In late summerI booked a photo tour in the Grand Tetons for September 26.  I decided I wanted to head east early enough to visit Yellowstone before and after my 4 day Tetons tour.  As it turned out I left Yellowstone a day earlier than planned due to an incoming snow storm and was not able to return after the Teton tour due to the government shut down.  I did, however, have a few nice days to explore a small part of Yellowstone.

I traveled alone in our 1989 Volkswagen Syncro Westfalia camper van.  After spending a night in Colfax, WA at the home of friends, I headed for Gardiner, MT where I spent the night in a rest area a few miles outside of town.  The next morning I was up early and into the park before dawn.  My routing the first day was Gardiner, Norris, Canyon Village, Tower, Lamar Valley and back to Gardiner.  I stayed in Gardiner that night.  The second day my route was Gardiner, Mammoth Hot Springs, Norris, Madison, West Yellowstone and then I stayed the night in the campground at Madison.  I had planned to spend the next day touring Old Faithful, West Thumb and Fishing Bridge, but since the forecast was for lots of snow overnight, I headed south through Old Faithful, West Thumb, and south to the Tetons.  It would not have been good to get stuck in Yellowstone with road closures and miss my tour!  Getting to the Tetons early worked out well as it allowed me time to explore a bit on my own and also get a much needed shower at the rec. center in Jackson.

I’m already making plans for a return trip to Yellowstone.  I’d love to spend a couple weeks or more there and get off the main road system a bit.  Here are a few photos from this trip. My next post will be some photos of the Tetons – stay tuned.

Here is a sampling of what I shot those days. For the complete gallery, click here.