Wandering Retirees

Driggs, ID to Cooke City, MT via Yellowstone National Park 

In order to tour Yellowstone from Driggs, ID and have a chance to see the Grand Tetons one more time, we left our Air BnB at 6:30 am. This involved packing the night before and slurping massive amounts of coffee so we were awake enough to get on the bike safely. It worked out well, oddly enough. 

The dawn ride through the Teton Pass into Wyoming was beautiful. It was full of elevation changes and twisty turns. So fun to do again. We stopped for some quick rustic breakfast at Dornan’s at the entrance to the Grand Tetons. We ate our meal at a picnic table with a view of the mountain range. Just magnificent.
 We rode along the range, mostly by ourselves. We got some nice shots. It was a morning for wildlife. We saw a coyote, some elk and a herd of bison.   

Eventually we arrived at Yellowstone National Park. We were surprised at the lack of traffic and congestion. We had read and heard the park is routinely packed with tourists. But we had a lovely ride to “Old Faithful,” America’s iconic natural geyser. There we met crowds. There were people everywhere waiting for the big eruption. We met some nice folks from Wisconsin, Minnesota and Arizona. After much anticipation, (the kids close by and Hank had to be bribed with the promise of ice cream) the geyser erupted and we were sprayed with smelly mist!! Obviously, we neglected to consider the direction of the wind when choosing our seats! You live and learn. 

Our next stop was the Grand Prismatic Spring the the Upper Geyser Basin. Wow! Despite the throngs of people jockeying for a good vantage point, we so enjoyed the Grand Prismatic Spring. It was truly other worldly.

We stopped for lunch at a meadow and had the thrill of watching two bison munch away at the grass and then roll around in it to find a comfortable position for a nap. So cool.
 The last leg of our tour of Yellowstone took us through more scenic and pristine portions of the park. We saw large herds of bison. It was quite peaceful. 

We arrived at our lodging for the night, a remote, rustic motel outside of Cooke City – at the beginning of the Bear Tooth Scenic Byway, our route the next day. We had no cell service and very spotty wifi at the motel. And there was no shopping or restaurant nearby. We ate from our “feed bag,” a collection of granola bars, nuts and jerky. Thankfully, we had vodka and the innkeeper gave us ice. All was right in the world.