Howdy from West Yellowstone, Montana !

Wednesday...9-10-08


Today was our last day in Jackson and the Tetons. We checked into a brand new cabin on Mon. and spent 2 days roamin' Wyoming and Grand Teton Park and today for the most part as it was about 2:00 pm when we finally headed up to Yellowstone. On Mon. morning as we drove in from Star Valley up Rt 89 we stopped along the Snake River and did a couple of short trails. It was a beautiful and crisp morning... perfect in every way.... cool temps and that big blue sky we love to see out here... and of course that pretty blue and sometimes almost turquoise water of the Snake River... and let's not forget the smell of those big pine trees ! Soo... fresh and clean... Our 1st trail... The Kahuna... short and sweet... a nice view from a higher level... 2nd trail... the Lunch Counter... took us down a steep trail right down to the river...an area of rock that resembled a counter and then in front of it there were round holes that could have been bowls... all carved ... worn out by the water. Very interesting to see and feel the layers of rock... smooth and slick ... but in places looked like leather. The water was fast and loud... there was a couple of anglers trying to catch the Big One. We finally made it into town just in time for lunch at Billy's Burgers... known for their 1/2 lb burgers... and no... I couldn't eat the whole thing... but you can bet someone finished for me. Then of course we had to do the web-cam thing at the arch of elk antlers in the town square before we set out on our Moose Hunt. Well we didn't see any moose this day but we did see a gorgeous sunset. Tues. we set out on another hunt and finally hit the jackpot with a Mama and baby.

... and of course we always go out to Mormon Row to see those beautiful barns and take a few pics .Later that afternoon after a picnic by the lake we did a boat cruise around Jackson Lake ( the lake is 17 mi. long & 8 mi. wide) it took about 1 1/2 hrs. beautiful and very informative... the 1st mate was from NC. By this time it was getting late and on the way back to our cabin we took a side trip out on the Gros Ventre Range and saw the sun go down from there.... which brings us up to today. This morning we were in search of a ghost ranch we had looked for yesterday... so we stopped @ the visitors center and got directions. This trail was rough and rugged and warned us 4 wheel drive recommended... we found the ranch... it had been a dude ranch and was abandoned... we also got caught in a storm while there and had to seek shelter in what was once the tack building... you couldn't drive down ... so we were a pretty good little walk from the car. When the storm had passed... the sun shone through and the clouds lifted .... the Grand Tetons appeared in all their glory!

We continued our 20 some mi. trail that took us along the Snake River... we met 2 cars the whole trip one of which we stopped and talked with ... they were from England.... they said it was "Just Lovely"... after we finally got to the park road and on our way again... one more moose and then lunch at the lake and onward to Yellowstone! We had rain going in but then the higher we got we finally saw sun.... stopped at the Middle Geyser Basin to view The Grand Prismatic ... there was so much steam coming from it we could barely see the pretty blue color... the temp here was about 42 with quite a bit of wind. So here we are for the night and no real plan for Thurs. Guess we'll decide when we get up!
Roamin' old trails and still blazin' new ones!
~The Trail Blazers~

GRAND PRISMATIC SPRING Temperature 147-188°F Dimensions 250x380 feet. Grand Prismatic is the largest hot spring in Yellowstone, and is considered to be the third largest in the world—New Zealand has the two largest springs. Grand Prismatic sits upon a wide, spreading mound where water flows evenly on all sides forming a series of small, stair-step terraces. The Hayden Expedition in 1871 named this spring because of its beautiful coloration, and artist Thomas Moran made water-color sketches depicting its rainbow-like colors. The sketches seemed exaggerations and geologist A.C. Peale returned in 1878 to verify the colors. The colors begin with a deep blue center followed by pale blue. Green algae forms beyond the shallow edge. Outside the scalloped rim a band of yellow fades into orange. Red then marks the outer border. Steam often shrouds the spring which reflects the brilliant colors. Grand Prismatic discharges an estimated 560 gallons per minute.