Day 264. Yosemite National Park

Yosemite National Park; California
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Idaho and a little Montana

After leaving Yellowstone, I briefly drove through Montana.  I think I need more time in this state because my experience there was confusing; I’m sure it was just the one town I stopped in, but the few people I talked to all had different — seemingly foreign — accents, yet claimed to be locals.  The fact that one of them sounded like Crocodile Dundee yet said he lived in the town his whole life was very unexpected.  The town itself was also a mix between cheap boardwalk arcade and wild west ghost town.  The landscape, however, was amazing.

Traveling at Sunset

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Yellowstone National Park; Wyoming

Continued on to Yellowstone after Grand Teton.  Given the park is over 3,000 sq. miles and extends into three states, I only traveled through a small portion of it.  While I was surprised to find much of the park a little underwhelming (beautiful, untouched land sure, but nothing overly unique from what I saw back home), it was hard not to be impressed when I finally reached the Geyser Basin.

Snake River in Yellowstone looking towards Grand Teton

Snake River in Yellowstone looking towards Grand Teton

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Day VIII: Grand Teton Nat’l Park

Driving through Wyoming was utterly beautiful.  My only requests for my next visit would be to consider the idea of actually using radio to broadcast music, adding cell phone reception at least sporadically, or even to just consider having one restaurant opened past sundown.

Storm Passing Through Wyoming

Storm Passing Through Wyoming

I made it into the hotel at about 10:30 pm local time and quickly gained an understanding for the reason this particular place was marked down 35%.  I’ll start by admitting that it was an improvement over my living situation in Utah, where I slept clothed–not only for fear of the cleanliness of the dingy room–but also to keep all the flies from landing on any exposed skin.  It also appeared that previous tenants had used the hotel carpeting to relieve themselves, and judging by the appearance of the bathroom itself, I find it hard to blame them.

While the place in Wyoming didn’t have the bug problem, it also didn’t have a working heater/AC unit, phone, tv, bedroom lighting, hot water, or the internet connection they promised me.  The complex was clearly seasonal, and was just opening up for the winter tourists they’d host for skiing. Judging by the smell of the room, this place hadn’t been touched in six-months.

I got up for sunrise yet again, and was surprised to find that half the town apparently lines-up outside a local breakfast joint everyday, trying to be the first to get a seat when they open at 6am.  I guess I’d need to live in a small, remote town to understand.

Grand Teton National Park

Compared to where I was yesterday, the difference between the daily high temperatures was 50-degrees.  I was set-up for about 45-minutes to get this shot, both waiting for the fog to clear and for the lighting to become just right.  It was well-worth the wait.

Lessons Learned: When visiting Wyoming, rent an American-made truck.  It wasn’t until about thirty-minutes after crossing the border that I finally spotted another foreign-made vehicle.  It took even longer to find one that was a sedan.

Grand Teton National Park

The tallest peak reaches to over 13,000 feet

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Day VII: Moab, Utah

Arches National Park; Moab, Utah
Hiking in Arches National Park; Moab, Utah

Hiking in Arches National Park; Moab, Utah

Arches National Park; Moab, Utah
Arches National Park; Moab, Utah
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