So tonight Amy took me downtown to a concert. We saw Jake Shimabukuro, Johnny Irion & Sarah Lee Gutherie (of the Woody & Arlo family). Good music and lots of cute hippy girls to check out. We met up with some of her friends, Steph & Jenn and their daughter. Good folk, good food, good drink, great music and a great time.
So I arrive in SLC after a 6 hour drive and find my good friend Amy waiting for me at the car rental place. She takes me by her work where we had a great lunch with her hubby Gregg. They both work at 1800Contacts. Seems like a very cool place to work. It has not gotten to big yet so everyone from the CIO to the call center folk work closely together.
The canyon of the park is awe inspiring. I always hear people gasping at the magnitude of the sites. Here are 3 pictures that only barely capture what I saw.
The first image is of the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone. It is the smaller of the two falls but still a mighty powerhouse. You can see the road right past it.
The second is a shot of the canyon and its great yellow and white color. This is where the park got its name.
The third image is of the Lower Falls. Much larger than the upper but I could not get as close. When I was a kid my dad took me on a hike down into the canyon on a trail called the 7 mile hole. It was a bit grueling for a kid but a great memory.
So…sometimes this trip reminds me of home…primarily when I am sitting behind a truck not moving due to a traffic jam. Course its different here since the jam is caused by the local bison heard.
Here in Haydon valley it is good to be a bison. Plenty to eat and drink, lots of roaming to do, pretty wildflowers all over the place…you just have to put up with the tourists. Like taking pictures of you while your feeding your young…scandalis!
Just north of lake Yellowstone, where the Yellowstone river feeds the lake, is the Fishing Bridge camping area. This is where my dad worked as a teenager back in the 50s and where he fell in love with the park. It is the primary reason that he wanted to return and work in the park after he retired from the post office.
Yellowstone Lake is the largest lake in the world at this altitude. People come here to fish, boat and waterski. The lake temperature is in the upper 50s.
The Lake Hotel was built in the 1890s and was fully functional in the 1920s. When presidents and heads of state come to the park they often stay here due to its luxierius accomidations, great view and central location.
Early morning in the park and the place looks like its on fire. Its not of course, but with the cool air the geysers smoke all the time.
On the way down from Hidden Falls I spy a nice big rock overlooking the river. Perfect place for a picnic. Lord I need to do something about my feet….they are So WHITE!
And while feasting on my sandwich I had a Yogi wannabe trying to steal away my picnic basket. I know, its only a chipmunk but he was very persistant!
So after the boat ride across Jenny Lake there is a trail up to Hidden Fall=
s. The trail is steep but well maintained…so long as my ankle holds out.
Along the way is the river and cascades from the falls. Fast water and it p=
roduces a nice breeze (water is under 50=B0). The hike is good and the resu=
lt is great. Hidden Falls is one of those put of the way spots that make th=
e trip worth it.
I even spot some rock climbers going up one of the mountains faces.
I am very lucky to have such a perfect day to tour the Tetons.
This first photo is almost postcard quality (no, I didn’t cheat). With part of the Teton range reflected so perfectly in Lake Jackson.
The second shot is of Jenny Lake, where I am taking a boat across a little later.
