Logan, UT

Today, we woke up to bright sunshine and very nearly a hard frost. The temperature as we loaded the car and checked out was 3C and definitely chilly. We stopped at a small local cafe for breakfast and had absolutely sublime fresh baked blueberry scones with our coffee. Once more we headed back into the park to rejoin Hwy 89. Our first stop for the day was Old Faithful. Upon arrival, the parking lots were filling quickly and the time posted for the next eruption was 11:19 plus or minus 10 minutes. We had 45 minutes to kill and toured the various shops containing all the amazing tourist kitsch you can imagine. We were tempted by one or two of the more bizarre offerings just for fun but, in the end, kept our wallets secure.

To view the geyser, the park has built benches two deep in a huge circle a safe distance back from it. As we awaited OF’s appearance, there were volumes of steam and the odd burst of water. At 11:14 precisely, the geyser began to erupt. First a few feet, then a few feet more and ultimately to perhaps 50-60 feet in the air it spewed before slowly collapsing on itself to rest until the next event. Despite all the hype, it really was a sight worth seeing and we were again pleased that we had taken the time to stop for it.

We spent the rest of the day travelling south through Yellowstone and on in to Grand Teton National Park with the spectacular Grand Teton clearly visible. Along the way, we crossed the great divide on three separate occasions and reached an altitude of 2,580 metres (8,460 ft) before exiting the parks at Jackson, WY

Just south of Jackson, Hwy 89 winds slowly through the Grand Canyon of the Snake River. It was very scenic with the river and/or the canyon alongside all the way. From there we wound south through a host of small towns with overreaching names like Etna, Geneva, Montpelier and Ovid. Ovid stands out because there is a substantial lumber operation there with a yard full of very sizeable logs and not a forest anywhere to be seen within a hundred mile radius!

We stopped at Logan, UT for the night, another lovely little college town. The temperature when we checked in to our hotel was 29C, quite a stretch from the 3C at the beginning of the day.