Day Eleven: Yellowstone National Park

After a stop like Jackson Hole, it's hard to imagine it getting any better!  Then, we hit Yellowstone.  Yellowstone is one of the most beautiful places on the trip.  We headed out of Jackson Hole and traveled through Tenton National Park, man they put the rockies to shame.   Once inside Yellowstone, we went to see Old Faithful.  We lined the area around the famous gyser and anxiously awaited it to blow.  What a wonder it was!

After watching Old Faithful, we stopped at a picnic area along the Yellowstone River and enjoyed a peaceful picnic lunch.  It was a little cold, but it was magnificent! 

Once we ate lunch we went to see some of the other famous areas in Yellowstone.  We went to see the mud volcanoes, and The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, breathtaking!

After leaving the park we went to the small town of West Yellowstone, just outside the west gate of the park for dinner and the IMAX.  It was cool to hear all about the history of the park after just leaving it. 

It was a long day, but a wonderful day!  To bring the day to a close we headed tot he 320 Guest Ranch, in Big Sky.  We got settled in and prepared for the next day.

Day 10: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

By far this is always one of the most memorable and favorite stops on the trip.  On our first full day in Jackson we took the Snow King chair lift to the top of the mountain so that we could see the entire view of the town with the Tetons in the background.  Jackson Hole is really a hole nestled between mountains and hills. The chair lift took about 20 minutes, but the view from the top was worth it. 

After the ride back down, everyone was given ample time to explore the town and enjoy their day at their own pace. 

That evening, we had a group meal at the Saddle ROck Saloon.  This is the restaurant at the Jackson Hole Playhouse.  Our servers sang to us as we ate!  It was awesome!   After our meal we walked back up to the center of town and watched the shootout.  Guess what?  The good guys won!  Once the shoot out was over, it was time to go back to the play house and watch the play, "Footloose"!  It was so good!  Everyone enjoyed it!

 

 

 

Day Nine: Salt Lake City, Utah

Today we had the privilege of seeing one of the most recognized choirs in the country.  We went to Temple Square to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  Temple square is at the center of downtown Salt Lake, acting as the heart of the city.  It is well kept and the area is beautiful.  Today, the choir was preforming in the actual Temple.  Typically, on a Sunday they preform in the conference center because of the large number of people that come to hear them sing.  The Tabernacle was packed.  I don't think there was an empty seat left.  I guess that speaks to how great they are.  We had the pleasure of sitting next to one of the choir members and she showed us some of her music.  Some of the group looked at the music as they were singing the songs.  It was really quite neat!  Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pictures in there but you can enjoy the few I have!

Day Eight: Salt Lake City, Utah

Today we loaded the bus early and hit the road bound for Salt Lake City.  Today is an eventful day, because we have such great places to stop and see along the way.  After driving for a short time, we stopped in Arches national Park.  Arches National Park is in Moab, Utah.  It is very hot and dry but has some pretty amazing red rock formations.  Many of those rock formations are in the shape of natural arches.  We took a few small hikes to see 2 of those arches.  One of them was called Sand Dune Arch, named for the super soft sand surrounding the arch.  The group had a blast playing in the sand and climbing the rocks.  The second arch we hiked to was called The Windows.  It was named because the view from it is like looking through a window across the rest of the park.  Once again, we had some rock climbers!  It is a fun place to stop along the way.

After our stop in Arches, we lunched in the small city of Moab.  Moab is a neat little town in the middle of mountains.  After we left lunch, we were headed straight into Salt Lake City.  Once there, everyone split up for some free time and a dinner of their choice.  It was a great way to wind down after such and eventful day!