Yellowstone! Grand Teton!

And so we left our beloved Glacier National Park. It was great doing the Highline Trail and the misery of The Loop on our last day there. It makes leaving easier.

We had planned to drive all the way to Hardin in the southeastern corner of Montana, but a string of lateness and route decisions meant that we only made it halfway. Which was infuriating, until we looked at a map and saw where we were. So yesterday, we turned south, and did a two-parks-in-one-day drive-through visit of Yellowstone and Grand Teton. We stopped for lunch at the Old Faithful Inn, and then sat outside and waited forever for the eruption. The Park Service always says that the predicted time is +/- 20 minutes, and Old Faithful - after teasing and teasing and splurting and stopping four or five times – finally went off 21 minutes late. Psshht. I tried to get my money back since I had been inconvenienced and their attraction obviously needed repair, but no such luck.

The Roosevelt Arch and gateway to Yellowstone, "for the enjoyment and benefit of the people"

Inside the Old Faithful Inn, the world's coolest log cabin/treehouse

Thar she blows

We drove south out of Yellowstone past Lewis Lake, where we had our sketchiest-ever kayaking experience last year. And as soon as we passed it, the incredible Teton Range rose in front of us. I absolutely love this place. There is just something magical about it. I think part of it is the way these fantastic, pointy mountains rise from the flat of the lake. (And you know I loves me some mountains.) Yesterday was our fifth visit, and it still takes my breath away. And we were sooooo close to being able to spend the night in Colter Bay, right on Jackson Lake. But no such luck. 

The Tetons above Jackson Lake

At Colter Bay

Tetons over Elk Flats

So we drove south through Jackson – a cool town if ever there was one, although you'll enjoy it even more if you're rich – and turned east on Highway 191.

As we made that turn, there was one of those portable electronic signs, saying “191 open. Use caution.” Hmmm, weird, but okay. Maybe because it is so scenic and twisty. And so we drove through this incredible canyon we'd never seen before, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Love it. Highly recommend this drive if you ever get the chance. And then we came around a blind corner, and found ourselves in an active forest fire. The area right next to the road had been put out, but recently. There were still hotspots on the hills 100 yards above us, and some of the ground was still smoldering. We were driving past hotshot firefighters on the ground, as those bucket-hauling helicopters flew overhead. Further off, maybe a quarter-mile away, the top of the next hill was on fire. And it had been windy, and it was obvious that the fire had jumped hilltop to hilltop, with a number of other spots on fire nearby. As we descended a little bit into the burn zone, we were immersed in the smell of the wildfire. The ground was black and trees were toothpicks, with some of them still smoking. We came around the corner where the canyon opens up into the flat, and there was a little cabin resort and a horse farm next to each other. And it was obvious that just hours earlier they had both been surrounded on three sides by fire that came within 100 feet of them. Now that will make you poop your pants.

Ol' Smokey ahead of us

The fire map app is always handy in the West

One of the firefighter staging points

Another active fire over the next ridge

Cool helicopters

On the upside, we had some fantastic discussions on forestry and earth science and geology and the role of fire in the forest, and we also got to see some very cool helicopters and other forest fire equipment.

Huge shout out to the Hotshots and Smokejumpers that work in our forests. Not the first time we've seen these folks at work, and probably won't be the last. The level of courage required for those jobs is mindboggling. I don't throw the word “hero” around, but these men and women sure are.

After we made it through the fire zone, we got to drive parellel to the huge and beautiful Wind River moutain range, which was incredible. Like I said, I recommend this drive.

We camped last night in a campground in rural Wyoming that was basically a gravel circle in a field that was completely saturated with mosquitoes. But there was an incredible sunset over the mountains and, unbelievably, the best internet we've had all summer.

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This morning, our next-door neighbors from Arkansas wouldn't reply to “hello” or “good morning,” but did stand outside of their camper and stare at me, unblinking, for thirty solid minutes as I packed up. It was like the Children of the Corn, except they were old. And were camping on a Saturday morning in a prairie dress (her) and short sleeve dress shirt (him), which added to the creeptastic effect.

*shiver*

*shiver again*

#ithinkihearbanjos

#paddlefaster

We are currently driving to Fort Collins, and tomorrow we enter Rocky Mountain National Park for the first time in eight years. We are dry camping inside the park, which is going to be amazing, but will limit our use of technology.

So long for now!