Lions, and Tigers, and Bears

Yellowstone was absolutely FANTASTIC! We left Thursday night after work for Grand Teton National Park and arrived in Jackson, WY at about 9:30. Jackson is a very cool town, it's touristy but upscale as well. There are lots of nice shops and places to eat. Eventually I would like to stay in one of the lodges there and try snowboarding...

Friday we had a wonderful breakfast at this cute little place called the Bunnery. I got the blueberry pancakes and had nothing but good things to say. Once we were full and could barely move, we started our 7 mile hike in one of the canyons (pictured above). We saw some beautiful views and Hidden Falls (below). I was also greeted by a marmot who walked right up to my backpack for food. He startled me to say the least. 

The Tetons are a better place to do hiking and there are less crowds, which is always nice. However, we headed to Yellowstone around 7:00 after watching a cowboy gun fight in Jackson. After realizing all the food places in the park close at 8:00 (which we missed  by 10 min) and letting a swarm of mosquitoes into Dan's car, we arrived at our campsite in Bridge Bay. There are like 9 different campgrounds since Yellowstone is so huge! I did not know it was that big. I'll admit, I was very scared of the bears at night. The next morning, there was so much to see and so much driving. We stopped to see Old Faithful, the Porcelain Pools, Steamboat, the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, the Upper and Lower Falls, and Lamar Valley. This may not seem like a lot, but everything is basically an hour away from each other. 

 

All in all, it was an amazing trip and we got to see a lot. In terms of wildlife, we got to see huge herds of buffalo, a black bear, and a few elk. I'm really thankful I got to make it out that way and experience the park. Tomorrow it's back to work and the heat. :( Wahhh! Three more weeks. I can handle it.