Part 2. Tetons and the Bitterroots Mountains

Part 2.
We made the final stop in Yellowstone and watched old Faithful, with about several hundred people.
Then rolled out and into the Grand Tetons National Park.  We didn't have reservations (again because it wasn't quite peak season) but drove into Colter Bay Campgroud and got a spot. Traveling with the jeep is great because we use tent spots, and in this park those were the really great spots. *I have heard Jenny Lake is phenomenal, however I was worried we weren't early enough for a spot there and didn't want to miss our chance at Colter Bay.
From the campsites it's a short walk (5 minutes) to the lake with impressive views of the Grand Tetons.  We packed a beverage, sat and enjoyed.  The only thing that would've made it better was our paddle boards.  We spent 2 nights here, because we hiked in the Tetons the next day.  Honestly I could've spent several days in the national park exploring.  It was not as busy as Yellowstone, there are so many hikes easily accessible at varying degrees of distance and difficulty.  Alas we were on a road trip and needed to keep going.  A place that had been on a longtime bucket list was Jackson Hole, WY. so out of the national park we went and right into Jackson.  We stayed at the White Bufffalo Club, it was great.  Had a beer and dinner at the Snake River Brewing, also good.  The town itself is easy to see on foot, beautiful and packed with great restaurants. I was glad to stay a night there, but next time would camp in the park and drive in.

We were undecided on our route from here.  We debated heading towards Stanley and camping in the Sawtooth Mountains, however the appeal of the Patagonia Outlet in Dillon, MT lead us to the Bitterroots.

The drive between Jackson and Dillon was beautiful.  We settled on camping at Lake Como. We both agreed coming back next year and exploring the Bitterroots is in order. I instantly fell in love with this area.

I know this was my husbands birthday trip, but I feel like he gave me such a gift on this trip.  Seeing the country in a way I have never seen before.  I can't wait for more!

* one note, while I love to disconnect I had my 21 and 16 year old kids staying at my house.  I have AT&T and rarely had cell service on this trip. Not knowing where we were going I tried to pop into places that had WiFi and message my kids ahead of time our plan, and check in with them.  This definitely made me nervous at times!

The Almost a Half Century Road Trip

In June my husband and I embarked on a 10 day road trip. My husband was turning 50 in July and his perfect way to celebrate was a road trip.  Being a gal that absolutely loves flying and often gets motion sick in the car, my initial response was less than excited.  However, as it got closer to leaving we had a few planned stops that I really wanted to see, like Bozeman MT and Jackson WY.  We planned hotels in these places, and the rest if the trip would be unscheduled and go where the jeep took us!
For the road trip we downloaded several audible books.  As an avid reader with little time to read this was downright amazing!

Because my husband is a true gentleman, and even though this was his birthday trip he wanted to ensure I was comfortable and had a good time.  We decided the first day we wouldn't drive more than 6 hours.  We camped the first night along the St. Joe river  (thanks to our nephew for that tip).  Truly beautiful, it did rain but the drive along the St Joe was absolutely breathtaking.

Next few nights, after a quick stop in Missoula we spent falling in love with Bozeman.  Rick's family is from Bozeman and his great-great grandfather started Bozeman Brewing before prohibition.  His family also owned the Lehrkind Mansion so we walked all over visiting all the sights.
I would highly recommend the hotel we stayed at call The Lark. The staff was the friendliest I have ever encounter, location is walking distance to everything in town, and the newly remodeled rooms were great!

Then onto Yellowstone, we entered through the North.  Camped in Yellowstone at Canyon Campground.  Here's the thing about Yellowstone, it's worth seeing, just also not lingering there long.  We were there the first week of June, technically before the busy time....if there is such a thing.  I didn't love the campground.  It was OK for proximity to get up and get a head start on the day and sights which was essential (early am's and evening were less crowded), but you felt like they crammed as many people as possible into the campground.  We had a good laugh as the temps while we were there dropped to 25 degrees.  That evening we ate cheese and smoked salmon on a plate in the jeep while watching a movie on the Ipad, because it was too cold to be outside.  Sleeping in the jeep was fine, I packed appropriately to stay warm, just couldn't hang out outside comfortably!

 This was our inside the jeep date night!  Thank goodness for pre-downloading Netflix movies!

These are some of the highlights.  Like I said it is worth seeing.  I took a ton of photos, but I don't believe any can truly to do the beauty justice.  We also saw bison and a grizzly cub, would love to be there at a time to see the wolves.

Part 2...The Tetons, Jackson and the Bitterroots will be the next post!