Wow that was a long "oh I just won't blog today". Today turned into "well I have to get ready for vacation" and then Vacation was in the lovely Yellowstone National Park and Grand Tetons and you get no reception there, and if you want Wi-Fi you have to go to a hotel a pay $5 an hour.... But I did manage to get a few pictures up on Instagram (Follow me @ xjasminemariex) when we were in civilization. Otherwise here's the official break down of my trip:
We live in Chicago but decided to drive to Yellowstone leaving at 10pm on a Tuesday - it's about a 21 hour drive - we managed to turn it into 24. There was a lot of road construction and a lot of stopping to use the restroom.
We got there and driving into the park at night is scary! The Elk are running across the road and you can only drive about 30 miles an hour in the PITCH BLACK. I was so scared I was going to hit something. I saw a coyote (So cute!) and 4 Elk in the first 30 minutes. Elk are BIG - I did not realize quite how big - like horse size. Anywhoo... We set up camp and here is some of the AMAZINGNESS in pictures that is Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons that we enjoyed over the next 4 days.
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| It was cold - like 45 degrees so please excuse the 6 layers I have on and that I WILL have my sunglasses on in every condition! Also the first of many geysers behind me! |
I had to hike 3 miles to see Mystic Falls but it was so lovely - also it had been reported earlier that a grizzly had been spotted in the area, but I strapped my big girl panties on and hiked it anyway. (We have a bear bell and bear spray and Ken has confronted a Grizzly while hiking before...so it wasn't totally crazy or anything).
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| Sapphire Pool is amazing! The water is over 200 degrees so all the "stuff" that could be in the water is boiled away and you only see Blue, seriously amazing. |
This is Morning Glory Pool and it's not quite as hot - so you see bacteria in all colors of the rainbow radiating out from the hot center. It used to be more vibrant but people have thrown coins and other stuff into these delicate eco-systems and it changes them. BAD TOURISTS, BAD!
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| Mammoth Hot Springs - the pictures just do not do these things justice. |
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| Old Faithful! And the seriously 500 people taking pictures of it.  I made a GIF!
I have about 200 more pictures but I'll share just one more from Grand Teton.
 Its a whole lot of amazing! If you haven't made the journey - do! I have been 3 times (13, 20 & now 34 years old) And it was amazing to me each time. So now I need to know where I should camp next! Here is where I have been: Glacier National Park Yosemite - but only a quick pass thru Sleeping Bear Dunes Apostle Islands Northern Minnesota Arrowhead Garden of the Gods Mt Rushmore & the Badlands Devils Tower So Let me know where I should run off to in September! I also received 4 packages while I was gone so new indie makeup products are coming your way! Thanks for sticking with me while I was gone :) Jasmine
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Awesome photos!!!! Love your GIF :) Apostle Islands sounds like a great place to run off to!
ReplyDeleteApostle Island is really pretty but LOTS of bears. We went kyaking up there and I seriously got 'sea' sick the waves were so big.
Deletegorgeous! my best friend is working in Yellowstone for the summer and she is loving every minute!
ReplyDeleteI wondered about all the people working up there, they seemed like they were having fun!
DeleteWow those pools look amazing, especially the sapphire one!
ReplyDeleteIt is a really amazing place, so much gorgeous natural beauty in one place!
Deletewow I would love to go there but I don't think I can drive 24 hours. Looks so pretty! I'm scared of bears though. Glad you had a fun and safe trip.
ReplyDeleteOh I'm so scared of getting mauled by a bear, but as long as you practice safe "bear practices" its very rare something will happen. You could break up the trip into 2 twelve hour days (we did that on the way back) and make your son drive for a bit!
ReplyDeleteWow, the pictures are just beautiful! The Sapphire pool is gorgeous! I'm not an outdoorsy girl, so camping is not for me...neither are bears. LOL Oh my gosh, that drive...yeah, that's not for me either. LOL Glad you had a great time though and thanks for sharing your beautiful pictures.
ReplyDeleteA lot of people say camping is not for them, but there are different levels of "camping" if you have an RV, it's hardly camping at all! We do the tent thing... And truly I am not "outdoorsy". I hate the sun. The drive sucks, no way around it, but you get to see a lot of the country and I think that's good for you :) Thanks for stopping by!
DeleteAmazing pictures! Glad you had a good trip & welcome back.
ReplyDeleteIt was lots of fun, we're already plotting our next trip. I think the Grand Canyon, or a trip down I-5 from WA to CA.
DeleteWOW! Looks like such an amazing trip!! I really want to do this sometime...but we'd have to rent a car so that adds on quite a bit of expense. After seeing these pictures though, seems like it might be worth it! Also, I totally know what you mean about those giant elk! I was driving with my friend in Colorado in November and there were three of them just chillin on the side of the road - I couldn't believe how big they were!
ReplyDeleteYou know what they say--they identify the poop of a bear that has eaten a tourist because it has bear bells in it and smells like pepper spray. :D Glad you stayed safe. Your pictures are beautiful. It is so beautiful in the West, I would love to go back to Grand Teton if I get a chance...I'm not a "camper" though. We did lots of camping in 20-degree weather in the middle of nowhere when I was a teen so I think that conditioned me to dislike it :D
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