The Grand Western Tour crew thoroughly enjoyed their time in Jackson Hole but were just as excited to visit Yellowstone and spend the next 3 nights at the 320 Guest Ranch in Big Sky, Montana. As we left Jackson, we made our way through some of the most beautiful scenery thus far, Grand Teton National Park. The snow capped mountains were absolutely breathtaking.
We traveled 28 miles through Grand Teton National Park to the entrance of Yellowstone National Park, the oldest national park in the country. It spans into Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. The park sits on top of Yellowstone Caldera which is the largest supervolcano on the continent and is considered an active volcano. It is home to many geothermal features, hundreds of species, as well as lakes, mountains, and waterfalls.
Our first stop at the park was the visitor's center at Yellowstone Lake. The chill in the air hit us as soon as we stepped off the bus. Jackson Hole had been very warm the past few days but it now felt like wintertime! At one point the bus read 47 degrees in Yellowstone! Dark clouds approached us as we were left the lake and we just barely dodged a hail storm. It hailed so much it looked like it had snowed!
Our second stop was the Mudpots. These are boiling pools of acidic mud and water that put off quite a distinct sulfur smell. We also spotted bison, elk, and deer along the way! This was our first taste of some of the wonderful features that Yellowstone has to offer.
We then went to Artist Point to see the spectacular view of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The view looks unreal, as if it were just a painting. According to a sign at the park, the colorful canyon walls are composed of lava and tuff, altered by hydrothermal action and erosion. Nature is nothing short of amazing and this Canyon proves it!
We saved the most popular attraction for last, Old Faithful. At approximately 3:05 pm, Old Faithful was scheduled to blow, and she was right on time. This famous geyser shot boiling water straight into the air, impressing the hundreds (if not thousands) of bystanders that were watching her every move. There are also several other hot springs and geysers in the area that were worth checking out! Overall, our visit to Yellowstone was a huge success!
The group made it to the 320 Guest Ranch in Montana around dinner time and they were blown away by the awesome cabins and delicious first meal. They are so excited to be here and are looking forward to the next few days!
Make sure you look back at yesterday's blog for the update with pictures!
No comments:
Post a Comment