Journey Day 5 - Cody to Wilson (Yellowstone 2)

Today was mainly travelling from East of Yellowstone to the south of Grand Teton entering Yellowstone via the East gate and exiting by the South so taking in the lower right of the Park on a map.
The first stage was the 50 mile run to East Gate but this is no trial as it is a stunningly beautiful road with cliffs of all colours, green valleys, sections of forest, wonderful rock sculptures on a grand scale featuring pinnacles and combs reaching into the sky. It is described as the Shoshone National Forest but 'forest' does not represent the terrain.

Once in the Park, Yellowstone Lake is on the left for a long time. The lake is so large it has waves and beaches and it reflected the amazing blue of the clear morning sky.
Now, the truth is t that driving the passage from East to South is not a patch on the drama and beauty of the North West on day 4. The road is busy and confined with unburned forest a lot of the way. Much of the Park shows damage from the 1998 and 2003 massive fires and it seemed unusual to have a dense mature canopy. I find forests enjoyable but driving through them can be dull as side views are non-existent.

The highlight of the day was West Thumb geo-thermal area where pools coloured by temperature band living bacteria were mixed among gurgling hot springs. If you visit, make sure you walk the full boardwalk route parallel to the sea shore where the best features are to be seen.

Moose Deer in the shade by thermal spring

A 30ft waterfall near Lewis Lake was a very short walk from the road and made a break from driving.

Picnic lunch was provided by Subway in Cody before we left together with crisps and drinks from the cooler box which we loaded with ice from the lodge reception this morning. After lunch we set off south through Yellowstone south gate and the edge of Grand Teton to Jackson occasionally stopping at interest points.

crossing the divide where waters flow toward Pacific or Atlantic coasts

Lewis river

Grand Teton mountains

Buffalo and Prong Horns by road to Jackson

We are both feeling really tired so we kept going down to Jackson which turned out to be a really busy congested town. We had a quick look and decided to head to out our accommodation near Teton Village arriving 5-ish.

Accommodation

Our last 2 nights have been at Cody Cowboy Lodges which we really enjoyed. Breakfast was a simple continental in reception with the odd feature of 'Gravy' which to me was Cream of Mushroom soup eaten over unsweetened scone. Tried it once, never again.

Tonight we have an airbnb near Teton Village, a new experience for us. We have the upstairs and generally the run of the place as our host Carey lives in a trailer outside. However, tonight she has her son over to dinner so we're in the bedroom. No air-con or TV up here but we have fans and a gorgeous view from the window to the Tetons.

Today's route

Statistics: Miles today: 200 miles; Miles so far: 1050; Fuel added so far: 34.0 gals; States: Wyoming;  Time Zone: Mountain Daylight Saving (UK-7)