Upon rising on Day 8, I resolved to press on with my plans to go to Jackson Hole and Yellowstone, Wyoming rather than staying in Utah. Again, I started out early, this time about 5:45 am. I had ample opportunity to watch the sunrise and made my way out of the city before morning traffic had a chance to take hold.

Wasatch-Cashe National Forest (Utah)

The drive through Wasatch-Cache National Forest was peaceful and serene. I particularly enjoyed the patches of yellow flowers that padded the hillsides. I also passed more waterfalls and canyons driving on US 89.

Prior to reaching Idaho, the road winds down to Bear Lake - a 12-mile long lake at the foot of the mountains. This was another scene that was too hard to capture in a regular camera. The panoramic layout was a sight to see.

Once you decent the mountain, the drive to Jackson, Wyoming is a little less eventful. I stopped off in Montpelier, Idaho to gas up and get some sustenance and then continued my northward trek.

Approaching Teton (Teton Village, WY)

When I arrived in Grand Teton area, I decided to follow a side route that would edge closer to the mountains and miss the town of Jackson. The road was a combination of dirt and pavement and passed in front of Teton Village. Although my initial impression of the Teton's was quite subdued, I noticed I kept taking pictures of the range. Over and over I pulled the car over and found new angles to shoot from.

Immediately before Jenny Lake I found a horse pasture with a wood shed I had once seen in a sunset picture of the area. I decided to get a closer look and realized the horses must have been burros or a mixed breed. While they had the stature of a horse, they had more burro type features. I found one eating near a puddle of water and took a picture that captured the animal and mountain in the reflection.

The Elkhorn Arch - made of Elkhorns (Afton, WY)

My next stop was Jenny Lake. Once again, I found myself unable to leave as the clouds played games on the tips of the mountains. During my half-hour there, I watched a storm pass through the north end of the lake, while the sun broke through clearly on the south side. There were sudden flashes of lightning and an ominous sky from time to time.

Once I made my way back to the car, I downloaded the 100 plus pictures I had already taken during the day and cleared the camera for the next part of the day.

I found I continued to take pictures of the Teton's. They are truly stunning mountains and it's hard to describe the feeling that kept drawing me to them. To all aspiring photographers, take a trip to the Teton's on a partly sunny day and watch the amazing tones that engulf the area.

Burros (Teton Village, WY)

Once I pulled away from the Jackson area, I followed the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway toward Yellowstone National Park. In between I stopped off for a late lunch at the Flagg Ranch. The food was expensive and nothing special, but it was all that was around. I had a burger and fries and moved on.

The entrance to Yellowstone is quite subdued in the south. To top it off, the weather was dreary and all I could find on the radio was Dr. Laura...GASP!

I decided to visit West Thumb and Old Faithful before exiting to West Yellowstone, Montana. The first thing I noticed about Yellowstone is, there are a lot of bare trees. Bare as in, little bark and no leaves. Apparently, the late 1980's fire in the park was still quite evident. It reminded me a lot of my trip to Mount St. Helens a couple years ago.

More Grand Tetons (Teton Village, WY)

There was plenty of snow to be had and there were some elevation changes but nothing drastic.

When I reached West Thumb, I found what I had been looking for - geysers. The Paint Pot Geysers were gray and bubbled up like pots of boiling chili. There were also other hot springs and geysers that were beautiful colors, like teal and aqua blue. The water was so clear you could see as deep as the crevasses would let you gaze. I chatted a while with the Park Ranger and discussed how earthquakes and fires had shaped the current landscape.

When I returned to the car, I found elk just beyond the car, in the woods. Before you go giving me credit for the find, it was actually another car that parked in an odd manner that drew my attention to the area.

Dramatic Storm (Jenny Lake, WY)

Soon I was seeing elk and buffalo in a variety of locations on the way to Old Faithful.

It was around 5 pm when I arrived at the Old Faithful area. The Park Ranger at the previous location informed me that there was a 60 to 90 minute delay between geyser events at Old Faithful. Apparently I arrived just a little too late to catch the last event. Down the hill from Old Faithful, I noticed another group of geysers. One in particular was billowing water at a rapid pace. I decided not to rush down there because it was sure to stop before I got there, and I didn't want to miss Old Faithful if she went off.

Lewis Lake (Yellowstone Ntl Park, WY)

About 10 minutes later I noticed the geyser was still spewing, so I decided to head down to catch it. The geyser was known as Castle Geyser. While not as frequent as Old Faithful, it apparently has a lot of water to supply when it does erupt. I watched people get soaked by its constant stream. I snapped a few pictures and toured the other geysers in the area.

When I returned to Old Faithful, I sat next to a couple from Pennsylvania. We talked for some time about our trips while waiting for the moment of truth. I told them I had been looking in vein for a good place to get a steak. The man told me of a place in Lolo, Montana, just south of Missoula that had incredible steaks. I made a note of it, as I would be passing through there on day 9.

West Thumb Geysers (Yellowstone Ntl Pk, WY)

While we were talking, someone in the growing crowd said, "look over there!". What was it, but a coyote wandering among the geysers. It seemed totally unaware of the large group of people gathered there. I quickly pulled up my camera and took quick shots from a distance. Well, next thing you know, mister coyote has decided to walk right in front of the crowd. Now, I'm just as brave as the next man (well, maybe not), but I didn't want him deciding my legs looked like a tasty place to lay his teeth, so I actually backed up a couple of feet to take his picture. He cruised right by me and made his way through the area that was marked "Thermal" and "Do Not Walk Here". So much for his reading skills, but he didn't burn his paws as far as I could tell.

Castle Geyser (Yellowstone NP, WY)

Around 6:15, Old Faithful began pumping her water in several streams. I took as many photos as I could and moments later, it was all over. I said my goodbyes and decided to hightail it out of there. I had a long drive to Bozeman, Montana for my hotel room.

On my way out of Yellowstone I stopped consistently to take pictures of elk and buffalo. One pull-off was particularly interesting. There were tons of buffalo and their cubs all up along the roadway. I followed park rules (apparently I was the only one) and stayed in my car to snap some pictures. No one else seemed to know that rule. Buffalo can be quite dangerous. They can run up to 30 miles per hour and can be quite vicious if you mess with their family or if it just happens to be mating season. (Actually, the North American male human can be quite disturbed as well during mating season)

Hungry Coyote (Yellowstone, NP, WY)

When I reached West Yellowstone, I decided to grab a quick meal at ye olde fast food joint. Micky D's was decked out in dark-toned woods and the trash cans were bear-proof. Also, a Big Mac meal set me back almost seven bucks...no super size.

The road north was a desolate US-191. It's a wonderful drive, but there really isn't much in the way of humanity through there. To add to my fatigue, there was a bad storm blowing through. Lightning was hitting at a rapid pace and when you are at that high of an elevation, it makes you not too keen on being out of doors.

By the time I passed Big Sky, Montana, it was getting quite dark. The Gallatin River flows next to the road and sets up some very nice scenery. At one spot I noticed kayakers moving down the river. I stopped a little further down the road at a turnout to take pictures of the river and met one of the kayakers.

Old Faithful (Yellowstone NP, WY)

After a couple moments I returned to the car and drove the rest of the way to Bozeman. Bozeman is a nice town with all the facilities necessary to prepare for further travels. I thought about getting my oil changed there but I decided to delay it a little longer as I wasn't quite halfway through my trip.

When I began to cross I-90 to get to my hotel, I noticed the Wal-Mart's lights were out. I thought, now that's funny. A Wal-Mart that closes at 9 pm. When I crossed the freeway, I realized the whole area had no power. Great! A whole days driving and now I was going to have to wander through the dark to find my hotel room!

I had made reservations at the local Motel 6 to save some money. When I walked in they asked me what kind of room I had reserved. I said I couldn't remember if it had a queen bed or what...so they put me in a suite! Let me tell you, I have never stayed in such a nice Motel 6. Nice carpet, nice shower and iron for your clothes. This place was a step above any mid-priced hotel, but not quite in the elite hotel range.

To my relief, the power was back on in minutes and when I reached my room, I immediately nodded off to sleep.

> Day 9