Day 5 - Jackson, Wyoming

Woke up to a perfectly clear sunrise - what a change from yesterday! I was on the road before 9 a.m., and after about 10 minutes driving west, came around the bend on the I-90 to see this amazing view of the Rockies (taken through the windscreen while driving, nowhere to stop!). After a few miles, the road dips down into a fertile valley, and you can't see the mountains at all - strange to think that you could live down in that valley and never know the mountains were there! At Livingston (a rather self-consciously 'Western' town), turned south on US89, heading into Yellowstone National Park - mountains on my right hand side, river sparkling on my left hand side - what could be more perfect?
----------


Stopped off at Gardiner for an excellent espresso, then headed into the park itself. There's a $25 entrance fee, but about 200 yards before I got to the booth, an SUV flagged me down - 2 women who were coming out of the park gave me their 7-day pass, as they were going home to Seattle the next day! People are so kind! Quite soon after this, as the road rose up into the mountains, Mammoth Hot Springs is the first of many such spots; here there is a half-mile boardwalk around all the springs. Some just leak steam, some - 'paintpots' - are steam-heated mud 'blopping' gently, yet others spume hot water spouts, while others, like this one, are pools of superheated water.
----------
Drove down Yankee Jim Canyon, and just beyond that, saw this coyote sunning himself in the road. I crawled to a stop without disturbing him, and managed to get a shot before another car came the other way - he didn't bolt, but just sauntered off into the woods ....





----------
All over the northern end of the park are plumes of steam - it feels like driving on a live volcano ... which of course it is ... The grandaddy of them all is Old Faithful, which teases for a while before finally obliging with great gouts of hot water and steam. This is right in the centre of the park, but the road south rises to about 8,000 ft; here there is snow on the road, so careful driving is required! The views are just incredible; snow-capped mountains, so majestic and remote, scintillating lakes, the sparkling river and waterfalls, the scented pines ... I could go on and on, but particularly recommended are Lewis Lake and Lewis Falls.
----------
The road then leaves Yellowstone and enters the Grand Teton National Park; the mountains here are if anything even more dramatic, seen against the backdrop of a vast plain, the river, and many lakes (this is the picture from the National Park website, much better than I could take!). As I entered this park, there were extensive road works, but about 10 minutes in, on a high, twisting pass, I came upon a small black bear shambling along the road! There was hardly any traffic, so I guess it felt safe enough; I was surprised it wasn't down below the road catching fish in the river!
----------
Completely sated with the beauty of the day, I made it to the Motel 6 at Jackson, Wyoming ... how could tomorrow be any better than this?
----------

Funny sign of the day: "Mammoth Restrooms" (or if you prefer, a motel in Billings called the "C'mon Inn").




----------