Just south of Yellowstone lies a smaller park called Grand Teton National Park. The Teton range is a 40 mile long range of snow peaks along Wyoming’s western border. On the east side of the range is the Snake River along with several lakes. This park also is filled with wildlife, and after seeing so many warning signs, never got out of the truck without bear spray. A major attraction here is South Jenny Lake Junction. Here there is a visitors center, lots of trails, a shuttle boat to the far side of the lake, and the closest view of the Tetons yet.

In the center of Yellowstone is the caldera, the crater left by the volcano some 600 centuries ago. The Hayden Valley is in the northeast corner of the caldera and is home to many of the 5000 bison in the park. One picture below is of a herd of bison crossing a creek in the valley with hot springs in the distance. Many trees in the park have bark rubbed off from the bears and deer. Mammoth Hot Springs, on the north edge of the park is a collection of hot springs that have moved the limestone into constantly changing shapes of travertine. Also, the area here, just north of the Teton range, is mountainous. As the snow on the peaks melts, there is a lot of water coming down in creeks and rivers dropping in elevation fast enough to form rapids and water falls all thru the park.

Yellowstone National Park is such an amazing place! The first thing everyone thinks of is Old Faithful. This geyser is the most famous attraction here, and it is something to see, but there is so much more. So far we have only toured the west side of the park, and here the buffalo roam everywhere. Although wild, they are peaceful enough to stroll by and let you take a picture. The elk we saw were laying 35 feet off the road and posed for many stopping for pictures. Geothermal energy forms geysers, hot springs, steam vents, mud pots, and more entertain throughout the park. Hard to imagine that this is all due to the super volcano below, that has erupted in the past with the force of thousands of atomic bombs, and will again.

This little town of about 1000 people claims the title of the first city in the world to lit by nuclear power back in 1955. The finest restaurant in town is Pickle’s Place serving the world famous Atomic Burger. A park in town has the sail from the ‘Devil Boat’, the USS Hawkbill, SSN-666, a sturgeon class nuclear sub. As strange as this town is, the surrounding area gets stranger. Idaho National Labs owns about 900 square miles just east of here. Two state routes traveling east out of Arco cross INL property. The property is completely restricted except for EBR-1, a now decommissioned breeder reactor that now a museum open to the public (other than this summer – thanks again, Covid19). Southeast of Arco is Atomic City. Once a larger town where workers at INL lived, it now is mainly one bar, one stock car racetrack, and 27 inhabitants, almost a ghost town. Getting stranger, just northwest of Arco is Craters of the Moon National Monument. Formed only 2100 years ago by volcanic activity, the volcanic rock has not had time to break down into soil.

Here by the Snake River Canyon, the water drops quite a distance in a series of waterfalls. The namesake falls are several miles upstream, but it was reduced to a single fall when the Milner hydro dam was built just upstream. Between the city and Twin Falls is Shoshone Falls, a spectacular site where the falls are higher than those at Niagra Falls. And just to the west of Shoshone lies the place where Evel Knievel attempted to fly across the canyon on a rocket powered cycle in 1974. After investing over a million dollars, his attempt failed. And just a few miles west of the jump site is the Perrine Bridge, where Route 93 connects I-84 to the city of Twin Falls. You can park at the visitors center at the bridge and take a walk along the Canyon Rim Trail for some beautiful pictures.

Home to the Mormon faith, we visited Temple square where we saw the Tabernacle, the SLC Temple, and the Assembly Hall. Although the buildings are closed, there were LDS representatives available to answer questions and tell the stories of the faithful. After walking the square, we headed off to the Tracy Aviary, a zoo and sanctuary for many birds from plovers to eagles. Another day, we travelled to the Utah Olympic Park. This is where the Winter Olympics were held in 2002. We toured the museums and saw the ski jumps and ski hills, although it is not quite as impressive as it is with snow!

Cedar Breaks National Monument is the little brother of Zion and Bryce as it is only three miles long. What makes it special is the rim here is over 10000 feet high and the drop to the canyon floor is over 2000 feet. Visiting on Memorial Day, it is surprising that the park is so empty. Unfortunately, the trails are closed so no hiking today

Bryce Canyon is a continuation of the rock formation seen in Zion which is about 70 miles to the southwest. The colors, the sheer rock cliffs, and the great job the park services have done building overlooks give people views that are indescribable . We came to Bryce on the Saturday before Memorial Day and although there were a lot of people, many wore masks and most practiced social distancing.

So we arrived safely in Hurricane Utah. Entering the southwest corner of Utah, you. first pass through St George, a growing town in a valley between the hills here. Hurricane is a few miles east. From there to Zion is about 30 minutes. Our first day there was the third day after reopening and they had some things closed but most were open. The park is a long narrowing canyon with shear rock walls. Daylight and shadows intensify the colors and trails bring you so very close to the wall so you can see the water weeping thru the rocks. Like other major canyons, it is amazing what water can carve over thousands of years. Day two, we turned north just before the park entrance and drove up into the Zion wilderness. There, north of the park, your focus is not limited to the narrow canyon, but to the hills, valleys, and mountains far out in the distance. Day three, we visited Sand Hollow State Park. This good size reservoir is surrounded red rock and sand. Truly something for everyone with swimming, fishing, boating, dunes for atvs, and more.

Leaving the cool crisp mountain air in Arizona, we travelled west to Boulder City, a town southeast of Vegas. It sits next to Lake Mead and Hoover Dam. Once again, Covid19 bit me in the ass. We crossed a bridge coming into town that has got a perfect view of the dam except that they have a wall so high that even a semi could not see over it. The dam is closed to visitors but I drove past two signs to get to the gate. Two guards stopped me, but all I wanted to know is where we could a view of the dam. The response was…. wait for it…. If you could see it, it wouldn’t be very secure. What? Are they afraid of a rocket propelled covid19 bomb hitting the dam? The access to Lake Mead is open including beaches, bike/hike paths, marina, etc. Next day we headed into Vegas to see the strip. The ‘new’ strip is huge, beautiful, and completely empty. We’re talking apocalyptic movie level empty. The news said it is a bicyclist’s paradise, but we saw very few bikes. We also got to spend some time with Claudia’s niece and her husband.