Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park
We were having a great time in Jackson Hole and exploring the area but we had yet to get Kaitlin into our new hiking backpack. We decided to take a group trip to Jenny Lake in the Grand Teton National Park. There is a 7 mile loop that will take you around Jenny Lake (and to see many other sites) but we decided to take the shorter route since we had so many kids in tow. There is a ferry that crosses Jenny Lake and drops you off at the other side. It is a short hike (I think around half a mile) up to Hidden Falls which was our first stop of the day. It's a relatively easy hike and absolutely gorgeous, if not a bit touristy and crowded (especially in the summer).
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| "Look at all that water!" |
We took a break for lunch and some photos with the gang. Kaitlin was being such a good sport and loved the scenery (especially the water fall!) so we decided to press onward to Inspiration Point, about another mile up. We will never learn to "quit while we're ahead" in terms of pressing Kaitlin to the limit. She was a bit fussy on the way up and A LOT fussy on the way down. Fair enough, it was the middle of the day and temperatures were reaching 90*F. Regardless, I'm glad we did the extra bit of hiking as the views were spectacular! We couldn't have asked for better weather during our whole trip, what a treat!
Wednesday, August 07, 2013
Yellowstone National Park (Old Faithful, Grand Prismatic)
We parked near the Old Faithful Inn so we had a wander through it on our way to Old Faithful. What a cool looking hotel! It was very dark and rustic on the inside and the wood work was just gorgeous. Next stop - Old Faithful herself. We had enough time to grab a quick lunch before making our way to the show. She decided to erupt about 10 minutes past the estimated time so we had plenty of time to get a great seat. As did the hundreds of other people that were there to see the show! If it doesn't look that impressive in the photos...well...it kind of wasn't. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that we went and that I had a chance to see it (bucket list - check!) but I expected something...more. That and we were standing down wind so we mostly just saw the mist coming off from the spray of water. We had gorgeous weather though and for that I am grateful.
Next stop on our Yellowstone Mini Tour was Grand Prismatic Spring. It is the largest geyser in the park and is also probably the most beautiful. It is about 250' x 300' and something like 160' deep! There is a boardwalk that covers most of the area which makes for a nice and easy stroll. Don't get caught near the steam for too long on a hot summer day though - talk about hot! This was easily one of the most fascinating and beautiful places I have ever been. I could have stayed for hours taking photos and wandering around. Alas, a hungry and tired baby called (loudly in my ear) and we were on our way back to Jackson Hole. Even though we didn't get to see that many sites and it was a lot of driving (6 hours total there and back) it was definitely worth the trek.
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