Across America Part III

At the end of  last week, we had gotten up early and hit the road, heading for Wyoming. At the campground in Estes Park we had picked up a brochure about the great dinosaur collection at Western Wyoming Community College in Rock Springs. Since we tried to break up the long drives with things that might interest the boys, we made a stop. What a great place!

They had a multitude of bones and fossils besides Triceratops and Xiphactinus Audax, and with plenty of opportunities for Ryan to point things out à la Vanna White, it was a really enjoyable time for all of us.

Another thing we liked to stop for was a good hiking opportunity. Here is Justin, nature observer extraordinaire, looking for wildlife on a hiking trail in Rock Springs.

After staying the night in Rock Springs, we headed to another great town in Wyoming, Jackson. We all loved the antler arches around the Town Square. Jackson Hole is home to the National Elk Refuge, and for more than 50 years the local Boy Scouts have helped to gather the antlers that the elk naturally shed over the winter. Some of these antlers are auctioned off and some have been used to build the iconic arches. Someday I'm going to visit Jackson Hole in the winter so I can see the thousands of live elk on the Refuge and not just shed antlers.

Now it's time for a true confession: I love fish hatcheries. I don't know why, but I find the idea and process of raising thousands of fish fascinating. When I saw the sign for the National Fish Hatchery in Jackson, we had to visit.

They raise trout (mainly cutthroat) for stocking waters in Wyoming and Idaho. We met a retired couple that were living there in an RV for the summer and volunteering at the hatchery. Who know, that might be us in five years or so!

I mentioned last week that Rocky Mountain National Park was one of my favorite National Parks, but Grand Teton National Park is also right up there in my top three. The views are stunning from almost every place in the park.

Snake River Overlook:

My all-time favorite family photo taken at Oxbow Bend:

And examining stumps and skipping stones at Jackson Lake:

It's a known fact that breakfast even tastes better if you eat it next to Mount Moran.

Next week: Yellowstone Ho! (I bet you thought we were never going to get there.)