Summer in Yellowstone - Sunday Morning

Other posts in this series:
Summer In Yellowstone - Getting There
Summer in Yellowstone - Sunday Morning
Summer in Yellowstone - Sunday Afternoon & Canyons Lodging
Summer in Yellowstone - Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley
Summer in Yellowstone - The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
Summer in Yellowstone - The Last Days

It wasn't until we pulled out the map to plot out the last few miles into the park that we realized we be driving through Grand Teton National Park too.  When planning this trip, if I'd known then what I know now, I'd have planned for more time here!

While Yellowstone is better know, larger and has more varied terrain, Grand Teton must have some of the most beautiful mountain scenery anywhere in the world. After passing through the park entrance, we hadn't gone very far before cars started slowing down and at first we couldn't figure out why.  But pretty soon we saw it and pulled over ourselves.  Mt. Moran reflected in Jackson Lake was the sight that welcomed us to the park and it's one of my favorite photos I took on this whole trip.

Mt. Moran and Lake Jackson

We continued the slow drive towards Yellowstone, stopping whenever we wished.  Though it was June, there was still plenty of snow on the ground in shady areas of the forest.  We stopped at Kepler Cascades on the Firehole River.  We saw several beautiful waterfalls on this trip though each was different.  With the fallen trees in the area, it made this one seem rugged and tough.


Kepler Cascades

Soon enough we made it to the Old Faithful Visitor's Center - and in a lucky twist, the geyser was scheduled to blast in about ten minutes.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day with temperatures in the low 70s and a pretty blue sky.  Can't ask for more than that when trying to photograph this beauty!  I've visited on overcast days in the winter and you can't even distinguish the fountain from the sky in photos so I was glad we got such a pretty day.  This was C's first visit to the park and I was happy things were going our way.

Old Faithful

Since it was lunchtime we decided to check out the dining room at the Old Faithful Inn.  The inn has always been closed when I'd visited before in the winter, so it was nice to be able to try a different dining option.  Inside, the inn has a massive stone chimney that's 85 feet tall and weighs 500 tons.  It has an very large clock on one side and the whole rustic interior of the lodge is very appropriate to the location.

Chimney in the Old Faithful Inn

Our meals were excellent and, of course, we had to check out the gift shop at the visitor's center.  Nobody's trip to a national park is complete without a postcard, a magnet and a calendar, right?