Grand Tetons & Yellowstone We visited Grand Tetons and Yellowstone in 1999. This is a very personal view, full of our opinions -- you may not agree with all of them. We'll list only the places we've really liked. Dave & Rita Curbow This will always be a work in progress. We hope you find it helpful. Last update November 23, 2000. Table Of Contents Grand Tetons Yellowstone     Grand Tetons Hotels & Food The Grand Tetons has far fewer visitors than Yellowstone, despite being literally "next door". Thus, there are fewer places to stay. We stayed at the fanciest available, Jackson Lake Lodge. This is an older building, probably built during the 1930s -- very grand. There are also newer (1960s?) motor lodge units -- that's where we stayed. We loved the restaurant in the hotel, and the motor lodge units were just fine. There are three beautiful lakes in Grand Tetons. It's a great place for canoeing, hiking and watching nature. Moose and other wildlife come into the field next to Jackson Lake Lodge around sunset. Until I write more, check out a few pictures below!   Jackson Lake Yes, the clouds are just above the ground. You can find yourself driving thru the clouds occasionally.   Yellowstone After visiting Grand Tetons we visited Yellowstone. We immediately found ourselves in traffic congestion! Hotels & Food We stayed in three different locations in Yellowstone. I need to drag out my notes of the places we liked, but I can say that the historic (old) hotel which is next door to Old Faithful, is NOT a place I recommend. At every restaurant we at at while Yellowstone we found the same thing --portion controlled, frozen, boring cafeteria food served by indifferent staff. I haven't eaten such unappealing food since the high school cafeteria. The contrast to Grand Tetons was startling. Sights There's a lot to see in Yellowstone. The most famous are the geyser fields. Let me say that Old Faithful is in the largest / most visited field. Yet, Old Faithful is a bit of a let down because it isn't a spectacular as many other near by geysers. In fact, in recent years it has become less spectacular because of a change in the underground faults. It is however, very predictable and frequent and thus a big draw for tour operators. You see tour buses pull up, disgourage their passengers who wait to watch Old Faithful, then reboard the bus and leave. Meanwhile, the independent traveler (us) wanders off to look at the rest of the field. I've enclosed a number of photos from this field below. BTW: I would only plan to spend one full day in this part of Yellowstone. Even as spectacular as geyers are, I soon grew bored. We pushed on to other parts of Yellowstone that were less visited and much more interesting. Someday I'll scan those photos in.   I think this is Castle Geyser -- it is very eratic, but when it erupts Watch out! During each eruption mineral water cascades all over the cone. Over time it builds up and creates a large mass. The next four photos show different size cones that have been built this way. Another geyser This shows how geysers sometimes just sit and boil for a while, but a moment later it erupted! This one hasn't build up much of a cone yet. This deep hole of nearly boiling water just sits -- no eruptions. The color comes from alge. People have fallen into these and died from third degree burns. This is a large field that has been created by mineral water running down a hillside. Again, the colors are from alge. This is one large cone that has grown over time. The part of the cone at the bottom no longer receives a lot of mineral water so it is beginning to crumble -- that's why it is gray colored. Back to Dave & Rita Curbow's Travel Page Copyright (c) 2000, 2002 by David and Rita Curbow. All Rights Reserved.