A Glacier Experience - Day 4

Day 4 – Tuesday, June 26 – Jackson WY to Bozeman MT

A balmy 38* was the forecast for today. Like the day prior, it was going to be cold, so a later start was in order due to chilly conditions.  Not like the 100* plus temps back in Kansas City…  Today, the plan was to have a small riding day and take in the Grand Tetons National Park and Yellowstone National Park.  The goal was to get to Butte or Helena Montana, which would have been around half way to Whitefish, near Glacier National Park.

Since we were on a streak, we at Mcd's for the 3rd day in row.  Really, the coffee is consistently ok and the food is, well, at least edible…  Once we left Theresa’s place (now I know why she married a guy named Ronnie), we headed to the Jackson-Hole HD store to procure a shot glass for the collection.  I walked out of the store with the shot glass and a shirt, since I liked the design of the back. 

Grand Tetons National Park

We headed north to the Tetons for the majestic views.  Then, after donning our America the Beautiful park pass, we felt like we had the park to ourselves.  We had several stops that took us near the end, but decided, after some coaxing from Kathy, to head back track to Jenny Lake...   It was worth it.  I got some great photo shots of a trail near there as well as some of Lake Jackson on the way back north towards Yellowstone.  We stopped at Flagg Ranch (a dude ranch) for some gas and candy bar stop and take pic for my cousin, Roxanne. Turns out, she used to work there during a couple of summers of her youth.

Jenny Lake at Tetons

There is a check gate in Yellowstone as well, which we used our America the Beautiful park pass to gain entry.  In 1988, there was a pretty significant fire in Yellowstone, which burnt a lot of the pines and cedars.  It was a little sad, since in 1978, I went through the same areas and remember a clean forest area… well, not really, but in my imagination I did.  Anyway, we enjoyed a lot of the kickoffs for photos, which included some waterfalls and finally Old Faithful. 

Speaking of Old Faithful, we had lunch in the tourist trap café, which was surprisingly good.  Though a southbound end of a northbound skunk would have been good 6 hours after breakfast…  The grand ole geyser was a bit underwhelming. However, there were thousands of people that partook.

Old Faithful

Yellowstone

We hit a 2-mile turnout for some waterfall photos.  Traffic was a little concerning, since we were on bikes and there were a lot of ‘cagers’ around rubbernecking and stopping in the middle of the road.  Right before we left the park, there were some buffalo chomping on grass and just plain chilling out, so I had to approach for some photos. 

Once we left the park, we hit Bullwinkles in West Yellowstone, Montana. Moose Drool brown ale brew for me, Ronnie, Theresa, and Kathy had the regular.  We gassed up and headed north on Hwy 191.  That. Road. Rocks.  It was 88 miles of most excellent 65 mph curves by riverside and mountainside.  Even though it was chilly when the mountains covered the road with shade, it was still awesome. 

Lewis Falls in Yellowstone

Buffalo at Yellowstone

We ended up in Bozeman Montana, instead of Butte or Helena.  It’s all good. On a trip like this, you play it a day at a time.  The Rockin R Bar was host for dinner, which was good for a couple beers and sandwiches.  The Lewis and Clark Motel (and casino with a whopping 3 slot machines) had our bid for the nights rest.  It wasn’t the most popular landing spot amongst the group, but it worked.  Heck, they had great banana bread as part of their continental breakfast.  I think the sliding glass doors used for each rooms entry had me perplexed…

Other highlights:

·      National/State Parks: Grand Teton National Park; Teton National Forest; Yellowstone National Park; Targhee National Forest; Gallatin National Forest; Big Sky (ok, Big Sky is not a national or state park, but it is a area to see)

·      Miles: ~ 275

·      Route Map: http://tinyurl.com/0626-Day4


Click Here for Day 5!