Beautiful America-Zion, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone

We spent two weeks touring some of the most beautiful scenery in the U.S.A. Ironically, our first meal on the trip was lunch at the Mad Greek restaurant, close to the California/Nevada border.

Our first stop was in St. George, Utah and the next day we went to Zion National Park. The red rock formations reminded us of the Olgas (Kata Tjuta) in Australia. The mountains that formed the canyon walls looked gorgeous with the early morning sun reflecting off of them.

The rock formations were enormous. We took a shuttle through the park, stopping at various locations for breathtaking views. We also hiked on a couple of short trails. We loved the serenity and lack of tourists. The weather was perfect...in the 70's.






Almost every place was closed on Sunday, in Utah, but we found a wonderful small-town Mexican restaurant for dinner. We drove to Cedar City after Zion. The next day, we drove to Provo and to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Temple Square in Salt Lake City is 10 square acres of everything LDS-related. The statues of Adam and Eve wore clothes. We met one female missionary who, coincidentally, lives in our community.

We saw a wedding party on the steps of the main Temple.







We were allowed to go into the Tabernacle where the Morman Tabernacle Choir sings. Here's the organ and stage.



This smaller LDS temple has a Star of David over the front entrance.




Temple Square also had a garden of beautiful flowers.






The next day we drove through Utah, Idaho, and Wyoming. We drove through Teton Pass to get to Jackson, Wyoming.



We were around the 8500 foot level. We strolled through the town of Jackson Hole. Here's an archway made out of antlers.



I thought the outside decor at the Lodge was hilarious.





Even the light fixtures were made out of elk antlers.


The next day, we drove through the Grand Tetons for a few hours. The Greater Yellowstone region has 500 species of animals! We hoped to see at least 10.

The Grand Tetons are 12-14,000 feet high. We picnicked by Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons, in perfect weather in the high 60's. Some beautifu clouds barely hid the top of the Grand Teton peak. We saw a few remaining patches of snow, too.







Patches of fall foliage dotted the flatlands!



We reached Yellowstone via the South entrance around 1 pm. We checked out a few geyser basins before starting the drive around the grand loop. We walked on nice, newer wooden planks to view the geysers and steaming, spouting pools.










The devastation caused by the fires was shocking!. But fallen trees are soon replenished.



We crossed the Continental Divide several times during the trip.


The highlight was Old Faithful, which we saw erupt 4 times! A little girl standing next to me asked when we were going to see "Old Reliable."



We stopped the car along the side of the road whenever we saw bison, which was a lot!









It's difficult to pick out which sunset pictures I like the best. So, here's a few of them.











We stayed at the Lake Hotel in Yellowstone. The lobby was crowded because the rooms didn't have any wi fi, internet capability, or TV's. Local painters and photographers displayed their artwork in the lobby, with a pianist providing background music.

One of the most spectacular places I've ever seen was the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and the Lower Falls on Yellowstone River. The color, the rocks, and the water were gorgeous.







Up by the North entrance to Yellowstone, at Mammoth Hot Springs, lots of female elk and a couple of bull elk were hanging around the town square. It was mating season.

See the bird in front of the tree, next to the elk?

The local plants were colorful.



On our drive we saw stunning rock formations and more geysers, geyser basins, paint pots, and waterfalls.








Another beautiful sunset on our last night in Yellowstone.



On through Wyoming to South Dakota!