I’ve been so busy planning and preparing the past few weeks, I never got around to posting that I was on my way to Yellowstone. If you’re on my facebook, you might have already gotten the heads up yesterday from my ‘sneak peek’:
I flew in to Denver Friday evening, arriving around 8:30, which gave me just enough time to find my way out of the mess that is Denver Airport, my good friend, John (of John M. Sperry Photography), grab a bite to eat and grab a few hours of sleep before hitting the road at 4:30 am. Our little caravan consisted of ourselves, followed in a second vehicle by two friends joining us for the week in Yellowstone National Park.
Most of Saturday was taken up by the drive. I couldn’t pass up a chance to stop for lunch at Lotus Cafe in Jackson, Wyoming. My vegan meal was as amazing as always and my three companions were quite happy with their bison burgers. So, I still highly recommend the stop.
The Tetons enchanted us, holding on to its winter coat of ice and snow, while spring tried its best to break through. I would have loved to have hit one of my favorite trails, but it was under some three feet of snow.
We made our way into Yellowstone and through to the wonderful little town of Gardiner, where our home away from home for the week was located. I hadn’t been able to visit this place– one of my favorite places — since 2012 and I was greeted in the perfect way: I walked into where I was told to pick up the keys for the cabin and was greeted by Heather, an awesome woman I’ve been friends with since my first trip to Yellowstone back in 2010. I hadn’t told her I was coming and I hadn’t known where she was working, creating a nice surprise for the both of us. THAT’S a nice way to arrive in town.
The trip so far has been beautiful, exciting and productive. Grizzlies and cubs, black bears and cubs, bison, elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn antelope, coyote, wolves, deer and a dozen other animals, plus landscapes, sunsets and sunrises. I’ll have plenty to share when I get home next week!