Yellowstone and the Tetons

I think that today I saw some of the most beautiful country that I have ever seen...mountains, rushing rivers, flowers, waterfalls, deep canyons, buffalo, elk, deer, a coyote, osprey, an eagle and its nest, sun coming through clouds, beaver, mountains and mountains and more mountains...I loved it all.
Yellowstone Lake is massive. It felt like a bay or a small ocean...so huge.
The Tetons were my favorite...so majestic and Lewis Lake in front of them...wow!
We hiked three times today...once up a random hill that we thought went somewhere but didn't...only gave us a amazing view.
Once to Mammoth Terrace...a gigantice hot spring that has transformed a whole mountain. We hiked to the top and then could see the hot spring pools that look like infinity pools at fancy hotels. Third hike was to see the falls in the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. This canyon was awesome and the waterfall was powerful. This was a very steep hike back up to our car and quite possibly close to a mile long...all uphill...very uphill. While hiking to the waterfall and while watching the water rush over the edge a song kept coming to my lips....The splendor of a king, clothed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice, He wraps himself in light and darkness tries to hide, it trembles at his voice, trembles at his voice...How great is our God, sing with me, how great is our God...
We saw the buffalo up close and personal as they held up traffic for quite awhile. They were crossing back and forth across the road...babies, mamas and great big bulls...the bulls were fighting each other with their horns and then rolling around in the dusty dirt. Crazy!
I was mistaken for a celebrity in the general store. I don't know which celebrity but a woman and her husband followed me around some in the store and were talking about why I would be in the store. Then they waited outside on the ramp and the woman said to her husband, "I wonder why she would vacation in Yellowstone...you know being a celebrity and all." I don't know which celebrity that I look like but Mary Kate said that I should've offered to take a picture with them. Too funny!
Lucy was less than enthusiastic about our visit to Yellowstone until we found an historic novel about Jenny of the Tetons. She read the book very quickly and then loved the park and the area. I have also started reading the book.
Oh, and about the tire...it was only a screw that didn't even penetrate the tire enough to do any damage. Tim took the car to Walmart this morning and they didn't charge us but it did delay us by several hours....better safe than sorry.
Tonight we are in Pinedale, Wyoming. I think that Wyoming is my favorite state so far.
And hey Ann, are you ready in two years to vacation with us in Yellowstone and the Tetons? Floating down the river, hiking, stay in some funky cabins by the river, learn some cowboy history (like last night we stayed in Livingston, Montana-home of Calamity Jane), sit on a big front porch with a bottle of wine and watch the sunset...are you game?