Tag Archives: Wyoming

National Parks on the Fly

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When Your Free Time is Limited

 
The May calendar had only a few days left to fit in a visit to two of my favorite places – Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks so it had to be a quick trip. I initially thought about flying to nearby Jackson and renting a car but instead I decided to drive the 3000+ miles lugging a small satchel of clothes and a bunch of camera equipment.

While the drive is long, I totally enjoy the fast changing vistas traversing our impressive interstate highway system and then the spectacular mountains and landscapes of rural Wyoming.

You can read about my six day cross country drive from Grand Rapids by clicking here. Otherwise continue on for the small scrapbook of my visit to the parks.

After 1500 relaxing miles on the lightly traveled highway I arrived at Jackson Hole and the Tetons. I immediately went into visitor mode and armed myself with a couple of cameras to record this quick visit. Following are some of the highlights.

Grand Teton National Park

This is an area of the Tetons settled in the 1890s by Mormans from Utah

The iconic T.A. Moulton barn with low clouds obscuring the Tetons

Here you can see the low water level in Jackson Lake

The water flows from Jackson Lake Dam into the Snake River

This is the Snake River at Oxbow Bend with Mt. Moran in the background

I tried to duplicate this familiar view at Snake River Overlook made famous by Ansel Adams

Another picture of the T.A. Moulton barn after the clouds have lifted

This furry marmot is a resident of Mormon Row

Chapel of the Transfiguration is an Episcopal church in the Tetons

This is the picturesque interior of the church

From a distance the Tetons remain an impressive backdrop to the valley

The popular Jenny Lake is still covered with ice in early May

Yellowstone National Park

This is the iconic Old Faithful Inn

The interior of the Old Faithful Inn is simply breathtaking

A huge crowd of visitors are awaiting the eruption of Old Faithful Geyser

As expected the Old Faithful eruption happens right on time

The Grand Prismatic Spring one of Yellowstone’s most colorful thermal features

Here is some of the hot runoff streaming from the Grand Prismatic Spring

This bison is strolling along the pathway at one of the geysers

I was surprised to find sandhill cranes in Lamar Valley

This herd of bison is relaxing in the Lamar Valley

Here is a lone bighorn sheep near Slough Creek

This is a newborn bison calf

This Yellowstone tour bus is easily identifiable

The Roosevelt Arch marks the North Entrance to Yellowstone

This is the roaring Upper Yosemite Falls in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Yellowstone River is pouring over the Upper Falls

 

 
You can see that I packed quite a few activities into a few short days in these two national parks.

Can you tell that I thoroughly enjoyed the mini-vacation?

 
 
Written by Arnie Lee
 
 

View from the Driver’s Seat

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Six Days On The Road

 
Earlier this month I decided to visit a couple of my favorite parks. Since most of the roads out west had been cleared of snow my objective was to beat the crowds at the start of the busy vacation season. The plan was to see Spring arrive in both Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for a couple of days.

I loaded up the car with a small backpack of clothes, a heavy coat in case of cold weather, some of my camera gear and a bunch of snacks to eat along the way. I hit the road very early Sunday morning for a long day drive westward since my first stopover was Laramie about 1100 miles away.

This was my day-by-day itinerary:

  1. Grand Rapids to Laramie, Wyoming
  2. Laramie to Jackson, WY
  3. Jackson to Island Park, ID
  4. Island Park to Gillette, WY
  5. Gillette to Council Bluff, IA
  6. Council Bluffs to Grand Rapids

On this short six day schedule I was able to spend two days each in the Tetons and Yellowstone. As a bonus, on the way back home I spent a few hours at Devil’s Tower National Monument and Badlands National Park.

Along our amazing interstate highway system and rural roads is great scenery, famous landmarks and amazing structures. The views from the journey across the midsection of our country is just as exciting for me as the national parks themselves.

On this long drive I decided to document the 3800 mile trip. These photos are presented in roughly the same order as my travels. I haven’t included any photos of the Tetons and Yellowstone – I’ll save them for another article.


an electrical generating station near Annawan, IL

Rock Island, IL bridge crossing the Mississippi River to Iowa

the huge
World’s Biggest Truckstop in Walcott, IA

newly plowed field in central Iowa

wind generator farm near Lincoln, NE

an irrigator at Grand Island, NE

novel advertisement for Paulsen Cement near North Platte, NE

large feed lot in Ogallala, NE

semi hauling PVC piping near Sidney, NE

a Lincoln monument at Laramie, WY rest area

a small herd of antelope near Arlington, WY

bridge crossing North Platte River in Ft Steele, WY

speed limit sign near Walcott, WY

large refinery in Sinclair, WY

rock formations near Table Rock, WY

small rural town – Eden, Wyoming

animal safety overpass near Daniel, WY

resort cabins in Bondurant, WY

a selfie at elk arches in Jackson, WY

a view of the Tetons from the west in Victor, ID

the Yellowstone River near Emigrant, MT

a small refinery in Billings, MT

a semi hauling logs near Garyowen, MT

electrical power station in Gillette, WY

freight train traveling near Sundance, WY

low clouds over the Devil’s Tower National Monument

walkway to viewing area in the Badlands

one of the bighorn sheep in the Badlands

bridge crossing the Missouri River at Chamberlin, SD

beautiful Native American statue at rest area in Chamberlin, SD

utensils for dinner in Sioux City, IA

final mileage for this six day cross-country drive

 

 
After having driven 3800 miles, I made it back home late Friday night.

While I enjoyed my time in the Tetons and Yellowstone, I also enjoyed the road trip as well.
 
 
Written by Arnie Lee
 
 

Wamsutter, WY

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Places that you may never have heard of

Due to my love of traveling I’ve make countless cross country trips by car.

Our amazing Interstate Highway system takes us to so many destinations. But along the way I might see a sign with a name that I don’t recognize. These places with unfamiliar names get my attention and when I return home I may take the time to find out more about this locality.

Towards the middle of Wyoming there’s a small town called Wamsutter. I learned that Wamsutter is located in a geologic area known as the Great Divide Basin. This is an area in which rain does not drain into any of the oceans. Instead to the north and east the North Platte watershed flows to the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico while to the south and west, the Green River watershed drains to the Pacific or Gulf of California.


Interstate 80, exit 173
Historically this area has been home to the Shoshone and Ute native American tribes. During the 1860’s other settlers moved to the area to help build and manage the transcontinental railroad. While its population is small, sheep and horse ranching has been an important activity for many years.

an industrial building on east side of town
Today the area is noted as a natural resource community with a small industry based on oil and natural gas extraction. The BP Corporation has been operating there since about 2000.

parking area with loads of semis

If you’re ever in the area – stop in Wamsutter to look around and to refuel your car.

Still Interested

More of my places that you may never have heard of are in

Argenta, Nevada
Aragonite, Utah
Dunphy, Nevada