disKCovery

Published October 29, 2021

While my heart is always in Kansas City, and disKCovery was founded to share my love affair with this city, my feet often take me away from here. After a year that was largely without travel, I have spent 2021 making up for lost time. #nomaDD provides an opportunity for me to write about the places I visit outside of our wonderful city. Throughout the fall, I have been recapping my summer travels. As I wrap this up, I look forward to closing out the year with my number priority - helping you, and others, discover the best of KC.

This is the conclusion of the three-part series “A Walk In The Parks”, where I recap my time in Yellowstone National Park in June, 2021.

Day 6

“WHERE’S OUR FREAKING BEAR?!”

In just a few days at Grand Teton National Park, Connor and I had been fortunate to see a bull moose and a buck elk up close. We had seen pronghorns, bison, beavers, deer (both mule and whitetail), birds of prey, and a multitude of other wild animals but, as we were leaving the park, we had not yet seen a bear.

On our first day at Tetons, some of the park’s rangers had told us about a grizzly bear and her cubs who had been frequently seen in the Colter Bay area. On our last day at the Tetons, we had hoped to see a bear. We left Driggs around 6:30am that morning to drive through Grand Teton National Park with the plan of entering the final park of our trip, Yellowstone National Park, through the south entrance near the West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake.

As we made one last pass through the wildlife loop* early in the morning, we had seen a few pronghorns and elk but now as we looked to be leaving the park for good and drove through Colter Bay on our way Yellowstone, my exasperated brother had summed up both of our feelings perfectly.

“WHERE’S OUR FREAKING BEAR?!”

I could not have said it better myself. Deep down, I felt our chances to see a bear were best at Grand Teton National Park but I also was hopeful since we were only at the halfway point of our trip. A few years prior, on our first national park trip, we were unsuccessful in seeing a bear at Glacier National Park (which is notorious for their large population of grizzly bears and black bears) until our final evening in the park. We finally saw a baby grizzly bear.

I was disappointed that we had missed out on the Colter Bay bears but remained hopeful as we neared Yellowstone National Park. After all, this is the national park of all national parks! Yellowstone had been at the top of our list and we were mere miles away from entering. Bear or not, this promised to be an incredible experience. While we were excited and felt like we had done our research, we were not fully prepared for what this park had in store for us.

Even the lakes at Yellowstone aren’t normal. The West Thumb of Yellowstone Lake is not without it’s own thermal and geologic features.

Yellowstone National Park is a bizarre place.

There is no other way to say it. In our limited experience in national parks (Glacier, Badlands, and Grand Tetons), we had encountered places of exceptional beauty. This is not to say that Yellowstone is not beautiful or breathtaking, it absolutely is. However, what makes Yellowstone so unique and such a destination, are the unique geologic features that come from it being inside the mouth of an ancient super volcano. We hear about Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Basin but I feel like no matter how much research you do and how much you think you know about this park, there is no way to truly be prepared for the marriage of majesty and almost mystical that you experience in Yellowstone. How these features can be so grotesque, fascinating, and beautiful all at once is what make this a must-visit destination.

Yellowstone Lake (West Thumb)

For about the first 45 minutes of our drive, there was no discerning where Grand Tetons ended and Yellowstone began (beyond a sign that we had to stop at for pictures of course!) and even as we approached our first stop, Yellowstone Lake, it seemed to be more of the same. But then we got out of the car, and caught our first subtle whiff of sulfur and then heard the quiet gurgle.

The sulfur was off-putting but not unbearable. It was a scent we would quickly grow quite accustomed to on this trip. As we stepped through the trees and shrubbery to see the West Thumb, we saw a shimmering expanse of deep blue ahead of us but in between us a desolate wasteland that could only be traversed via boardwalk. We quickly learned that the boardwalks serve two purposes - to protect tourists and to protect the park.

“We quickly learned that the boardwalks serve two purposes - to protect tourists and to protect the park.”

What makes Yellowstone National Park unlike anywhere else in the world are the unique thermal features. In order to allow the exploration of the parks, many of the sites have a collection of boardwalks that protect these features from unnecessary intrusion. These features are so delicate, and contain such unique ecosystems, that if not for the boardwalks, tourist intrusion could be catastrophic. Additionally, with scalding water temperatures of more than 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the boardwalks in place protect visitors from third degree burns, or worse.

As we stepped on the boardwalk, the sharp contrast between the thermal features of the basin and the beautiful Yellowstone Lake was stunning. There is no other word. We took a counter-clockwise* lap around the 0.6 mile loop. At each stop being blown away by the contrast between the lake on our right and the geothermal madness on our left. For me, the Black Pool was a definite highlight and just a glimpse of the remarkable beauty that Yellowstone’s geology could produce.

REASON TO STOP HERE? Black Pool

Hayden Valley

If you look at a map of Yellowstone National Park, you realize that it is a land mass that is large enough to be its own state^. In the center of this park is a hexagonal loop that will take you to the majority of the most popular sites. So after visiting West Thumb, we had two options as we made our way to our hotel in West Yellowstone - we could either go west and drive up near the geyser basins (which includes hotspots like Old Faithful and the Grand Prismatic Spring) or we could drive northeast through Hayden Valley. We chose the latter because we knew there would be a lot less traffic, we knew we were less likely to visit Hayden Valley if we did not do it in that moment, and mostly, because, even though it was mid-afternoon, Hayden Valley is considered one of the premier spots for wildlife viewing in the park.

We were concerned about the time of day and whether or not we would see any wildlife as we took the open road but soon those concerns were put to rest. As soon as Connor asked me, “I wonder how far until we’re actually in Hayden Valley”, we popped over a hill and knew we were there. All of a sudden, the road was not so wide open. It wasn’t the one or two cars that slowed us down but the herds of bison loitering on the roadway.

Bison are such majestic creatures and lucky for us we could get some great shots without leaving the safety of our car (There are hundreds of horror stories of wayward travelers forgetting that these giant grazers are both wild and dangerous). While the main highlight was the wildlife viewing as we made our way north, we did stop at a few pull-outs. The scenery and the wildlife viewing were exceptional but in the tradition of Yellowstone, Hayden Valley is not without its geological features.

Our most memorable stop was Mud Geyser and Dragon’s Mouth Spring. The stench of sulfur was something we were quickly getting used to as was the bubbling ground. A favorite of mine, Dragon’s Mouth Spring was a cave with a sulfuric fog rolling from it and crashing rapids that seemed appropriately named as if a dragon were hiding away in the cave, roaring and blowing smoke, waiting a worthy challenger for its treasure. Connor and I were definitely thankful to have taken the road less traveled.

REASON TO STOP HERE? Wildlife Viewing, Dragon’s Mouth Spring, and Mud Geyser

Old Faithful

Having covered over half the primary loop, it was about 5:00pm and Connor and I were in the homestretch. We had a straight shot to West Yellowstone but as we reached the Madison Junction, Connor looked south and saw the sign pointing towards Old Faithful. He also noticed the deserted southbound lane - all of the traffic was coming towards us. Behind the wheel, he looked straight ahead and then to his left once again and said -

“Devan, I know it’s late and we need to find somewhere to eat dinner but do you want to g-”

“Yes.”

“Old Faithful?”

“Absolutely.”

This ended up being the best decision of our entire trip.

PRO TIP: Old Faithful is by far the most popular feature in the park and a number of families and visitors make it a point to get there early in the day. However, Old Faithful is like 7-Eleven, it’s always open. Named for its regularity, it can be really easy to get into Old Faithful, without sitting in traffic, between 5:00pm and 8:00pm when the summer sun is still in the sky but several wary travelers are making their way back to eat dinner.

As we pulled into the parking lot for Old Faithful, we were met by a rush of cars leaving which was good news for us. If that many people were leaving, that meant the geyser had erupted a little bit ago and we were among the first here for the next show so to speak. While it did take us a little bit to get oriented and figure out where we needed to be, we soon found that Old Faithful was like theater in the round. There was ample seating around the basin to catch the geyser’s eruption.

Even a bison was chilling in front of us eager to catch the show. Not kidding.

After about a 50 minute wait, the geyser erupted and sprayed into the air for about four minutes. And then before we knew it, we were the group making our way out of the parking lots to make room for a new group.

REASON TO STOP HERE? Duh.

After a long day of travel where we covered a lot of ground in two different national parks, we arrived in West Yellowstone eager to see what the next three days would bring.

A bison that was clearly used to the crowds patiently waits for the eruption of Old Faithful.

Days 7 - 8

There’s no sleeping in at Yellowstone National Park. If there is one thing you can take from all of this, take that lesson with you. If you sleep in, you may as well not even plan to head into the park until the early afternoon. We learned that the hard way on our first morning.

Our hotel in West Yellowstone was less than a mile from the entrance to the park and having made the mistake of leaving at 10:00am, it was nearly 10:40am when we actually entered the park. Traffic into the park from the surrounding towns in the morning and traffic exiting the parks in the late afternoon and early evening was an absolute bear. (My use of this phrase in this instance irritated Connor further because, as he reminded me, we still hadn’t seen a bear).

Aside from wildlife viewing, the thing that Connor and I most look forward to in the parks is hiking. We had met a group of travelers in Grand Teton National Park who had just come from Yellowstone. They had recommended a number of sites and we believed we had identified a perfect hiking trail for what we wanted to see. However, what we would soon find out on this trip is Yellowstone is not exactly a place for hiking.

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone

I cannot imagine when I finally do see the Grand Canyon for myself because the so-called Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (which is at best, one-tenth the size of the Grand Canyon) was a humbling experience in itself. When I first set sight on the ridges and valley of pale yellow stone, I was humbled. It took my breath away. And then in that moment I realized where the park likely got its name.

Connor and I had come to Canyon Village ready to hike and make our way to Artist Point. However, every guide and trail book we had read was somewhat misleading. There was no need to hike (and honestly, not any worthwhile trail) as every single point of interest was completely drivable. We had planned our day for a 4 mile hike to Artist Point to discover that we could park and walk the equivalent of two city blocks.

The jutting rocks, the falls, the contrast of the aquamarine river that cuts through the yellowed chasm make this place special. It is truly a sight to behold and an amazing spot for some great photos and selfies.

PRO TIP: There are a lot of great spots for photos and selfies but don’t be the person that bogarts the best photo spots. Courtesy goes a long way. Get your pictures and then allow someone else to do the same. In fact, be the person that offers to take photos for the group. Not only is it a nice gesture but it will likely help expedite those in front of you and they’ll likely offer to return the favor.

REASON TO STOP HERE? Every single pullout is noteworthy but Artist Point is a must!

It seems preposterous that any other canyon would call itself the “Grand Canyon” but Yellowstone’s version is indeed grand. I cannot even begin to fathom the scope of the actual Grand Canyon having never been.

Norris Geyser Basin

While we had visited Old Faithful and done a few pullouts, Norris Geyser Basin was the first geyser basin we visited in earnest. We found the back part of the trail to be the best part. The obvious highlight here is Steamboat Geyser which is the highest geyser in the world. It can reach heights of 300 feet but is sporadic in that it erupts only once every 1-2 months. While it was worth a visit, the definitive highlight of this stop was the Emerald Pool. As the name suggests, the greenish-blue pool is an absolute gem.

REASON TO STOP HERE? If you’re lucky enough to see it, it’s Steamboat Geyser. However, Emerald Pool is simply gorgeous year-round.

Midway Geyser Basin

The Midway Geyser Basin is home to the Grand Prismatic Spring. Even if you are unfamiliar with the name, you have undoubtedly seen a photo of it. Aside from Old Faithful, the Grand Prismatic Spring is, I would assume, the most visited and most photographed feature in the entire park. Once again, Yellowstone is a bizarre place. Any stop you make in this park, you can never know what to expect. The Midway Geyser Basin was a place of stark contrast.

When you arrive, it is green and open and beautiful with a deep blue, serene river. As you cross the footbridge to the geyser basin, the peace of the river is rudely interrupted by the conflict of temperatures. You cannot miss the loud hiss of boiling water rolling off the brilliant orange banks as it meets the cool river water. As you step on the boardwalk, the greenery is now gone and waves of dense, heavy, wet fog come rolling in with that wonderful scent of rotten eggs on the tail end. Aside from the smell, the fog is blinding making it hard to see more than three to four feet ahead of you at times.

Thick waves of fog that smell of sulfur rolling off Excelsior Geyser.

“Yellowstone is a bizarre place.”

As a precursor to the Grand Prismatic Spring is the Excelsior Geyser which is beautiful in it’s own right. The deep pool of, what appears to be, liquid diamond demands your attention and also, turned out to be the source of much of the fog. After the spring, the turquoise pool, as the name implies, is a glorious deep turquoise. The spring in itself may seem underwhelming and yet, it is so much larger than one would anticipate.

With a diameter longer than a football field, the Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the park. The bands of color make it look more like an iris than a pool of boiling hot water. While it is breathtaking from the boardwalk level, most travelers climb nearby fairy falls trail to get an overhead view and see the spring in all its splendor.

REASON TO STOP HERE? The Grand Prismatic Spring but don’t sleep on Excelsior Geyser!

Fountain Paint Pots

While there are a few paint pot stops in the park, Fountain Paint Pot Trail is definitely the most worthy of mention. What is a paint pot exactly? Well, when it comes to the thermal features at Yellowstone National Park, it refers to a boiling puddle of mud that vary in their size and ferocity. So named because the presence, or absence of certain elements (most notably iron) in the soil affects the color and can lead to a rainbow of boiling features. The Red Spouter was an absolute bubbling mess of red mud that looked like it could be the mouth of Hell itself.

So much more than mud, these sites also include colorful pools, vents, and geysers. In fact, the Clepsydra Geyser, with its crashing spurts, was likely my favorite geyser in the entire park. The paint pots that are spread throughout the park are unique features and all worth stopping to see because honestly, where else are you going to see naturally occurring vats of boiling mud and water in a plethora of colors? However, if you choose one, go with the Fountain Paint Pots.

REASON TO STOP HERE? The Red Spouter and Clepsydra Geyser

Mammoth Hot Springs

We spent our first two nights in West Yellowstone which was wonderful. We had decided that given the size of the park that it would make sense to split up our stay to maximize different parts of the park. So on the eighth day, as we made our way north to Gardiner, Montana for our next two nights’ stay, we decided to check out Mammoth Hot Springs. While I have said it a few times, allow me to reiterate - Yellowstone is a bizarre place.

We had seen peaks and valleys. Beautiful blue rivers, crashing white falls, and green grassy hills. We had seen every shade and hue of water, mud, and earth. We had witnessed water spewing into the air, sulfurous fog, boiling mud, and scalding pools. And yet, as we made our way north and started driving around the Mammoth Hot Springs, it truly felt like we were on another planet.

It was so white, barren, and desolate. Almost desert-like with dead upright trees all around. Everything about this area should have been ugly but it was beautiful in its own right. In many ways, the desolate surroundings made the features all the more beautiful. The oranges and whites of the bubbly limestone terraces pop against the gray desert scape. The cyan hot springs shine like a beacon against a lack of color. It was like a dreamscape or a black and white film where someone introduces a pop of color for the first time. It was eerie, yet stunning.

REASON TO STOP HERE? Minerva Terrace and Angel Terrace

Having driven all over the park, we continued to make our way north to Gardiner which would be our home base for the remainder of our time at the park.

Minerva Terrace at Mammoth Hot Springs in the northern part of Yellowstone National Park

Days 9 - 10

“Ugh! I hate you so much!”

My brother Connor is not exactly a morning person. We had made a pact. That if by our last full day at the parks, we had not seen any wolves or bears, we were going to go out searching for them. As mentioned when talking about the Tetons, the best times for wildlife viewing are dusk and dawn.

Well after over a week of travel, we still hadn’t seen a freaking bear and we had not yet made our way to Lehigh Valley, another known wildlife hotspot in the park.

So now, it was 4:15am. I had taken my shower and I was trying to get Connor out of bed because we were going to go hunting for a bear.

I finally got Connor down to the car around 4:45am. I handed him a coffee that I had grabbed for him from the lobby and he reiterated,

“I hate you so much right now.”

I knew the risk of what I was doing. If we did not see a bear, Connor was going to kill me. However, if we didn’t go - we were not going to see a bear. So we set out for our earliest morning in all of our trips as a favorite John Mulaney comedy special played over the radio in a silent car.

The Holy Grail of “Pro Tips”

At this point in the story, allow me a moment to share my greatest tip for traversing the parks. If you do these trips right, you’re going to spend A LOT of time in the car. These parks are colossal, largely untouched tracts of land which means two things - no cell signal and limited radio signal.

For Connor and I, we learned early on in states like Montana and Wyoming that our radio reception was going to be spotty at best. So what do we do? We take advantage of the Netflix offline feature to download stand-up comedy specials we can listen to.

Whether it’s a playlist, podcasts, documentaries, or stand-up comedy - make sure that you are loading up your phone with listening options as you make your way through the park.

And Back To The Story…

Being up so early, we beat the inbound traffic into the park, no traffic jams for us! As we made our way east towards Lehigh Valley, we saw the sun began to rise over the park. As the colors in the sky changed, we came around a curve to a river bend where a dozen cars were parked. This is of course the international sign for “there’s something worth seeing”.

I got out of the car and walked up to the other visitors. They were all looking at a hill in the distance and then I saw it, a slow black dot moving on a ridge hundreds of yards away.

It was a black bear! Connor grabbed his binoculars. We got an ok look and it was in the distance. We climbed back in the car. It hadn’t been a great look. It hardly counted. But we had seen a bear. It did not feel quite worth it but I felt hopeful that it was a sign that the bears were on the move.

“If we did not see a bear, Connor was going to kill me.”

We continued to make our way east. It was getting lighter out but the sun had not made an appearance. We stopped a few more times at random stops as we saw groups of cars. It was mostly natural features although at one stop we saw a group of pronghorns through our binoculars.

After the pronghorn sighting we got in the car, it started to feel like that black dot on the ridge was all we were going to see. We drove about half a mile past the lookout and hit a series of s-curves and as we came around there it was in the ditch on the side of the road.

IT WAS A FREAKING BLACK BEAR!

We rolled up slowly and rolled down our windows. The road was entirely abandoned and we were in the safety of our car. All that separated us was one lane of road. It was impossible to be closer to a bear than we were. With no one around, we stopped for a solid 10 minutes and watched the bear roam the ditch. Cars started to pull up behind us. Word of wildlife sightings always travels fast. We could no longer stay put.

We drove away leaving the black bear in the rearview. My brother wasn’t going to kill me. We had seen our bear.

I asked Connor at that point, “Do you want to turn around, roll past the bear again and go back to the hotel and sleep?” An offer I was sure he would jump at.

“Nah, we’re already up and around. If we saw one bear here, let’s see what all the Lehigh Valley rumors are about. That’s where all the animals are, right?”

And so we continued east.

Lehigh Valley

I was glad Connor went to Lehigh Valley. I wanted to see what else was out there. However, having been that close to a black bear was an amazing experience. The whole reason we had dragged ourselves out of bed had worked out as well as could be imagined.

Approaching Lehigh Valley, we saw beautiful ridges, rivers, and rolling plains. And it quickly became clear that, like Hayden Valley, wildlife viewing was code for one thing - bison.

There were hordes of bison as far as the eye could see. It gave us a great chance to finally see some calves although it was a bit frightening to be as close to some of these bison as we were as we made our way down the road.

As the sun rose into the sky, we started making the nearly 90 minute drive back to Gardiner. While we didn’t see anymore bears and never saw any wolves, we had gotten to see our bear. We had gotten some amazing views of bison. We saw some pronghorns and even got a good look at a beautiful bald eagle perched on a rock.

As we approached Lehigh Valley at the crack of dawn on our final full day in the parks, we finally saw a freaking bear.

The License Plate Game

“Delaware! That’s Delaware!”

You would’ve thought I was a crazy person screaming at my brother but now the drive had truly been worth it. Not only had we seen a bear, we had beat the license plate game.

Connor and I always play this game on our national park trips. We check off the states on our phones and it is a great way to pass the time with all the driving we do on these trips.

Now everyone thinks that Hawaii is the toughest state to spot, and in most places that’s probably true. However, that’s never been the case for us at the parks. We had won the game for the first time on our 2019 Glacier trip and we were hoping to do it again.

We had seen Hawaii at least half a dozen times. In 2019, the bane of our existence had been Rhode Island. We had finally seen Rhode Island two days prior near Artist Point. Now we had finally seen Delaware and another trip bucket list item was complete. For the second time ever, Connor and I won the license plate game.

It was about 7:00am as we approached Gardiner. We saw a group of elk run in the road in front of us. I was anxious to get back to the hotel and get a few hours of sleep. My Central Missouri Mules had a Division II World Series game at 10:00am.**

Gardiner, Montana

It was not surprising to see a group of elk as we entered the town. They run rampant in Gardiner. They are used to people and are regularly seen hanging around a few spots in the town. It’s amazing to think that before this trip I had wanted to always see an elk and after two days in Gardiner? I’ve seen enough for a lifetime. If you want to see elk, this is one of the only two reasons to visit Gardiner.

How else can I say it? Gardiner is an awful town. Moving here instead of staying in West Yellowstone was our biggest mistake of the trip.

One of the great tragedies of tourist towns who economies are driven purely by being in proximity to destinations like national parks is the general lack of accountability. They can charge a premium for meals, hotel rooms, and otherwise without delivering on the value. Since they are not dependent on repeat business and will always have a new cycle of needy tourists, there is nothing holding them to any kind of standard. The entire town of Gardiner is the epitome of this.

There is no desire to be of service or to accommodate the greatest driver of their local economy. The highest Yelp-rated restaurants in the town serve subpar food and limited options. Many of the kitchens close by 8:00pm. In order to get a hot meal and a table in this town, you should plan to get somewhere by 4:30pm or you may be out of luck. The primary grocery store in town has a surprising lack of groceries. The hotel we stayed at lacked working air conditioning and the front desk had no interest in fixing it. It was just an awful place.

West Yellowstone is such a wonderful place with great restaurants, bars, hotels, souvenir shops, and other amenities. Gardiner does not have the same interest in a tourist industry they clearly profit from. If you must go to Gardiner, do not stay here. Just pay a visit to the Roosevelt Arch, see the elk, and then make your way north to Bozeman Airport. This town does not deserve your tourist dollars. Luckily, the arch and the elk are free.

The only reason that anyone should ever visit Gardiner, Montana, the Roosevelt Arch was not actually built to honor Theodore Roosevelt. He just happened to be vacationing at Yellowstone when the cornerstone was laid so he was asked to give some remarks at the dedication. He never returned to see the completed gateway to the park.

“Yellowstone is not exactly a place for hiking.”

As our trip came to an end, it was amazing to think about all the things we had done. Connor had added Idaho to his state list^^ and we got to meet Billy Butler! In Grand Teton National Park, we found amazing hiking trails, wonderful views, and we saw a bull moose and buck elk up close. In Yellowstone, we found a much more drivable park than we expected and a super-family friendly experience. While not a hiking destination, with great roads, ample pull-outs, and stroller friendly boardwalks, this is a great place for families with young kids. For us, the geology was fascinating. Yes, we finally saw our bear and we did win the license plate but it’s still crazy how quickly we accepted the new normal of bubbling mud, exploding geysers, and desolate grounds. The rapid changes in landscapes and captivating thermal features made this unlike anywhere else in the world.

As we made our way to Bozeman and made our way back to Kansas City. We were tired. We were thankful for all three parks we visited. And we were already trying to figure out what national park we’ll traverse in 2022.

You didn’t think I was going to write this entire piece and not include a picture of Old Faithful erupting did you?

Those Pesky Endnotes That I Often Insist On

* For the majority of the sites in Yellowstone National Park, we found that a counter-clockwise loop was ideal. This was not an intentional discovery. As we visited each site, we just found that each thermal feature increased in intrigue and beauty when going counter-clockwise. Whereas, had we taken a clockwise loop, we may not have been as impressed by some of the features we encountered as they would have been dwarfed by what we had already seen.

In fact, of all the places we visited, we found that Artists’ Paint Pots was the only stop where we clockwise was preferable to counter-clockwise.

^ Literally, its own state. At 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone National Park is larger than Rhode Island and Delaware COMBINED.

** Part of the reason we had scheduled this to be our super early morning was because I wanted to catch this baseball game. Unfortunately it was rescheduled. Due to a number of scheduling snafus, it became a week of delays. The Mules ended up finishing the season as the National Runner-Up. It is hard for me not to think about what might have been had it not been for the havoc that rain played on the Mules’ tournament schedule but I am a proud Mules alum and thankful to have a brother who accommodated my playoff viewing habits (in spite of attending a rival school).

^^ Because no matter how much you wanted it to, sleeping through the state of Idaho for two hours on an Amtrak train did not count Connor!

That took so much longer than I wanted! But now as I look to next summer, Connor and I need to cross off a new national park (or more!). We’ve done Glacier, Badlands, Grand Tetons, & Yellowstone - any suggestions?

A Walk In The Parks, Pt. III