
Or should I say Montana weekend? Craig's business trip to Montana required that he spend the weekend somewhere between Libby and Billings, providing the perfect opportunity for a mini-vacation. I flew to Missoula on Saturday morning, Craig picked me up at the airport and we drove to Yellowstone Park. Arriving at the North Entrance, we discovered that a bridge was out between Norris and Madison, and a fire intermittently closed the road between Bridge Bay and West Thumb. We decided to take our chances with the fire and luckily made it through Yellowstone to the South Entrance and on to Jackson, Wyoming, where we stayed at the Snow King Resort.

The plan for Sunday included the Grand Tetons and a trip back through Yellowstone, this time exiting at the Northeast Entrance with the final destination of Billings. Having heard about Jenny Lake from, well, Jenny--daughter of a Wyoming rancher who thought Jenny Lake was about the prettiest place he'd ever seen--we decided to check it out. Yep, it's worth the trip.


After driving through Grand Teton National Park, we entered Yellowstone at the South Entrance and very soon discovered that the forest fire had jumped the road at Bridge Bay, leaving only the West Entrance as an option for north-bound travelers.

Billings, in
eastern Montana, was looking to be a bit farther than originally anticipated. As Craig explored our options using the GPS and chatting with Mr. Park Ranger, I took the new Nikon for a spin and walked through West Thumb, which provided a great view of the forest fire and Yellowstone Lake.
Note to self: Take cell phone when walking toward a forest fire, in case spouse does not see where you are going and sends the park rangers out to look for you.


Old Faithful is located between the South and West Entrance and made the required detour an attractive option.

After setting up the camera and enlisting an elderly couple to keep an eye on it, Craig talked me into walking around Old Faithful to see the other hot springs. Just as we got to about the furthest point from Old Faithful, the geyser erupted, four minutes early according to Craig. Hence, no action shots of Old Faithful. Payback for allegedly disappearing into a forest fire? Nah, probably not.

As we approached the West Entrance, dozens of cars lined the road and we joined them, having learned that cars on the side of the road signaled wildlife and, therefore, photo opportunities. I tried out the telephoto lens and was pleased with the results.


We arrived in Billings after dark, slept a few hours, and were at the Billings airport at 5:00 am for my 6:00 am flight to Portland on Monday. Although I had marked myself out at work for the day, my original plan was to stop by the office on the way home from the airport and put in a few hours of work. Instead, I rolled for home and napped until the boys got home from school at 4 pm.
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