8-10-11 On to the Gallitan Gateway towards Big Sky, MT. This is where the movie "The River Runs Through It" was filmed. Beautiful travels along the Gallitan River which reminded us of Lolo Pass. We had left Missoula on Aug. 9th stopping in Butte at the Harley shop hoping they could fix our intercom problem with the bike. It was a partial fix- at least Mark can hear me! I don't see a problem with that. We spent that night camping outside of Belgrade, MT. The KOA pool felt really good!
Big Sky, MT. We went up to the base of the mountain to check out where the "rest of the world" goes during the winter! Had a couple deer go across the windy road but I think they were more surprised than us. We lunched on bison steak sandwiches and local brew at the Lone Pine Brewery and Pub in the lower village.
8-10-11 Continuing on into West Yellowstone for our first glimpse of this awesome National Park. What a treasure in this 2 million acres of vast wilderness. There are over 1000 miles of hiking trails, numerous lakes and rivers to explore, and wildlife to watch for!
Our first "tourist" stop was to watch Old Faithful. It erupts about every 70-90 minutes and lasts about 2-3 minutes! The buildings are spectacular with lots of log structures and big wood rocking chairs to kick back in- which we did.
8-11-11 Grant Village Campground in West Thumb is where we called homebase for 2 nights. It was on the western edge of Yellowstone Lake. We had really nice camp neighbors from Michigan on one side. This was a morning shot through some of the sunlight breaking through the cold mist. The days were perfect at 65-70 degrees but the nights were chilly in the low 30's! Let's just say that double winter tops, jeans, wool socks, stocking hats, and fleece liners helped! Didn't need our bear spray but they are very strict in the park camps about nothing in your tents except the clothes on your body and nothing in camp area that's not in hard shell-bear proof containers. The motorcycle trailer was ours!
Elk taking a little morning stroll down the roadway after they crossed in front of us. This herd had about 10 in it. We saw quite a few elk and the ones that were at Mammoth Hot Springs were hanging out in the town square and trying to get in the door of the medical clinic there! The young bucks were really frisky!
Mud Volcano and Sulphur Caldron area. Yes, it was smelly! The muddy pools looked like a new version of spa treatment. There was one called the Dragon Mouth that erupted out of a tunnel like area and sounded just like "Puff the Magic Dragon"
Migrating bison dotted the range areas. There were hundreds of them along our day long adventure. Every once in awhile you would see a stray on the side of the road or in the forested area. Even saw a big male bison sleeping next to a hot spring!
One of the most spectacular views in the park- the Lower Falls/Canyon Village area. This was from Artist's Point viewpoint. The roaring Yellowstone River flows for 20 miles through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The colors of the canyon made us think we were at Bryce Canyon again! The waterfall is 308 feet.
On our way to the north entrance we came across this spot. We actually went all the way out of the park into Montana and came back and took another loop back to our campground. Lots of spruce and fir trees have grown back after naturally reseeding after the historic fire of 1988.
Norris Geyser Basin area has one of the largest displays of geysers. Fumaroles, gurgling mud pots, hot springs and geysers made you think you might be on Mars. The minerals, microorganisms, and thermal activity make the colors amazing. We were sightseeing about 9 hours over 180 miles. We have logged about 1400 miles in this first week of our adventure. Back to the campground for dinner and a campfire.
8/12/11 Out of Yellowstone and into the Grand Teton National Park. Here we are at Jackson Lake. Bridger-Teton has over 3 million acres of wilderness, second in size only to Tongass in Alaska. The park was the first national forest in the USA established in 1891. Our mouths were wide open in awe seeing the Teton skyline flank the many lakes and the Snake River. God's magnificent creation is clearly evident in this area of Wyoming.
Along the scenic lake route we stopped at Leigh Lake- again the panorama of the Tetons looming over the water. The man that took our picture had just moved to Jackson from Arkansas 2 weeks ago. He said he was retired and life was too short to not live where you wanted to. He had visited Jackson, WY in the past and loved it so he made the move! More words of wisdom along our trip.
Another photo op at Jenny Lake. We had fun visiting with people as we traded taking pictures along our journey. We met travelers from France, Germany, Spain, Japan, and a sole tourist from Rhode Island! Right before this stop we saw our first black bear of the trip. It was about 75 yards off the road in the trees. Cars were unloading to take pictures... I got a glimpse and partial pic while keeping my bear spray in my pocket and moving along on the motorcycle!
Chapel of the Transfiguration in Moose. This place of worship was built in 1925 and they hold Episcopalian services here during the summer. The pews are rough cut logs, the floor squeaks with each step and the view of the mountains out of the sanctuary window is breathtaking. It truly is a spiritual experience sitting inside. Close by is an old homestead area from 1923 and Menor's Ferry.
We have arrived in Jackson! Mark surrounded by an antler archway. There was one on each corner of the town square. He would have rather been in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar! Off to get some city culture....
Since I didn't get a good picture of the real bear this will have to suffice! The road into Jackson followed a large Elk Reserve. We didn't see any large elk but did see some pronghorn along the way. Wildlife has included bison, elk, bear, swans, geese, prairie dogs, squirrels and numerous birds. Tonight was motel night which included a much needed shower, swim, and fantastic dinner at the Snake River Brewing Company. We wandered around this fun destination city and boy was it hopping on a Friday night. Lots of cowboys, HD riders, tourists trying to look like cowboys and the locals. Wish we could stay longer but off to Green River, WY tomorrow for more Wyoming fun.
8-10-11 On to the Gallitan Gateway towards Big Sky, MT. This is where the movie "The River Runs Through It" was filmed. Beautiful travels along the Gallitan River which reminded us of Lolo Pass. We had left Missoula on Aug. 9th stopping in Butte at the Harley shop hoping they could fix our intercom problem with the bike. It was a partial fix- at least Mark can hear me! I don't see a problem with that. We spent that night camping outside of Belgrade, MT. The KOA pool felt really good!
Big Sky, MT. We went up to the base of the mountain to check out where the "rest of the world" goes during the winter! Had a couple deer go across the windy road but I think they were more surprised than us. We lunched on bison steak sandwiches and local brew at the Lone Pine Brewery and Pub in the lower village.
8-10-11 Continuing on into West Yellowstone for our first glimpse of this awesome National Park. What a treasure in this 2 million acres of vast wilderness. There are over 1000 miles of hiking trails, numerous lakes and rivers to explore, and wildlife to watch for!
Our first "tourist" stop was to watch Old Faithful. It erupts about every 70-90 minutes and lasts about 2-3 minutes! The buildings are spectacular with lots of log structures and big wood rocking chairs to kick back in- which we did.
8-11-11 Grant Village Campground in West Thumb is where we called homebase for 2 nights. It was on the western edge of Yellowstone Lake. We had really nice camp neighbors from Michigan on one side. This was a morning shot through some of the sunlight breaking through the cold mist. The days were perfect at 65-70 degrees but the nights were chilly in the low 30's! Let's just say that double winter tops, jeans, wool socks, stocking hats, and fleece liners helped! Didn't need our bear spray but they are very strict in the park camps about nothing in your tents except the clothes on your body and nothing in camp area that's not in hard shell-bear proof containers. The motorcycle trailer was ours!
Elk taking a little morning stroll down the roadway after they crossed in front of us. This herd had about 10 in it. We saw quite a few elk and the ones that were at Mammoth Hot Springs were hanging out in the town square and trying to get in the door of the medical clinic there! The young bucks were really frisky!
Mud Volcano and Sulphur Caldron area. Yes, it was smelly! The muddy pools looked like a new version of spa treatment. There was one called the Dragon Mouth that erupted out of a tunnel like area and sounded just like "Puff the Magic Dragon"
Migrating bison dotted the range areas. There were hundreds of them along our day long adventure. Every once in awhile you would see a stray on the side of the road or in the forested area. Even saw a big male bison sleeping next to a hot spring!
One of the most spectacular views in the park- the Lower Falls/Canyon Village area. This was from Artist's Point viewpoint. The roaring Yellowstone River flows for 20 miles through the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. The colors of the canyon made us think we were at Bryce Canyon again! The waterfall is 308 feet.
On our way to the north entrance we came across this spot. We actually went all the way out of the park into Montana and came back and took another loop back to our campground. Lots of spruce and fir trees have grown back after naturally reseeding after the historic fire of 1988.
Norris Geyser Basin area has one of the largest displays of geysers. Fumaroles, gurgling mud pots, hot springs and geysers made you think you might be on Mars. The minerals, microorganisms, and thermal activity make the colors amazing. We were sightseeing about 9 hours over 180 miles. We have logged about 1400 miles in this first week of our adventure. Back to the campground for dinner and a campfire.
8/12/11 Out of Yellowstone and into the Grand Teton National Park. Here we are at Jackson Lake. Bridger-Teton has over 3 million acres of wilderness, second in size only to Tongass in Alaska. The park was the first national forest in the USA established in 1891. Our mouths were wide open in awe seeing the Teton skyline flank the many lakes and the Snake River. God's magnificent creation is clearly evident in this area of Wyoming.
Along the scenic lake route we stopped at Leigh Lake- again the panorama of the Tetons looming over the water. The man that took our picture had just moved to Jackson from Arkansas 2 weeks ago. He said he was retired and life was too short to not live where you wanted to. He had visited Jackson, WY in the past and loved it so he made the move! More words of wisdom along our trip.
Another photo op at Jenny Lake. We had fun visiting with people as we traded taking pictures along our journey. We met travelers from France, Germany, Spain, Japan, and a sole tourist from Rhode Island! Right before this stop we saw our first black bear of the trip. It was about 75 yards off the road in the trees. Cars were unloading to take pictures... I got a glimpse and partial pic while keeping my bear spray in my pocket and moving along on the motorcycle!
Chapel of the Transfiguration in Moose. This place of worship was built in 1925 and they hold Episcopalian services here during the summer. The pews are rough cut logs, the floor squeaks with each step and the view of the mountains out of the sanctuary window is breathtaking. It truly is a spiritual experience sitting inside. Close by is an old homestead area from 1923 and Menor's Ferry.
We have arrived in Jackson! Mark surrounded by an antler archway. There was one on each corner of the town square. He would have rather been in the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar! Off to get some city culture....
Since I didn't get a good picture of the real bear this will have to suffice! The road into Jackson followed a large Elk Reserve. We didn't see any large elk but did see some pronghorn along the way. Wildlife has included bison, elk, bear, swans, geese, prairie dogs, squirrels and numerous birds. Tonight was motel night which included a much needed shower, swim, and fantastic dinner at the Snake River Brewing Company. We wandered around this fun destination city and boy was it hopping on a Friday night. Lots of cowboys, HD riders, tourists trying to look like cowboys and the locals. Wish we could stay longer but off to Green River, WY tomorrow for more Wyoming fun.
Again.. thanks for the pics.. looks like the weather and the scenery are both on your side...
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