Yellowstone National Park Trip (June 2007)

This was an awesome trip. We arrived at Jackson Hole in Wyoming on June 24 night. We flew in United Airlines from D/FW to Denver and then Denver to Jackson Hole. We rented a condominium at the Jackson Hole Resort Club on the outskirt of Grand Teton National Park. Following morning (June 25), we ate a quick breakfast and began our journey to Yellowstone National Park. The southern entrance of the park is about 65 miles north of Jackson Hole. We had to drive on a mountaneous roads with mountains and scenic valleys on both sides of the highway. We had to pass by the National Elk Refuge. There are glaciers on parts of mountain tops. It looks just fascinating to see bright sunlight getting reflected by glaciers. The road to Yellow Stone National Park goes through forested areas of Grand Teton National Park. Priyanka has taken lots of pictures of mountains, river, glaciers and gorges. She was somewhat scared of deep gorges on the side of the highway. Once we entered the Yellowstone National Park through the southern entrance, it was another 39 miles drive to Old Faithful. The drive was full of experiences with sharp turns and twists of highway on mountaneous slope, vast waterbodies of lakes and turtuous mountain rivers. Once we have arrived at the Old Faithful, we were marvelled by the beauty of geysers that periodically spew columns of vapors and steam, a result of constant hydrothermal effect. We took a 5-mile walk around an area full of numerous geysers. One geyser struck my eyes. This is called Chromatic Geyser. This geyser spews steam and vapor from an area that symbolizes chemical metamorphism of various minerals. We had spent hours relishing the beauty of geysers. Priyanka and Sujata took dozens of pictures of geysers. We had snacks, coffee, icecream as well as a relishing dinner at the Old Faithful Cafetaria. The cafetaria overlooks the geysers. At around 8 PM, we started driving back to Jackson Hole. We have seen deers, lots of wild birds and a wolf on our way back.

On the next day (June 26), we had taken a boat ride on Snake River. The boat ride was very scenic. On one side of the river we had mountains with glaciers on the top, and on the other side, it is forest and wilderness. We were amazed by the beauty and elegance of the nature. In the evening, we spent time in the city of Jackson (different from Jackson Hole). It is a beautiful city with lots of architectures and museums. The place reminds me the city of Interlaken in Switzerland.

Next day (June 27), we went to see venerable wildlife museum National Museum of Wildlife Art. The museum looks like a fortress on the slope of a mountain across the National Elk Refuge. The musem has thousands of collections that reflect and represent the history and tradition of the Great American West. The musem is one of a kind in the world capturing the imagination and invention of renowned artists such as Carl Rungius (1869-1959) and John Clymer (1907-1989). We had really fun time there. In the afternoon, we had coffee and snack at the museum cafetaria that overlooks the great wilderness of National Elk Refuge. As we were leaving for Dallas-Fort Worth, we felt morose and sullen.