Day 76 - Grand Teton to Yellowstone

With a reservation for a "frontier cabin" at Mammoth Hot Springs at the very north end of Yellowstone, over 100 miles away, our group set out for an overview driving tour of Grand Teton and Yellowstone. But first we had to take the longest ski resort tram ride in the USA up 4200 vertical feet, riding for over 12 minutes, to the top of Rendevous Mountain.

The highlight of this voyage to me was the half dozen base jumpers "flying" off the mountain. They unloaded the parachutes from their packs, put on their helmets, straightened the cords, pulled until the parachute caught in the wind, quickly turned around and jumped off the 10,500 foot mountain. Here's a pic of Steve beginning his flight and two actual flyers in flight.

The views of the surrounding mountains were awe-inspiring. The Tetons could be seen to the north but sharp peaks and ridge-lines extended all around. This being the top of the ski resort, if this was winter, we would've skied down--not. The double blacks at the top were beyond my ski ability. We did take a great group shot and a great jump shot before descending on the tram.

Once down, we piled in the van and I proceeded to drive the boys north on a tour of Grand Teton, stopping first at Jenny Lake, then String Lake then Jackson Lake. After an Elk Chili lunch at the lovely Jackson Lake Lodge, we drove on to... Yellowstone!!

A competition to guess the number of wildlife groups we would pass on the road was won easily by Lanny with his high guess of 20-- we passed over 25 groups, mostly bison. We also passed some interesting mud pots and hot springs before arriving to Mammoth. We settled in, had a late dinner and then enjoyed a late night walk to the Travertine Terraces of Mammoth Hot Springs.

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Day 41 - Escalante Coyote Gulch

This one or two night Coyote Gulch hike was an easy test of my newly learned navigation skills. Anxious to get started I awoke at 545 just as the sun was rising. I followed an obvious landmark, a tall thin spire called Chimney Rock, northwest to Hurricane Wash (a drainage running into Coyote Gulch). After a couple of hours of walking up over and around slick rock, I entered the famous Coyote Gulch. The walls around me raised up, darkened and th water flow increased--like nature hinting at the scenic beauty ahead. The normally crowded Coyote Gulch was fairly empty on this early Thursday morning, giving the canyon a very peaceful and quiet feeling-- fragile almost. Down steam, I ran into the famous Jacob Hamilton Arch and then thirty minutes further-- the Coyote Natural Birdge. Both were beautiful due to their see through the wall character, but both would be overshadowed in my memory by the Stevens Arch tomorrow. Pics. By 1pm, I had hiked for six hours...

Day 62 - Colorado National Monument

Established as a national monument early in 1911, Colorado NM is known for its high canyon "rim road" and sandstone spires of Monument Canyon. The canyons of west Colorado are pretty--as they have more green trees and shrubs than the more famous Utah canyons. This gives them a more alive feeling, although the sandstone spires were formed many thousands of years ago by erosion. Rim Rock road curves up the the top of the canyon cliff, goes through several round tunnels and is lined with scenic viewpoints. The best views were in he Monument Canyon section, and included in sequence, the Coke Ovens, The Kissing Couple (behind my head), and the most famous of all: Independence Monument, the tall spire in pic 3 and viewed from the side in pic 4. The original promoter and caretaker of the park, John Otto, was the first person to climb Independence Monument and now it's a climbing right of passage. Every July 4 climbers ascend and mount an American flag at the summit. Fun! ...

Day 57 - Rocky Mountain National Park

Ever since I decided to go west for my big trip, I had dreamed of high mountain lakes with snowy peaks arching in every direction, with chilly air making every moment crisp, and with clear skies bringing all into perfect focus-- pure bliss. Today was the first of many great mountain lake days to come. Hiking here was far easier here than in the San Juans because the snow was packed down on the trail, but I brought my mini crampons for the downhill. I made it safely past a narrow ridge with narly black peaks across the gorge (pic 1), then up to Mills Lake (pic 2) then Jewel Lake then the Loch (pic 3) then down before the afternoon rain started falling. I hiked around some lower, more accessible lakes but the sky was now overcast and pictures no good. I drove up the open portion of the Ridge road amid a very light dusting of snow before heading back to camp for dinner and bedtime. I did manage to capture some fine Elk grazing in a meadows on the return trip and a g...

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