It’s August 31st 2019, and we are scurrying to get our last things packed and the apartment emptied so that we can hit the road. Once the apartment was finally empty, I did my last walk through, thinking how we would not return to our once home. I tried to take in what kind of adventure we were about to go on and how our lives were about to change. We said our see you laters to our loved ones and made our way to Grand Teton National Park, our first stop.
Our drive begins and what better way to enjoy the road than with some good road trip tunes?! We put on Stick Figure’s new album, “World on Fire” and oh how this album spoke to my soul. Fun fact, Scott Woodruff – the lead singer is a self-taught musician and he wrote, produced & recorded this entire album and previous albums. He is a lyrical genius! The first track on the album is “Once in a Lifetime“, and the song goes, “Yeah but I’m done running away, it’s something I can’t explain, ready for change, you know that I can’t stay, it’s never the same, this is once in a lifetime.” This pretty much sums up how we had been feeling and it was time for us to go on this once in a lifetime trip!
We got a much later start than we had originally planned and it was around midnight when we got into Grand Teton. We drove around the campgrounds trying to find a spot and silly us, we spaced that it was Labor Day weekend. Most of the campgrounds are available on a first-come, first-served basis so we weren’t able to make a reservation in advance. We spent a lot of time driving around the campground to find that there were zero available spots and we had no plan B. Well, we were not about to let this get us down. We decided to drive a little further into the park to the next campground, Lizard Creek. Lucky us, we found that someone had left early and there was 1 spot left! We excitedly got out of the car, did a little dance and set up our tent.
We were drained from the busy day and finally laid down for the night. What we saw when we laid down, blew our minds! The stars were glowing like we had never seen them before. We laid there silently with our dogs squished on the air mattress, taking it all in, nothing but smiles. This was the beginning and we were so ecstatic thinking about what was going to come next.
The next morning, we woke up to find that we were camping right off the beautiful water of Jackson Lake and the view was breathtaking! It was the perfect way to start our trip. We packed up the tent and made our way into Yellowstone National Park (the world’s very first National park) the 2 parks are connected so you can easily see both on one trip. If you are traveling with pets, it is so important to know ahead of time what they can and can’t do. A lot of the national parks limit where dogs can go and prohibit them from the trails.
We chose to go see Old Faithful blow, a famous geyser that erupts regularly each day. There is a clock with a countdown once you arrive. We also took the scenic drive to West Yellowstone and back through the park. Be prepared to see some beautiful scenery and wildlife! I grew up going to Yellowstone often and it is a national park that you do not want to miss! There are waterfalls, hundreds of geysers, hot springs & plenty of beautiful hikes.
Side note: You can find great & affordable souvenir shops in West Yellowstone and if you are hungry, try “Las Palmitas” a delicious affordable mexican food truck/bus with fresh food and large portions! Nom nom.
Outside is the right side. 