Epic National Parks Trip: Leaving Yellowstone and Lake

On Wednesday, June 5th, we sadly departed from the RV park in Gardiner, MT which had become our temporary home. We were headed south, destination: Rawlins, Wyoming. We chose to route through Yellowstone, driving through an area we hadn't yet seen along Yellowstone Lake. On our way down through the park, some bison stopped traffic as a fitting farewell.

Bison jam in Yellowstone

We decided to stop near Yellowstone Lake to eat a quick lunch. Somewhat by accident, we ended up at the Lake Yellowstone Hotel, which is actually the oldest hotel in Yellowstone, built in 1891. Its setting along the pristine lake with distant mountain scenery is stunning!

We boiled some hot dogs in the motor home and ate on a dock right there on the lake, across from the hotel. We also explored the gift shop and restrooms in the historic lodge.

Yellowstone Lake selfies!

 From Lake, we continued south, back through Grand Teton National Park. No one was sad to see these majestic mountains one more time!

Mini Cooper (Chris and Mom), followed by Drew and Jamie with the trailer. I took the photo from the front seat of Dad's motor home.

 Some of us witnessed an incredible sight as we pulled over in Grand Teton NP to top off the vehicles with fuel. A grizzly bear crossed the road in front of traffic, then seemed to lunge or interact somehow with some people in a car directly in front of the Mini Cooper, which Chris was driving with Mom in the passenger seat. Drew and Jamie and the kids watched the whole thing, but Dad and I were in the motor home with our line of sight blocked by Drew's trailer, so we were speculating about why everyone was stopped and what was going on up ahead. I was so disappointed that I missed a grizzly up close like that!

We stopped for dinner somewhere in Wyoming... I can't even remember the name of the town. We had to take a picture of Noah and me with our new Yellowstone shirts.

We were treated to yet ANOTHER fantastic double rainbow as we drove through Wyoming. I didn't get a good photo of it, but we could see the entire thing--I don't recall being able to see where one started and ended before this beauty. 

We stayed at the Western Hills Campground and RV Park in Rawlins, WY. It suited our purpose but was basically a glorified parking lot. The memorable thing about it was that, prior to our arrival, Drew remarked that he was surprised not to have seen any trains or train tracks all the way through Wyoming. Naturally, we heard loud trains that sounded like they were blasting right through the RV park all night as we slept. We forbade Drew from any more random observations that might jinx us again.

Next stop: Great Sand Dunes National Park!