Day 3: Yellowstone NP to Grand Teton NP
Grand Prismatic Spring, Old Faithful, TA Moulton Barn
Once the sun was up we got to work packing back up the tent and loading up the car. We realized that the Beaver Creek Campground that we thought looked kind of creepy at night (patches of fog rolling through and no lights) turned out to be a very quaint campground. It also had new toilet facilities (we’re talking pit toilets — don’t get too excited) and a nice view.
The first stop was breakfast. The only fast food place open in the nearby town of West Yellowstone was a McDonald’s. When it became our turn to order we asked for 8 Sausage McMuffins (presumably at around a dollar each). The worker casually presented the total at $34. We asked if they had any dollar menu items to which they replied no. How someone can charge $4.25 for a Sausage McMuffin is beyond me. So we ate granola bars and pop tarts instead.
Next we drove back into Yellowstone and went to the Grand Prismatic Springs. The size of this thing is pretty amazing.
From there we drove a short distance to Old Faithful. The parking lot is huge in comparison to all the other stops in the park, but it too still fills up. As we arrived we spotted a sign that the next eruption would be in 3 minutes so we walked quickly to watch Old Faithful. We waited 10 minutes, and then 20 minutes, and finally after 33 minutes Old Faithful went off. It was funny how every few minutes someone in the crowd would say something like “I think it’s starting” and hundreds of onlookers would look up from their phones, be disappointed to see nothing, and then look back at their phones.
After the geyser erupted we walked a few miles around the park.
Then we left for Grand Teton National Park. On the way we stopped at the continental divide. We wanted to claim a campground before complete darkness today. Lucky for us, Ventre Campground had open spots.
We were ready for dinner and settled on the Dairy Queen in Jackson, WY. Afterwards we drove to the T.A. Moulton Barn and took pictures at sunset.
Tomorrow we do a hike through the Tetons.
