A quick exit, a left turn at the oil derrick and a mile or so down the road led us to G-Ma's diner relatively early in the morning. The AirBnB did not serve breakfast, which continues to be a point of discontent. How can one advertise as a "Bed and Breakfast," if there is no breakfast? Regardless, G-Ma's fit the bill perfectly, serving up what was probably the finest ever consumed west of the Missouri River. Their sausage gravy captured the imagination, reflecting back to the appropriate level of spice by which Grandma peppered her sauce.
The road west unfurled quickly after that, under partly cloudy skies and temperatures that would likely spike into the lower 30's Celsius. It would not end that way for us. Steadily increasing altitude would move the needle in the opposite direction but only down to around 20.
The landscape remained largely unchanged from the eastern half of the state for a good portion of the journey. Language proved quite the contrary as we discovered multiple in use at any given moment at the Exxon City Square of Shoshoni. The disorderly conduct demonstrated an intolerable level of confusion, and we disembarked as quickly as possible, quickly crossing into the relative safety of territory controlled by the Shoshone and Arapahoe. Deep scars on the land emerged from the constant raids on their land from the meltwaters of our general destination, the adjacent Teton range of mountains.
Some of the most breathtaking scenery known to man rise along both sides of the roadway beyond Dubois. The Pinnacle Buttes, North Breccia Cliffs, Lava Mountain, and Angle Mountain fully engage the mind, drawing the motorist deeper towards the cruel and jagged edges of the Tetons. There is no harm here though, only nature and its unrelenting, though failed, attempts to lift itself up to the sky.
We were relieved to finally be standing at the base of the Grand Tetons, across Colter Bay. Many others were equally gratified at the scene, which included facilities that had been nonexistent in the past 100 km. After an hour or so waiting for the Grand Tetons to do something more spectacular than just stand there, we gave up and began to purse the path named after the infamous philanthropist, John D. Rockefeller to complete our quest to reach The Yellow Stone.
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| map image borrowed from National Geographic |
We were not required to leave it all behind after all. Indeed, it was right off the front porch of our final resting place, nestled against the pines.
We quickly discovered that Xanterra had attempted to exact some revenge upon us for not booking directly through them by placing us right next to a rather boisterous ice maker. Their attempt failed though, as the noise could not get past the barricade to our chambers. It did make lingering out of doors out of the question, excepting when the beast slept.
The only thing left to do for the day was to wander over to the Canyon Village space for a meal that turned out as mediocre and overpriced as previously enjoyed outside the park. There were three hopelessly generic choices overall, sealing our dining fate for the next several days.
The journey for the day had not been long. Planning had anticipated actual road of around 6 hours. Forward progress had lasted nearly 10 hours. That was not much different than the previous day, or really any other exploratory adventure in the past. We crashed hard and slept well, after making a choice between one bed with clean sheets and another deeply scarred with road dirt from being dragged in a bag across the parking lot (a practice noted in passing related to another resident as we arrived earlier). If the volcano were to go this night, not a soul would care.
. . .
Further Reading
Casper, WY
Shoshoni, WY
Dubois, WY
National Park Service
National Geographic Education
by Xanterra
also by Xanterra
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