Tuesday, August 12, 2008

A little piece of heaven

Lower falls in the "grand canyon" of Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)



















Jackson Lake, Wyoming (Part of the Grand Teton National Park)


If you have not heard of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, you should add it to your list of places to visit in a lifetime....I ventured out there last week for my last hoorah and simply found there was not enough time to soak in all of the outdoor wonder....my adventure started in Salt Lake City, Utah - yes, the lake is huge, then went north to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, a quintessential old western town at the southern edge of Yellowstone National park. From there, I ventured through the Grand Teton National park before ending up in yellowstone, across the border into Montana, and back to Jackson...Almost 1000 miles in 5 days, but very well spent. I am posting a few pictures of the Grand Teton National Park as well as a pic of the lower falls from the "grand canyon" of Yellowstone...the only way to really see this particular wonder was to traverse 330 steps to the bottom of the canyon. Which of course meant, 330 steps back to the top. Not to fear, I was fine, inspired by the visions of our team running those steps for a workout! I kept thinking that stadium steps could be a lot worse as this experience added a new twist to a stair workout! It was beautiful though- these falls are famous for rainbows reflecting off the yellow stone of the canyon and are worth the huff and puff of getting to and from the landmark. This was one of a few hikes I was able to do, along with taking in some up close looks at tons of wildlife, such as buffalo, bald eagles, moose, deer, and elk. In fact, I came very close to hitting wildlife in my rental car - not good! My last leg took me to Denver, CO to see a college teammate which allowed us a chance to reminisce about the good old days - that would be the 90's :)


~ Coach Terrell