Words barely describe the beauty of the area around Jackson, WY, and fail miserably when describing Yellowstone National Park. Therefore, this post will rely more on pictures than text to share our eight-day visit there. Hopefully, the photos will somewhat resemble the staggering beauty we encountered. We had a lot of fun on this visit, and I want to share some of those details because we had a grand time at the base of the Grand Tetons. Note: click on any image to enlarge
To begin with, our campsite at the Kudar RV Campground could not have been better. We were assigned a grassy, level site on the front lawn of the Kudar Motel with electric and water hookups. The Motel is a block and a half from the town square and one block from The Blue Lion, our favorite restaurant. With Lucy, now perfectly positioned to take advantage of everything this scenic area offers, we were ready to explore and enjoy.
Our son, Collin, and his family arrived a week ahead of us to spend some time with Austin’s (our daughter-in-law) family. Justin, Collin’s older brother, and his family came from California to join us. Once everyone settled in, we drove to meet Collin and crew at the lovely home rented by Austin’s Mom at the base of the Tetons. The picture at the top gives you the reader a glimpse of their view. Again, words can’t describe.
The first item on our list of events for the week was a trip through Yellowstone National Park. Justin was on a time crunch for this trip to Jackson, so we decided to spend an entire day exploring the Park. One day isn’t enough, but we made a run at it anyway. The weather on this day was not cooperative. The high temperature hovered around 39 degrees (July?), and spotty drizzle followed us for much of the morning.
Nevertheless, we marched ahead and visited West Thumb Geyser Basin with its colorful thermal pools; the Lower Falls; went wildlife watching; strolled through Grand Prismatic Spring, and stopped to let Old Faithful put on a show for us. With no tour busses and very few international travelers, the crowds were much lower than we had experienced on previous visits, and we lost little time in traffic or waiting in long lines. We had a lovely day, cold weather notwithstanding.
Justin and his family left with their trailer in tow and headed back to California by way of Zion National Park. We loved being with them and miss them greatly. Meanwhile, good fortune fell on Collin and me when his friend Jake invited us on a fishing trip in his new Drift boat. We would try our luck on the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho. Our good fortune extended to the weather as well–the day was beautiful. Our success with a fly rod was not as good as our luck with the weather.
We launched near a small dam on the South Fork. There were several boats in front of us, and more arrived as we readied the boat. Fishing guides busied themselves by rigging fly rods for their clients while the clients waited in eager anticipation of hooking a Facebook-worthy trophy.
Jake, Collin, and I launched the boat on some swift water as a result of recent rains. The wind was strong, and, for the first few minutes, I was afraid we would be fishing in adverse conditions. After rounding a bend in the river, the wind turned in our favor, and we remained in calm winds for the remainder of this glorious day. There was little we could do about the fast water.
I hooked a sizable trout early during our trip and got it close enough to the boat to get my eyes on it, but as soon as the fish saw me, the fly shook loose, and my fish swam away with a sore lip. It was a while before I hooked another one–slightly smaller than the first, but this beautiful Rainbow fell victim to Jake’s net. That was the only trout taken, although Collin hooked several and landed four Whiting. All agreed that we were only out for the trip and the scenery. On that score, we faired well.
The Fourth of July would be a little different in Jackson due to the COVID pandemic. City officials canceled the annual parade, disappointing many locals and tourists. Three firework demonstrations would take place simultaneously at different locations to disperse the crowds, and the one scheduled for Snow King Mountain would occur entirely within our view…almost across the street from us.
The show would start at 10:00 pm. Helen warmed up for it by hitting pickleball with our granddaughters. The fireworks were outstanding. The grandkids, as well as us big kids, loved every minute. I had my tripod set up, attached a remote shutter to my camera, and fired at will. The best shot is pictured here.
On July 5th, we packed up and drove through Yellowstone to the charming town of West Yellowstone, MT, our home for the next nine days. Our route took us by Yellowstone Lake as well as a few Bison grazing beside the road. Words can’t describe (there I go again) our time in Jackson Hole, but…it was time to be Easin’ Along. Thanks for joining us. See you next week.
Beautiful. One of my goals before going to Texas was to drive up through Jackson hole to Missoula and into Washington and then come back a different route glamping along the way. Will have to wait till next summer and hope I am lucky
Barb,
I’ll pray that it happens. This area is incredible in every respect and glamping is the safest way to travel right now. We’ll make it to Washington on this trip and looking forward to it. Thanks for stopping by, great to hear from you. Joe
Such beautiful photos. We hope to get to that part of the country sometime….maybe next year? And that 39 degree day sounded pretty nice….we have been “enjoying” temps in the mid-upper 90s recently! LOL! Looking forward to your next batch of photos.
Hi, Addy,
After we made it through the 39 degree day, our temps have moved into the low 70’s during the day and mid-40’s at night. Perfect! I hope you make it out here. We have hiked almost every day and never get tired of the beauty. Thanks for stopping by. Joe
Wow! We are enjoying every adventure you share. Every moment you and Helen share with all your kids has to be special…this vacation will be remembered right up there at the top for sure.
Joe, your photos are spectacular. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if you opened up a studio in West Town Mall. I bet you could get a really good rental rate. Never the less, We have enjoyed “the life and times of Smokey!” No one could have written a better story.
Stay safe and thanks for the ride.
Dynamo
Dynamo,
Taking and editing pictures has kept me out of the bars and the pool hall and I really enjoy it. We had a wonderful time with our kids and grandkids, but it went by too fast. Nevertheless, a grandparent’s job is to make memories, and I think we did that. Stay in touch. Joe and Helen
Thank you for the lovely tour of Yellowstone! Definitely a place I am itching to visit. 39 degrees? That’s crazy! But I would take that right now as our temps are hitting 101 over the next few days! Gorgeous photos, Joe, enjoy your trip!
Hi, Terri,
The cold temps moved out and we are enjoying perfect weather with temps in the 70’s and night temps in the mid-40’s. Perfect for hiking which we have done almost every day. I hope you get to come here because the beauty is breath-taking. Your camera would love it. Thanks for checking in and please stay in touch. Joe.
Hi, Joe – Your photos and descriptions truly do provide a glimpse of the stunning beauty of Jackson and Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone is definitely on my Travel Bucket List. Thanks so much for taking us there virtually. I’m delighted to read that your trip is going so well.
Good afternoon, Donna,
Yellowstone is a “must-see”, especially for people who love hiking and the great outdoors. You and Richard would love it here. Staggering beauty and wildlife enhance the experience greatly. We have a long way to go on our RV trip, but I’ll remember this experience for a long time. I’m loving your hikes. Joe
Joe, even when you don’t have words, pictures tell the story. And, what a beautiful story it is. It must have been wonderful to visit with no crowds. The fireworks photo is perfect. That isn’t an easy shot. Enjoy your daily hikes, mild temperatures, and amazing scenery! Take care.
Hi, Suzanne,
I accept your compliments with great pride. The results of that fireworks shot amazed even me. My next project is a Milky Way shot here in Montana. If you have any pointers, send them to me by email. We’re spending almost every day going to some part of Yellowstone…it’s an amazing place. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we leave for Big Sky, MT and a campsite on the Gallatin River. We will enjoy that, I have no doubt. Thanks for stopping by. Stay safe out there and please stay in touch. Joe.
What can I say, great pics, great family, loads of fun. You sir, are living life with gusto. Keep up the great blogging.
Hello, Mike,
Thanks for that. We’re loving Wyoming, Montana and the RV lifestyle. We just wanted to get out and see some the country while we can. We’re blessed! Thanks for checking in. Joe
Wonderful pictures!! Brought back some great memories of our trips out there!!!
Hello, LuAnne,
We’re making memories as well. Hard to believe that we have not been here before now. Stay well and please stay in touch. Joe