7/17/2005
Though we have rushed through Old Faithful, today we had our relationship with geysers renewed at the west thumb Geyser Basin, which is known for located on the lakeshore (even into the lake in some cases). Then we took our chance heading south into Grand Teton. Though weather and time did not permit us a full enjoyment of gaged Teton ranges, we were still impressed by these "real" landscapes, after seeing hot springs and geysers for two days.
Our adventure included a hike around the two-star Jenny lake loop trail, though we cut it short via a one-way boat ride. One episode was that Pengtao, Susan and Xun got lost on their way back, which cost them nearly an hour. It was funny when I was looking into the trail while they emerged from the other side of the driveway. We met a lady from Colorado who hiked alone while her husband took care of their dog at the parking lot. She walked fast and non-stop. We tried to follow her, and evetually lost the rest of our gang. She told us that Kentucky has a beatiful bird called cardinal, which I soon confirmed from a licence plate in lexington.
On our way back to Yellowstone, we were told a cow moose and her baby were near the river a few moments ago. Later from the reading that mooses habitates near by river. The book exspectially mentioned Grand Teton as on of most likely spots of sight these large/beautiful animals. It's a pitty that we never really saw one, though we since invested "Oh, my moose" as a substitude for "oh, my goodness" for the longing of them.
another episode was about our dinner. We knew it was very late. Resturants will all close at West Thumb, except one, which might close at 10:00pm. We hurried ourselves, and eventually about to make it right on time. I was sent as a van guard to have our seats reserved. I jumped off the van before they could find a legitimate parking spot. I showed up at the front desk at 10:00pm sharp, while still catching my breathe. I said we have a group of five. However, when I was seated, there was a problem: the menu has few entries priced below $20 and worst of all, the other fantastic four did not show up. I slipped out of the expensive resturant just to find they sit tight in the car. I had to go back to apologize just to be embarrased by the waiter: I know what you think, he joked, I can understand that.
 A bald eagle has her nest built near driveway, attracted all by the new visistors. |
 Many animals in the park show their ignorance of human beings, this elk is just one example. |
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 two hotsprings BENEATH the lake surface |
 Tree Graveyard: trees cooked from inside out by hot waters. they just illustrate how volatile this places is. |
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 Meadow luck, according to Xun |
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 shoot from inside a moving van, showing some interesting blur |
 Grant Teton Range seen below clouds |
 American Robin ??? |
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 Grant Teton Range |
 Grant Teton Range |
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 We stopped at this fall |
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 Mountain ranges shot from the trailhead |