Day 32 (On to Wyoming and Idaho)

Day 32
July 23, 2006
Midway, UT to Yellowstone NP, WY (342 miles)

We decided to see how fast we could break camp this morning. Emily was the time keeper and we all worked as fast as we could to put things away, pack, fold up the trailer and hitch it to the van. 23 minutes! Practice does make perfect.

It was about 8:30 AM when we hit the road for Yellowstone. This was a day for crossing state lines. After ten nights in Utah, we finally left the “Beehive State” this morning when we crossed into Wyoming on I-80. We didn’t stay in Wyoming for long, though, as our route took us back into Utah for a while. In fact, during our trek north today we started in Utah, crossed into Wyoming, back into Utah, back into Wyoming, into Idaho, and, finally, back into Wyoming. We were in Idaho for less than 10 minutes, but we all agreed we should add it to the list of states we’ve been in on this trip. This brings the total to 13, counting Maryland.

As we drove north in Wyoming, we gradually gained altitude and the land became a bit more lush, with trees eventually dotting the countryside. We followed part of the Oregon Trail along the Salt and Snake Rivers through SMALL towns including Smoot (population 100). As we drove down the main drag through Afton, we suddenly were greeted by a huge arch constructed of elk antlers that went from sidewalk to sidewalk over 6 lanes plus a concrete median. There must have been hundreds of antlers in the arch. A modest sign attached to it said “World’s Largest Elkhorn Arch.” Who were we to doubt it? Apparently elk antler arches are sources of civic pride not just in Afton, but in other Wyoming towns, including Jackson, which has four in its town plaza.

Speaking of Jackson, we loved it. After driving more than 250 miles, the majority of it on 2-lane roads, we needed a break. Jackson provided just the opportunity. It turned out to be a great place to stop. All of us remarked at how much it reminded us of Santa Fe’s Plaza, with a bit less of an artsy bent and a bit more of a wilderness one. We also thought it resembled Bar Harbor and Lake Placid in ways. Most of the streets in the town center were lined by 2-story storefronts with covered boardwalks rather than concrete sidewalks. Several real estate offices showed listed properties in their windows with asking prices as high as $5 million for a single residence. Clearly this is a prized vacation spot.

Shortly after we left Jackson, headed north out of town, the fabulous Grand Teton peaks came into view. Even though we’ve been looking at mountains and rocks for the past 3+ weeks, these impressed us immediately. They were in a league of their own. They looked to be between 3,000 and 5,000 feet tall, mostly bare stone and snow-capped, even in late July. To their east were lush meadows, populated with wild bison roaming freely which added to their majesty. It was all Frank could do to watch the road for the hour it took to drive past the Teton on our way to Yellowstone.

We drove more than 20 miles within Yellowstone Park before we came to Grant Village where our campsite was located. After we set up, we looked closely at a park map and were a bit startled to see that we were still on the park’s fringe. Yellowstone is HUGE. We wonder if three days here will be enough to see everything.

We ate dinner in our campsite and then drove to a nearby laundry facility to wash clothes. Like all things in Yellowstone, the laundry facility was very large and busy, with dozens of people washing and folding clothes.

Before going to bed we complied with all the directives we received about bear-proofing our campsite…