Heading East....Wyoming to to Kansas

Sinclair

Leaving Wyoming took hours. Vast expanses of sagebrush hills, pronghorns, oil derricks and more sagebrush hills. Along the Platte River again, we made it from Cheyenne, WY to Kearney, NE (again) on I 70, a long hard day to a noisey campground, but we were committed to stay in a hotel the next night  in Manhattan, KS. It was wonderful! Here we had entered the area of the Flint Hills. We had read about this place and the new education center in Manhattan that might help us find a way to experience it.

Grazing on the prairie

South Pass City, gold rush town

 On the way to South Pass, the road across the continental divide at the base of the rockies, we visited an abandoned gold rush town and viewed Red Canyon.  These are just awesome landscapes. The remnants of the old towns were reminiscent of movies we have seen. However, there was a nice Airstream trailer parked on the street in South Pass City! You just never know what you will find when you go down these roads...

abandoned gold mine

Lander and the Oregon Trail

From Lander WY we were able to make a day trip to find the Oregon Trail. Also known as the Mormon Trail, the California Trail and the Pony Express Trail, we could see in the distance (top center) where the wagons had been based on the interpretive signs at the site. We imagined that we were on the actual place where these early travelers had been, but after so many years and so much land use change, we could not be certain.

Grand Teton National Park and Jackson, WY

View of Jackson from Targhee pass

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Ranching in Jackson

 Outside the park we drove around to get different views of the area. Rt 22 goes up one mountain and down into Idaho. We stopped for lunch at the top of the pass and had lunch, looking out over Jackson. Before we entered the park we took a side road by some horse ranches.  The prices on these places in the real estate section of the papers are out of this world. The price to be in this valley surrounded by the towering mountains is beyond reach for most people. The private jets flying into and out of the Jackson Airport tell the tale.

The expansive views and sense of space is so vast and unfamiliar. The weather can be seen for miles away. Vermont seems confined compared to the west. The flip side of this is that there are so many miles between one place and another, and gas prices are quite high.

Going into the park was a treat, not crowded at first. With only a few trails open and most still snow covered, the walking was limited. These pictures are in the park around Jenny lake, the clearest lake I have every seen. I remember it from 15 yrs ago. We also remembered the Snake River Brewing company as a small place, but we got the Tee shirts then, and we did it again. Only this time they had expanded into a multi-leveled, indoor/outdoor restaurant with a huge tank outside covered with stickers from everywhere in the world, including Mad River Glen, VT!

From the Jenny Lake trail

Jenny Lake

Last night at Snake River Brewing

Yellowstone Geyser Basins are out of this world!

Yellowstone day3

Soda Butte

We spent most of the day  looking for anything interesting that we had not seen before. The best spots were already occupied when we arrived. These are people on tours, or just crazy about wolves, or wolf nerds. We did actually see a wolf on our first day, so we sort of checked that box, however, another opportunity to see or hear them led us down the Lamar valley which did not disappoint. When people gather, you stop and someone will gladly tell you  what is being seen, in this case a grizzly sow and two yearling cups. We had a good look with our scopes, but no photos. You have to imagine it!..

Along the road we passed Soda Butte, ancient hot spring that now only gives off the hydrogen sulfide gases, no waters.  Along the way back to Mammoth Hot Springs we discovered some yellow flowers and the Yellowstone River .


The valley is high rock walls of tan, yellow and even blue, was so far down below the lookout that even John didn't  want to look down. When we stopped, we were under a huge cliff of the basaltic rocks which hung over us.  I made a couple of videos of the river below, rushing through the valley --you can look at them here...Yellowstone River video and here Another Yellowstone River video