Yellowstone - Day Eight

     We left Yellowstone with mixed emotions this morning. It was a wonderful, maybe once in a lifetime, experience to camp right in Yellowstone, and we were not even able to see most of it! I love it so much that I was a little teary about leaving. After our hike to Mystic Falls yesterday, I realized how many hidden gems are off the road that need to be seen. I guess I will just have to come back some day. One the other hand, we were excited about seeing the Tetons and what they have to offer.

          We packed up our camper fairly quickly and even had time for some last minute souvenir shopping before we headed out. Yellowstone offered us a last minute experience with a herd of bison walking down the highway as we passed through. We also enjoyed the sights that the south entrance has to offer as we drove towards the Tetons.

          We arrived at our campsite at Colter Bay a little after lunch and quickly set up camp. Our only disappointment is that the smoke from the wildfires is so thick here that you can barely see the Tetons. I am praying the wind shifts while we are here. After a quick lunch, we walked around the campground to see what it has to offer. We are close to the shores of beautiful Jackson Lake, and enjoyed some time playing down there this afternoon. The water is crystal clear and the rocks so colorful. We hiked around the lake and went into the visitor’s center for a bit. We came back and hung out at the campsite before heading down to Jackson.

          On the way down to Jackson, we stopped at Schwabackers Landing to look for moose. We didn’t see any moose, but the views were still lovely and the reflection of the trees and mountains on the river was nice. We headed down Moose Wilson Road for another chance at spotting moose, and this time we saw three!! It was very exciting for all of us. Moose are such cool creatures. We also saw a couple of elk, but no bear. We drove on into Jackson and grabbed some dinner before heading back to camp. The kids are getting a little homesick now, but I think they are just tired. Hopefully everyone will get a good night’s sleep tonight and be ready to go tomorrow.