to our motel our time was pretty limited so we have decided we need to return for another visit when we can explore more thoroughly.

Illiterate Bison.

Our last overnight stop was in Spokane, WA. We decided we would like to re-visit this unique city again but that is for another trip. By the time we arrived here we were like two old horses on their way back to the barn.

Morning light in our backyard.

It’s great to be back home again and I am confident that someday soon all the chores will be finished and there will be time to lounge in the backyard with a glass of wine and a good book. Ahhhhh…..