Road Trip 2019: July 4th and 5th
When we planned our trip we were stoked to be ending up in Yellowstone and Cody, Wyoming on the The Fourth of July. A very American way to celebrate our countries Independence.
Cody is a spectacular, all American, western style town. Lot’s of tourist pass through and stay while visiting YNP. These tourist feed the towns economy. Hotels and restaurants line the streets as well the rodeo and a beautiful state park named, Buffalo Bills State Park.
The ride from Cody to Yellowstone east entrance is rather long, It is 54 miles to the park entrance, which involves a ride over a mountain range which is unnerving. Once in the park, you are approx. 1.5 hours from the Fishing Bridge. We had already made our hotel reservations and our friends were scheduled to fly into Yellowstone Regional, so we kept it the way it was.
Next time we will stay in Gardiner and enter from the North entrance located in Gardiner, Montana. A neat little town with hotels and easy access to the park entrance.
After the airport arrival,
we went over to YNP to share some of our favorite hi-lights with Tammy and Tom. This park is very spread out, the best way to manage the park is to have a plan. We visited Artist’s Point and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The Grand Prismatic was visited also. There were a couple of animal jams that allowed for good photo opportunities. We got to see a beautiful moose, a grizzly and a baby grizzly. May have been a Kodiak, we are not sure.
This guy had a tracker on his neck. They do this to track their migration patterns and to keep the visitors safe. Unfortunately, the visitors do not keep themselves safe. Quite a few deaths occur annually as a result of “bad listeners” These are the stats through 2017.
Yellowstone is on the list of the 10 most dangerous parks.
Young children to not belong in these parks without strict parent supervision, if at all. There is a certain age to expose a child to something this spectacular. That age is when the child is able to comprehend what they are experiencing. In the three years of our road trippin, we have witnessed quite a few careless incidents with children. We have witnessed children go missing in Bryce, a near fall off a cliff at Grand Canyon, tiny tots being posed in dangerous situations with squirrels so the parents can get “the shot”. Yes, they are adorable. Prairie Dogs, Squirrels and Chipmunks are the cutest, but can carry plaque.
After the day at Yellowstone, we returned to Cody for dinner at 8th Street at The Ivy for some awesome Bison burgers, pulled pork and Idaho Rainbow Trout. Lemon Drops, wine and beer, oh my! We stayed at the Best Western Hotel and got to see some serious fireworks light up the sky! Happy 4th of July.
Early rise and out to Jackson Hole, WY. It’s Grand Teton time! Jackson is an amazing hot spot, Greenwich on steroids. We stayed at The Ranch Inn. A great space, a little too pricy for the accommodations, but in the heart of town. Grand Tetons is an amazing park. A hike around Jenny Lake took us to Hidden Falls. Great elevation, a feel good burn. We could not resist getting on Jenny Lake via a ferry ride. A one way trip is $10 and a roundtrip is $18. A drive out to Mormon Row.
Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or Mormons, sent parties from the Salt Lake Valley to establish new communities and support their expanding population. Mormon homesteaders, who settled east of Blacktail Butte near the turn of the 19-century, clustered their farms to share labor and community, a stark contrast with the isolation typical of many western homesteads. These settlers first arrived in the 1890s from Idaho establishing a community (named Grovont by the U.S. Post Office) known today as “Mormon Row.”
Moulton’s Barn was the focus, no pun intended, of photographer Ansel Adams. I did not attempt his shot, but I captured what my eye adored about this space. The Tetons was a favorite among our group. I would have enjoyed one more day there to do Taggart Lake, there is always next time.
We ventured back to the Greenwich of Wyoming and had dinner at “Local”. Oysters, burgers, wings, Manhattans, beer and wine. Caught this spot for Happy Hour, still expensive, it’s vacation time though. We walked about town and caught this 18 year old musician that was mind blowing. Good musicians walk all around the world.
Back to the hotel for some good rest and a morning White Water Rafting trip down the Snake River.
Thanks for following our adventure. Get out there and see America!
Peace xo
Somewhere in America 