In Rapid City we had a nice meal at the Fire House Brewery. Buffalo, of course!
We stayed at a KOA in Hot Springs, SD visiting Rapid City, Crazy Horse, Mt. Rushmore and the Mammoth Site.
The Mammoth Site was all enclosed; we walked among skeletons of many mammoths. Their bones and teeth were huge.
Traveling through WY we experienced overheating up long grades. I pulled off the road and after a minute, the temperature was down to normal. I tried in Casper and Riverton to get the problem corrected, but it was impossible to get any service done within a reasonable time, our reservations in Grand Teton were to start Aug 7th. In Riverton, WY we got to see a real bang-em-up demolition derby.
God, we hadn't seen one in maybe 50 years. It was different.
We approached Grand Teton on Aug 7 via Togwotee Pass, elevation 9,658 ft., along Route 26 towards Moran. At the peak, we stopped at a parking area to take a break and enjoy the views. As we approached Moran, the road was under construction for several miles causing us to have to go slow, very slow. At this point we made up our minds to go home via a different route, which we did.
Our camp site was by Lake Jackson in Colter Bay. Rates were fairly expensive at about $60/day but we did get a $10 discount with our senior parks pass, a $10 investment about 15 years ago that has paid us back I would guess at least 50 fold by now. As you can see from the picture below, Lake Jackson is very beautiful, being surrounded by snow capped mountains, even in August.
We spent some time sitting by the lake, enjoying the view, watching the Uinta Squirrels, having lunch and reading. These were enjoyable, relaxing moments.
Below is a view of the Grand Teton mountain at 13770 ft.
Caught this black bear crossing the Teton Park Rd near Signal Mountain Lodge. She tied up traffic for awhile but a ranger was there to make sure we didn't get too close and control traffic.
This is a view of the valley from on top of Signal Mountain, 77727 ft. Drove to top! The first is facing west of Lake Jackson Teton mountains. The second is facing southeast showing the Snake River.
Below is a view of the Cunningham Cabin Historic Site and horses corralled nearby.
We enjoyed hiking in the park, but because of the mile + altitude, we had to take it slow. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and the trails were moderately difficult but well marked.
Likewise with cycling, we had to take it easy and rode only on the paved bicycle paths. We carted our bikes over 5,700 miles and rode them about a total of 30. Next time I think we'll leave them home as they made it impossible to open the rear door of the Honda, forcing us to get things in the back via the back passenger doors.
We had a very nice boat ride on Lake Jackson that included a dinner on Elk Island which included delicious trout and steak.
We made several trips to Jackson for coffee, drinks and dinner. The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar was one of our favorite places. Their cowboy brand beer was great as were the elk burgers, which were moist and delicious. Below, we are seated at the bar, awaiting our burgers. In contrast, the buffalo burgers were dry and somewhat tough.
Elk were seen along the trails we hiked.
I took a horse back trail ride from Jackson Lake Lodge, behind me is the Snake River and Oxbow Bend, a scenic wildlife area.
A pretty view of Lake Jackson.
Between our camp site and Lake Jackson there was a field of Uinta Squirrels such as the one shown below.
We took a day trip to Yellowstone to enjoy Old Faithful and have lunch in the Inn nearby.
Herd of Bison in Antelope Flats just outside the Park going to Jackson. Mormons settled here in the 19th century and their houses and barns are still there although its been abandoned for many years.
On the 21th of August we left Grand Teton National Park for Idaho and in particular, Arco, a trip of 217 miles on mountainous, scenic roads along the Snake River. I found it astonishing as to how long the river is. Snake is an appropriate name, it does snake in an extreme fashion, and the road along it is extremely winding, with mountains on one side and the river valley on the other. This trip would have been more enjoyable in the BMW which just loves curves as these.
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