Detour part Deux

In rewiring our route due to the deletion of Mt. Hood, we decided to exit Yellowstone through the south in order to drive by the Grand Tetons en route to Redwood National Park. Approximately 20 seconds after turning off the Grand Loop Road, Pri lost consciousness.


So on we drove down the south entrance road. It wasn't long before the craggy peaks of the Grand Tetons started peaking above the treeline. We slowly approached the northern tip of Jackson Lake. The road wound its way through the valley and the Tetons rotated from an oblique view to a full on parallel vista.



My standards for mountainous beauty seem to be in a constant state of flux on this trip. The Tetons are breathtaking, even shrouded in the atmospheric haze of late afternoon. They resemble what I imagine molten rock poured into liquid nitrogen must look like, yet reaching skyward to defy gravity rather than being pulled earthward by it. As much as I wanted to stay and watch what could only be an amazing sunset, we pressed on. After my '98 civic soldiered up the 10% grade of Teton Pass, our trip entered into what I can best describe as warp drive where our only stops were to refuel, eat, and use the restroom (with every attempt made to combine all three in one stop). This is the style of driving we derived out of necessity when aiming at Wind Cave with a huge time deficit. Soon we were in Idaho, which warrants its own post.

[adam]