Home Sweet Home At Last

We made it home safely.  It is so good to be here and sleep in my own bed after two full weeks on the road.  This truly was the trip of a lifetime.  I am blessed beyond measure to have made this trek across our great land.  There were endless sights to see and treasures to visit.  We saw them all and I am beyond grateful for this opportunity.  I will never forget the many special moments of this trip, and they will forever be immortalized in the pages of this blog.  

Idaho Springs - Greenwood, CO - A Last Hurrah!

 We made our way to Idaho Springs Wednesday night and stayed in a newly remodeled Uplift Inn.  It was super nice and we had a suite, so there was plenty of room for us.  We got up Thursday morning and took a train ride up the mountains in Greenwood.  It was a a beautiful trip up to the Rocky mountain top!  It was the last of our tourist attractions this trip.  And, as usual, it didn't disappoint.  

    

Canyonlands National Park

Before leaving Moab, Utah, we visited Canyonlands National Park.  It was our first visit to this park, and it certainly did not disappoint.  The landscape is absolutely amazing in any direction you look.  We took a few short hikes from areas to pull off the main drive thru the park to see these amazing views.

     

A truly beautiful park!  This is a place to put on your "Don't Miss This" list.  We left Canyonlands and headed for Idaho Springs, Colorado, knocking out quite a few miles on our treck home.  

On The Road Again . . .

We ended our day Monday in Salt Lake City, Utah.  What a nice city.  It was clean and full of night life.  Before leaving Tuesday morning we drove by the Latter Day Saints Temple.  Unfortunately, they are in the process of doing repairs to the exterior of the building, so it was surrounded by scaffolding, and we didn't get to see much.  

Once we were back on the highway, we made our way to Arches National Park in Moab, Utah.  I didn't even know this park existed until talking with a geologist in line at the Old Faithful Grill in Yellowstone Park.  He suggested we visit when I told him we'd be visiting Canyonlands National Park.  The two parks are both in Moab, just across the highway from one another.  Enjoy the photos of Arches National Park below.  

        

We spent the night at an Airbnb in Moab.  It was a three-bedroom condo overlooking the mountains.  This trip just keeps giving us great scenery.  It has been just fantastic!

It's Time To Head Home

 It's hard to believe that we left home 10 days ago and it's time to head home already.  We packed up and waved goodbye to the cabin we called home in Island Park, ID.  This was my first time renting through Airbnb and it couldn't have been better.  We will definitely do this again.  Our host, Chris was fantastic.  He was available to answer questions anytime something popped up.  The cabin was comfortable and had all of the things you need in a home away from home.  

Before leaving Idaho, we visited Mesa Falls.  What a gorgeous place this is.  A great way to start the day.  Enjoy a few photos of the beautiful scenery.  The sun was shining perfectly to create a fabulous rainbow in almost every shot.  The hike to the falls was easy and surrounded by lovely woods with lots of pretty flowers.  It was a great hike.

Day 6 - We Were Off to See The Grand Tetons

We hit the road Sunday morning through southern Yellowstone on our way to see the Grand Tetons.  There was beautiful scenery along the way, just like everywhere we've been on this vacation.  I'm sharing photos of a waterfall we discovered along the say, a cute little chipmunk we saw running along the pathway, as well as pics taken from a boat ride we took on Jackson Lake to get up close and personal with the Tetons.  The sky was moody, but it just added to the grandeur of these mountains.  

   

As we were headed back to the marina to dock the boat we discovered a kayaker who had flipped his kayak and was in the water unable to get back into his kayak.  Our Captain radioed emergency services to come out and assist.  Our boat stayed with the kayaker until help arrived.  

The final pic is out the window as we were driving away from the Tetons.  What a wonderful place this is.  I highly recommend a visit if you find yourself in the area.  

Day 5 - Yellowstone Upper Geyser Basin

Once Todd and Jory were on the road, we packed up and headed back to Yellowstone's Upper Geyser Basin.  Yes, we'd already seen Old Faithful, but there is so much more to see there.  The highlight of our afternoon was Castle Geyser.  She put on quite a show for us.  We waited for almost two hours to see Grand Geyser erupt but finally threw in the towel when it was more than an hour and a half past its projected eruption time.  Go figure . . . about 20 minutes after we started hiking toward our next destination, we could see the steam rising and we knew it erupted.  Maybe next time we'll catch this one.  

Enjoy just a few photos of the many unusual sites we visited in the Upper Geyser Basin.

       

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It's easy to see why it's so hard to leave this place.  It's simply a wonder.  

And to finish off our day we had Firehole BBQ for dinner in West Yellowstone, MT.  It was super delicious.  Their quaint little diner was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives a few years ago.  Guy Fieri couldn't get enough of their BBQ.  It's easy to see why when you stop in for dinner or lunch.  If you're ever in West Yellowstone, you should definitely give them a try.

Day 5 - Started with Breakfast at Radu Waffles & Cones

 Saturday morning started off with breakfast at Radu Waffles & Cones.  This is a one-man shack that serves fabulous fancy waffles, cones, and specialty coffees.  I had the berry waffle that came covered in strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream.  Oh my, it was to die for.  There was any combination of fruit, waffle, whipped cream, and syrup you can imagine.  Seating was only outdoors, which was perfect.  It was a sunny, cool, crisp morning -- perfect for the start of a wonderful Saturday.

       

After breakfast Todd and Jory started their journey home.  We're sure gonna miss them the next few days.  It's been an incredible week.  

Wildlife in the Park

 

We've seen lots of buffalo in the park.  It seems each day we see more and more.  And the later in the day we leave the park, the more we see.  It's common to see a whole field of buffalo and it's just as common to see one lone buffalo with no others to be seen nearby.

      

We saw this beautiful red fox as we were leaving the park one night.

      


The raven was hanging out at Lake Yellowstone Marina and the Great Blue Heron was in the river.  

Day 4 - Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - Upper Falls

Pulling into the lot to view the brink of the upper falls I know we were all hoping and praying the walk to the lookout would be easy to moderate.  We had had enough strenuous exercise for the day.  

Much to our surprise, the walk was easy and shaded.  At the first lookout we were able to see the sun shining through the mist at the bottom of the falls creating a beautiful rainbow.  I must have snapped 20 photos.  It was just so gorgeous.  I'll spare you the rest of them.  

                       

Day 4 - Grand Canyon of Yellowstone - Lower Falls

Friday was all about Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and enjoying the beauty and ultimate power of the upper and lower falls.   Enjoy a few pictures and videos of the lower falls.  It was quite a hike down to see the brink of the falls, but it was well worth it.  There were a few of our group questioning whether it was worth the hike back to the top.  It was rough!

The sights were breathtaking, and pictures cannot begin to do justice to the wonder the lower falls are.  

I took a million more pictures, but there is just no way to share them all here.