Bevis and Butthead's FAVORITE national park:
The Grand Tetons!
These poor mountains, just like amazing women everywhere -- they have so much depth and history and complexity. But all the boys talk about is their tetons.
HO-LY COW, this week blew our minds.
We drove up into the park from Jackson, Wyoming. I had been there as a flight attendant (w Delta) for a quick stop and I knew I had to come back to Jackson someday. The airport is pretty much IN a national park with rolling hills all around and these mountains just up the road.
As we drove into the area on Labor day it felt like driving into Vegas on a Sunday. The traffic headed the other direction was non-stop. I thought it was because it was Labor Day and everyone was going home.
That may've been true for some people. But once we got about an hour into Grand Teton park these ominous clouds started to rain and little bit.
About 15 minutes after that, it was slushing. Aaaand about 5 minutes after that it was snowing sideways. We had no reservation for the night and it was getting real-dark real-fast.
As it turns out, other campers check the weather before they head up into the mountains! Heh. Weird, right?
But we didn't really know what else to do, so Jeff kept driving and I kept not screeching out loud around the curves.
Headwaters RV campground was full when we finally arrived, so we parked in an overflow parking lot and ran the generator all night for our heater to work. I can't say we slept well, but because we were already in the park, (and other snow-averse travelers were not) we were able to snag a parking spot for the next 2 nights.
I love how some spots of snow hang on to the shady nooks and crannies for days and days. Some of this snow might even still be around in May 2021. And we were there when it fell!
We drove everywhere in both national parks so some roads were off-limits to us because of our size. On the park map I saw a trail to Two Oceans lake, so we parked by the road to hike up for a look. It was stunning, of course. But the trail was really a dirt road and the hike was pretty much a muddy walk for an hour while regular sized cars drove past us through puddles. I took a lot of grief for this error. But! even the teasing was a nice break from the boob jokes.
Yellowstone National Park
For the last 2 days of the week we were sight-seeing maniacs. This first stop at Moose falls may have been my favorite feature of all. I sat on a rock and watched the water pound down into the rapids while the boys climbed all over the place. There weren't many people here, which wasn't true for most other attractions. One couple who passed by me had just seen Zane and Declan on a high rock. They said, "If those assholes fall, you have to call 9-1-1." Thank goodness they didn't know we were related!
If Yellowstone were a rock band I would name it: Drastic geographical changes. You're driving through the plains, checking out the bison and then boom! there's a huge waterfall and a gorge for the next 10 miles.
A geyser waiting to blow.
Y'all. We saw so many geysers and mud pots and bubbling cauldrons. They all smelled disgusting and were not my favorite. But Jeff liked to see them ALL and read the placards and talk about how amazing this earth is and how the planet is so diverse and yadda yadda yadda. Seriously, one time when I didn't come bounding over to see another field of stink-pots he said, "Come here. Come be old with me for a minute."
So, I did.
*He also bribed us by buying us huckleberry ice cream once a day.
Most of the park looked like this, huge pine trees packed in dense forests. I loved the short, baby trees at the edge. They were like little children who've pushed to the front so they can wave at the parade. I waved back.
Beautiful? Maybe. Totally gross? Yes.
Another of my favorite pictures.
Jeff got to fish a few rivers in the park. I took this while laying in the grass watching clouds go by and listening to the dried grass rustle. The boys were playing Dungeons and Dragons and eating mac'n cheez in the RV parked a few yards away. After so much traipsing around they couldn't be bothered to come out this time. I'm sure they'll say they remember this view one day.
I won't correct them.