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Home » Wyoming…Majestic, Inspiring and Wild

Wyoming…Majestic, Inspiring and Wild

July 10, 2016 by Kristin

National parks have been priority destinations on our year-long road trip, and Wyoming held two biggies: Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone gets a lot of hype. After all, it was the very first National Park. And well, it’s basically an active super-volcano, so that makes it hype worthy too. But Grand Teton blew our minds with beauty. Go ahead and quote me on that, I know it’s really poetic.

Anyhow, all kinds of adjectives come to mind to attempt to describe Wyoming. Gorgeous. Beautiful. Breathtaking. All fall short. All overused (mostly by me!). Majestic seems especially fitting though. And inspiring. I don’t know how you could look at the scenery of Wyoming and not feel inspired. And wild. Definitely wild. After all, it has the aforementioned super volcano and giant herds of wild elk and bison roaming amid jaw dropping mountain vistas. So there you have it. Wyoming: Majestic. Inspiring. And Wild.

Base Camp

We situated ourselves on a beautiful ranch in the small town of Dubois, Wyoming for base camp. We had a beautiful, laid-back locale to create and ship Destination Tree artwork, and it was a perfect jumping point for taking day trips to Grand Tetons, Yellowstone and Jackson.

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Sunsets in Dubois never disappointed!

We created and shipped lots and lots of orders while we were in Wyoming…and the ranch was a great backdrop for photography!

“Nature is not a place to visit. It is home.” -Gary Snyder #destinationtree #driftwood #driftwoodart #madewithlove #handengraved #handcrafted #etsy #etsyshop #etsyseller #makersgonnamake #fishin #gonefishing #optoutside #natureishome

A photo posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 29, 2016 at 6:56am PDT

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One of our early morning drives from Dubois through the mountains…with misty pines on our way to the Tetons!

Grand Teton National Park

We’ve been all over the country and to countless national parks on our year-long road trip. And the number one question we get is: “Where is your favorite place?” Prior to beginning this epic journey I probably thought I’d be able to name a favorite, but we’ve been to too many beautiful and diverse places to choose ONE favorite place. So, while it’s impossible to narrow it down to ONE, I can say without a doubt that Grand Teton National Park ranks HIGH on the list.

We’ve seen plenty of beautiful mountains, so I can’t quite explain why the Tetons are so captivating. They just ARE. It is truly a magical place. Unlike most parks we’ve visited, we didn’t do a lot of hiking. We actually did a lot of gawking. At one point, we literally sat down in a field and stared at the mountains. And it’s one of my favorite memories from the entire year-long journey.

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One of our first glimpses of the Tetons…we couldn’t help but admire and reflect on the beauty before us.
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We already thought the Tetons were incredible…and then we saw them framing a herd of hundreds of Elk.
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The clouds teased us a bit in the morning…all wispy around the mountains…but that didn’t detract from the majesty of the Tetons.
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Pretty dreamy, huh?
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Chapel of the Transfiguration in Grand Teton National Park.
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Taking a selfie may have been the only time we turned our backs to the Tetons!
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A picture of a picture!
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An iconic barn in a line of old homesteads called “Mormon Row” with the Grand Tetons behind it. I love this simple, old barn and its majestic backdrop.
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It seemed more like the landscape of a postcard than real life!

Sometimes we hike. Sometimes we plop down in the middle of a field and just stare at the mountains. #destinationtreeontheroad #grandtetons #findyourpark #nps100 #optoutside #mountaingazing #grandtetonnationalpark

A photo posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 16, 2016 at 4:53pm PDT

Yellowstone National Park

Ah, yes. The super volcano. Yellowstone National Park is a place I’m glad we visited, but feel like we’ll probably only do it once. No need to risk it twice. (Have you SEEN the movie 2012?!) Because it seems a little crazy to walk on a boardwalk inches from exploding geysers, boiling springs and steaming sulfur. But maybe that’s just me.

Regardless, the geothermal features are fascinating and spectacular, and then of course, there’s also the roaming bison. Yellowstone is wild and wonderful, and if you tire of the geysers there’s also rivers, lakes and waterfalls.

Rise and shine! Morning drive along the Yellowstone River! #destinationtreeontheroad #yellowstonenationalpark #yellowstone #yellowstoneriver #findyourpark #nps100 #riseandshine

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 21, 2016 at 5:47am PDT

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A little nervous about that steaming hot pool of boiling water beside us!

Wait for it…wait for it…yep, it’s Old Faithful erupting boiling water and steam about 150 feet in the air! #destinationtreeontheroad #oldfaithful #hothothot #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #findyourpark #nps100 #geyser

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 17, 2016 at 3:45pm PDT

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We exclaimed many times how incredible it is that these boardwalks were built over active hot springs.
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Grand Prismatic Spring is the largest hot spring in the United States.
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The air was cool, but the steam from the Grand Prismatic Spring was hot. Very strange, but beautiful!

Oh, you know, just a herd of bison crossing the road. #destinationtreeontheroad #yellowstone #yellowstonenationalpark #findyourpark #nps100 #bisoncrossing #bison

A photo posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 18, 2016 at 1:18pm PDT

Hey buddy…need a ride? #destinationtreeontheroad #bison #hitchhiking #hitchhiker #heybuddy #needaride

A video posted by Destination Tree (@destinationtree) on Jun 21, 2016 at 2:01pm PDT

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On a short hike to Upper Falls, and the light and the mist was magical.
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Just a little bird, hanging out by the mist of Upper Falls in Yellowstone.
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More beautiful scenery along the Yellowstone River.

Jackson Hole

In addition to the national parks, the valley within the Tetons called “Jackson Hole” contains the super cute town of Jackson, Wyoming. Known for being a ski-town in the winter, it’s a bustling little town, full of character, hikers and sightseers in the summer. We had an AMAZING breakfast at Cafe Genevieve (HIGHLY recommend!), walked all around the town square, shops and streets with the pups, and hydrated with a few tasty pints at Snake River Brewing. All in all, one of our favorite small towns!

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This arch of elk antlers is one of four arches in the town square, and were constructed in 1960. About 7,500 elk spend the winter in the nearby refuge and shed their antlers each spring. Holy Moly!
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Tasty local brews at Snake River Brewing! Matt was pretty excited about draught beer to go…he got to fill and seal his own extra large can!

Wyoming met and exceeded our expectations! And as far as national parks…we still have two remaining…stay tuned for more of our journey!

Cheers!

Kristin

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Filed Under: All Blog Posts, Blogs by Kristin, On the Road Tagged With: adventure, cross country, destination tree, inspiration, national parks, road trip, travel, wanderlust

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Comments

  1. Stubs says

    July 10, 2016 at 3:56 am

    That was truly a wonderful part of your adventure. I never knew such beauty existed! I think I have seen the Tetons in some westerns, but not all the beauty that you have captured!
    Thank you both for taking the time to share this with the world!

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