Papa and I spent a week in June in Montana, Wyoming, and an afternoon driving through eastern Idaho. We visited Glacier, Yellowstone, and Teton National Parks. We stayed in historic hotels every night but one. We saw moose, bears, bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, mountain goats, and trumpeter swans. The variety and abundance of wildlife was a daily treat. We hiked at least 2-3 miles every day, to places like Avalanche Lake in Glacier NP, through Norris Basin in Yellowstone, and on the boardwalk at Old Faithful where Giant Geyser was higher and more impressive than Old Faithful! We toured the state capitol building in Helena, walked the almost deserted streets of Butte, and visited the ghost town of Virginia City.
We saw more cattle grazing in Montana than we've ever seen before! Yellowstone NP was memorable for having 60% of the worlds thermal water features. It was fun to imagine the first settlers coming upon steam spewing out of the ground and believing they were on "holy ground." The Tetons were breathtakingly beautiful! The drive along Jackson Lake south to Jackson was particularly memorable and a place we will return. An unforgettable trip!
