Photo Gallery

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We drove back up to the falls. Janna and the girls walked down near the bottom of the lower falls then I drove them to the brink of the upper falls. Janna loved the grand canyon of Yellowstone. I sat out these trips down the trails due to my knee. We drove back down the Hayden Valley as we left Yellowstone. If the canyon was my favorite part of Yellowstone, the Hayden Valley was a close second. Not just because there was wildlife there but I just thought it was the most beautiful section of this amazing park. On our drive to Jackson Hole, we saw lots of amazing scenery including the beautiful Teton Mountains. I stopped at a pharmacy and got gauze, tape, neosporin, and a wrap.

We began the day by heading to Mammoth Springs. After exploring that area, we dropped down to Gardiner, Montana for lunch. On our way out, we saw some type of mountain goats on the hillside. Next, we headed to the Lamar Valley. On the way, a coyote came out in front of our vehicle and walked in front of us for quite a while. The traffic backed up behind me until the coyote got off the road. In Lamar Valley we saw large herds of buffalo. Then I did something quite stupid. I got out to take a pitcher of one of the herds and left the car in drive. It started coasting and Janna yelled the car is moving. I reached back in, got hold of the steering wheel, but my feet slid on the gravel and I was thrown to the ground. Janna jumped over to the driver’s side and got the car stopped but not before it ran over my left foot. It just so happened that a nurse from Indiana and a paramedic from Steubenville were at the same pullover. And, within two minutes a ranger came by and called for paramedics. As it turned out, I don’t think anything is broken but I am in a lot of pain from the many cuts on my knee and back of my leg. It seeped blood throughout the night and I am in a lot of pain when I try to bend my knee. We spent the night in a cabin at Yellowstone Lake.

Today I adjusted my view of what heaven may look like. Yellowstone is something else. We saw many geysers today, of course Old Faithful, and we visited the Grand Prismatic Spring. While at the latter, an eagle flew overhead in the cloudless blue sky. I was hoping to get a shot of it so I was very excited when I was able to snap several pictures that I am more than happy with. Yellowstone Lake was beautiful and the Hayden Valley was astounding. The waterfalls in the grand canyon of the Yellowstone were spectacular. We saw lots of elk and bison.  It was a long day with a lot of walking (for me) but a very enjoyable day. I look forward to being in the park again tomorrow.

Lue saw her surgeon and got a good report. She can start her six weeks of physical therapy.

We left Salt Lake City and drove 5 hours to West Yellowstone. It was a beautiful drive. We stopped for supplies and lunch at Idaho Falls. We ate at Smitty’s Steak and Pancakes. It was a good place to eat. I got their specialty, a German pancake. It was like a light, thin pancake with strawberries on top. It was very good and huge. After we ate, we stopped at the river and spent some time looking at the interesting falls and river walk. There are two levels to the river and at places there are falls dropping from the upper level to the lower.

When we got to West Yellowstone, we checked into the Stage Coach Inn. Rick had told me he and Laura had stayed here and had liked it. It is nice and very interesting with all the animals. We spent some time exploring the town before eating and going to be.

I picked Janna, Brianna, and Megan up at 3:30 am to go to the airport. It was a long day of traveling especially since we had to wear masks for about 10 straight hours. After we got to Salt Lake City, we spent some time walking around the Temple Square area.

After I packed, I drove to David and Janna’s. David got me a free night at the Hyatt. I spent a short night there, getting up at 2 am.