As is my style, I didn't write about those sorts of things at the time, but looking back I can't ignore such an important piece that I left out of my words. Thinking about it right now kind of makes me want to cry, so I'm going to let it be what it is for now. Though I was saddened by my longing to share my trip, I wouldn't trade the experience for anything in the world. These 4 days were an important part of shaping the changes that I have gone through since moving out here, and have become part of who I am. I love this place and time for what it was: beautiful and moving, powerful and raw, insightful and surprising.))
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"Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world I feel like I can't take it, like my heart is going to cave in." - American Beauty
I think for this blog I'm going to talk less and show pictures more (maybe...). While I was on my trip, I spent a lot of time writing about things that I am going through, things I am learning, things I am thinking about.... I think that I'm sort of "written out" about this trip. :)
My school was on fall break this week, so I headed to the Grand Tetons! I checked out the weather before I booked my trip and it looked like it was going to be snowy which, although I generally dislike being cold, didn't seem to bother me much. I packed like I was heading to Alaska and was on my way.
Day 1: October 17th:
I don't understand why people say that Wyoming is boring - I can't speak to the eastern half of the state, but the western half is so, so beautiful. I love the land because it surprises you at every turn and the crest of every hill. It has dimensions and layers the likes of which I have never seen before in my life. The irony of me being told that Wyoming is boring is that the people who tell me this are from Colorado. I have to say that eastern Colorado is hands-down the most uninteresting thing that I have seen in my life, surpassing even a blank white wall. I think that I like Wyoming because it reminds me of me - it's never what it seems and there's so much more to it than what you can see with a glance.
Here is some of Wyoming on my drive to Jackson:
This is called the Table Butte (I think it's the little random one sticking up by itself):
I turned up 191 and headed right into a snowstorm, which was neat but also sad since it blocked out the scenery. The clouds looked thick and I had no idea when they would end; they disappeared far sooner than I'd expected and I was given a breathtaking view of the mountains (which are hard to see in this picture since they blend in with the clouds):
When I arrived in Jackson, I took a short drive into the park to see if I could catch an evening glimpse of the Tetons. There were thick gray clouds surrounding the valley through which I drove, blocking out my view. I headed back to wander around town for a while, hoping that the next day would prove to be more scenic.Day 2: October 18th:
Today was partly cloudy, and the mountains coyly shrugged their shoulders into the veil of clouds preventing me from seeing them for what they were. They looked much more interesting in real life than they do in my pictures; I could see their outlines through the clouds and they slowly faded as they rose from the earth. I think most of my pictures make it look as if the view of the peaks cuts off where the clouds begin.
Here are some of my first beautiful views of the mountains:
Although the leaves had fallen from most of the aspen and cottonwood trees, there were still plenty of beautiful fall colors to see:
I headed up to Yellowstone and was greeted by the sight of thick white smoke rising up from the trees as I entered the park. I wondered if it was a forest fire, until I realized that it was probably a geiser or hot spring.There was a family from Colorado stopped at one of the same turnoffs as me, taking pictures of this river. One of the daughters said to me, "This is such a big river!" I smiled on the inside and the outside, because compared to the rivers in Colorado this one really was huge! Compared to the rivers in Connecticut though, this one was very small.
Of course, I had to see Old Faithful. It was really cold in Yellowstone, luckily I only had to wait about 5 minutes for it to erupt:
This place is called the Black Sand Flats and is near Old Faithful. It was this weird mess of hot poisonous water pools and dead trees:
Here is some exotic Yellowstone wildlife hanging out in the Black Sand Flats:
I have no idea what this area is called, but it's near the big lake in the southern part of the park. It's another cluster of steamy vibrantly-colored pools.
I drove around the lake, which boasted a view of snow-capped mountains all along its perimeter. I reached a road that headed down toward the water and took it, driving all the way into... a herd of buffalo. It was so cool! There were old ones and babies and everything in between, barely looking up at the sound of my car. It was amazing to be so close to them and I sat for a while just watching them wander around.
Here is a view of the mountains around the lake:
Driving back toward the Grand Tetons from the north, I probably had my best views of them all day. 
((and quite possibly the best picture I've ever taken...))
On my way back to Jackson, I saw a beautiful elk grazing in a field by himself:
I saw a ton of neat wildlife on this day: buffalo and elk herds, trumpeter swans, some flock of birds that looked like loons, exotic black crows, a coyote, an eagle... and I think that's all.Day 3: October 19th:
This morning I got up early to see if I could catch the sunrise. A consultation with weather.com informed me that it was probably snowing, but I figured I'd give it a shot anyways.
When I reached the mountains, I learned that it was indeed snowing and the visibility was terrible. I turned around and headed back toward Jackson and met a herd of Elk crossing the road:
Deciding that the mountains were a lost cause today, I took a drive into Idaho instead! It was so beautiful...
Day 4: October 20th:
I had to leave today, and I really didn't want to go. This place is so beautiful and it felt so good to be there. I woke up and it was drizzling in Jackson, which meant it was snowing in the mountains:
I figured I'd take a different route home than the one I'd used to arrive. Please note that the road heading east out of the park toward Dubois goes over the mountains and is very difficult to navigate during a big snow storm. Let's just say I was very relieved to make it out alive.This picture was taken near Dubois, and made me sad to think of the mountains that were surrounding the area that I couldn't see since they were buried in the clouds:
I'd love to go to this area again, and when I do I'm going to take this route in. The mountains were folding so beautifully behind me, I can only imagine how they would look unfolding before me.I drove through the Wind River Indian Reservation, which had some very neat land formations:
I had a slight glimpse of the toes of the mountains sticking out from the clouds, their blue-black slopes dotted with patches of snow.
I want to see it all in the sun! My trip was beautiful as it was, but I'd definately like to see the mountains when they're not hiding from me. :)
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