Old Faithful Geyser Basin

There's so much to do while in Yellowstone, but we only had part of a day so we hit up some of the highlights you will find when coming from Grand Teton National Park: West Thumb & Old Faithful!

West Thumb is the first major stop you can find when coming from GTNP entrance to Yellowstone.  It's filled with beautiful pools and occasional geysers.

The lake off of West Thumb looks more like an ocean it's so expansive!

Then we traveled onto the Old Faithful area.  Though I've seen Old Faithful numerous times, I've never hiked around all of the geysers that surround this most famous one.  I'm SO glad Byron and Katie suggested to do this!  We saw 3 completely amazing eruptions!

First, we saw Grand Geyser, the tallest most predictable geyser.

 

About 10 minutes after Grand Geyser erupted, we saw Old Faithful erupt, and from the 'backside', which I've never done before.

 

 
Then we met back up with Dad and Kim where we walked to Morning Glory, which is one of the most beautiful pools in the park.  If you come early in the morning, the colors are apparently even more brilliant.  Morning Glory is located at the end of a well paved path about 1.4 miles from the main area of Old Faithful.  You can walk or bike to it.

 



The Color Spectrum of a Pool

On our walk back, we saw Lakeside Geyser Erupt.  This one was probably my favorite.  it was so beautiful!

 

 

 I honestly didn't know there was this much to do and see around Old Faithful Geyser Basin.  I highly recommend taking the time to stop for more than just Old Faithful's Eruption & take a walk around this beautifully unique area.  It really is like you are on another planet!

Like I said, another world...

 

Do you see the buffalo?

 

 

Rainbows Over the Geyser Basin

 

 

 

Always take time for a new adventure!

 

The Beauty of Yellowstone

Grand View Point Hike

On Sunday while in Jackson Hole, we had planned to hike Lake Solitude, but my knee was killing me from my run on Saturday, so we opted for a shorter hike up Grand View Point.

I am so incredibly glad we hiked Grand View Point.  The trail is one that seems rarely traveled, and it's seriously one of the most beautiful views of the Teton Range I've ever seen! 

Just a heads up on getting to the trail head, don't blink!  You may miss the turnoff for the trailhead.  As you are driving north, once you pass Jackson Lake Lodge, look for the next right which is an unmarked, unpaved road which leads to the trail head.  If you cross Pigeon Creek, you've gone too far, turn around and look again for the trail head!  You have to drive about 10-15 min to get to the trail head.  It's at the very end of the long, very bumpy, very unpaved road.

In this picture, we thought maybe we made it to the top and were bummed, then Marlee ran ahead and found the real view point!

 

You Rock Marleekin

The hike itself is steep without many switchbacks, which makes for a quick hike.  I highly recommend this short 2 mile-ish hike to Grand View Point, it's incredibly beautiful!  Truly one of the best views I think I've seen of the Tetons.

 

 

The Girls!  Myself, Marlee & Katie!

 

 

Later that day, we decided to make a trip to Yellowstone since both my brother, Greg, and Katie haven't been.  Stay tuned for 3pm CST today when I'll be posting on this fun trip!

Snake River Float Trip

While in Jackson Hole, I always recommend going to a few places.
 
1.  You must, of course, visit the Teton's, and many visitors enjoy hiking around Jenny Lake to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point.
2.  My favorite food/drink spot...I highly recommend enjoying a bottle of wine and a pizza at the rooftop of Dornans at the Moose Entrance of Grand Teton National Park
3.  If you are choosing an excursion, the options are plentiful from extreme mountain biking to a calm float trip.  I have found though, that a casual float trip through the national park is incredibly enjoyable and would highly recommend taking one!
 

While I lived in Jackson, I went on plenty of float trips down the Snake.  Some were more of a calm drink-in-hand trips with friends, and others were through the rapids of the Snake River.  This, however, was my first float trip within the National Park with the amazing Grand Teton Range views!  We went through National Park Float Trips and really enjoyed our guide, his knowledge, and the calm water with gorgeous views.
 
The company meets you near the Moose entrance at the visitor center and then drives you up to the drop off spot.  You then float about 10 miles back to where you first met in Moose, which just so happens to be right next to Dornans!
 
Here's us excited to get going!

Myself, Marlee, Dad, Kim (peeking out!), and Greg

 

The 'kids' - Greg, myself & Marlee

 

Dad and Kim...the lovers

 

Our Guide

 
And of course some of just the gorgeous views of the Teton Range!
 

 

 

We learned a lot on the trip about the Teton Range and how it was formed.  This side of the range, the Wyoming side, is much more jagged and rugged than the Idaho side due to the youngness of these mountains where they haven't been shaped by harsh winds and the way the Teton Fault shaped these jagged peaks.  The rock in the Teton Range is nearly 2.5 billion years, but the range itself is only about 9 million years.  Learn more about it here.

 

 

 

While on our float we saw plenty of birds and even some bald eagles!  It was beautiful!  We even saw one bathing in the water, Kim has a picture I need to get and I'll put it on here!

 

We also learned a funny story about beavers being introduced to the area.  At one point in time Disney paid a lot of money to film beavers in the 'natural' environment for their documentary, "Beaver Valley".  They paid a zoo to take their beavers for a little bit of filming along the Snake River.  At one point they left the beavers during filming to come back and find they had swam off!  Go figure!  Now there's a lot of beaver dams in the area, thanks Disney :)

 
I loved the float trip, it was totally unexpected from what I normally do while in the Jackson Hole area.  I highly recommend this trip for people of all ages as it's calm, beautiful, and your guide can give you a lot of interesting facts to help keep kids entertained as well!
 
Post our float trip, we enjoyed a delicious lunch and of course shared some wine before heading back to our rental in Teton Village!  Dornans really is one of the best places to enjoy food and drinks with friends.  It should be on your list of stops when you come to Jackson and Grand Teton National Park!
 

 

Come back next Thursday for my recap on Grand View Point Trailhead/Hike and the Geysers of Yellowstone!

 

 
 
 
 
 

Motivation Monday: It's Never Too Late Try Your Dreams!

This quote proudly hangs in my office as a reminder of when I first started Lively Happenings.  I wasn't sure where it would take me, but I'm so happy I've gone on this journey!

On the days I struggle with juggling my full time job and my desire for growth with Lively Happenings, I have to remind myself to never give up and to just keep trying.

I'm constantly trying to be a good wife, family member, friend, co worker, employee and business owner.  Some days it's easy, and others I feel the weight on my shoulders.

Right now, I'm so happy that I have tried and am succeeding!  I LOVE Lively Happenings, and I love that a little over a year ago I decided it was time to try this dream.  I've been enjoying where it's going ever since!  I just hope I, and my designs, keep getting better and better!

Thank you, again, for all of your support!