Our next destination is the top of Signal Mountain where you can see forever in all directions and get a real feel for the composition of the park. There, Jeanine learns of a bear that has been spotted eating berries in a Hawthorne tree. Naturally, we decide to check this out and are rewarded for the effort. After doing her best to avoid bears for the entire trip, it is Jeanine who has located one so that I could capture photos that have eluded me for years. After this very rewarding encounter we drive through the Teton Village to Wilson where we dine at the Stage Coach Bar which is an authentic cowboy/cowgirl hangout. The food was excellent but our attempt at the Texas Two Step to the music of the live band left something to be desired.

Our hike today takes us around String Lake with an extension out to Leigh Lake. Of the two lakes the latter was the more beautiful and we were glad we to have made the extra effort to reach it.

An anniversary getaway would not be complete without a portrait of the happy couple. This is the exact same location I chose for a self portrait when I visited Wyoming two years ago.

We are tempted to stay in our room all day enjoying the views of the mountains and pond around which the cabins are built. The weather is too perfect, however, and we are compelled to return to the GTNP for one more day of hiking and exploration.

This morning Jeanine elected to sleep in while I returned to the Oxbow Bend Overlook during the pre-dawn hour so that I could photograph at sunrise. When I returned at about 9AM we enjoyed a phenomenal breakfast at the Granary Restaurant located steps from our room. Any return to the Jackson Hole area will demand a return to the Granary.

As the sun starts to set we begin our return drive to Jackson Hole and are treated to Aspens along Jackson Lake at peak fall color in golden light. For the next two nights, we will be switching from roughing it to living large. We have reservations at the Spring Creek Ranch, a mountain resort with outstanding views of the Tetons and Jackson Hole.

Our final destination for the day is a return to the Grand Prismatic Spring. This time we hike in from the back side for access to a higher vantage point. What I thought would be a quick 10 minute hike up a small hill turned into a one hour major climbing adventure that lasted for an hour. From the top of the easy hill I could see a higher peak with an even better view. Twenty minutes later from that summit I could see an even higher and more advantageous peak. Using my tripod as a walking stick and mustering every bit of strength I had left, I was able to reach what I feel is the ultimate location from which to photograph this spring. As I post this image, I think to myself that it was worth every ounce of effort. Jeanine, who was worrying about me while awaiting my return at the bottom, may have a different perspective.

A short hike to the Artist Paintpots reveals some of the most bizarre thermal features yet including bubbling cauldrons of various colors and sputtering mudpots. Although geysers are spectacular when they erupt, you have to wait around for them to do so. The features here are constantly doing something interesting.

We checked out the Upper and Lower Falls from both the North and South rims of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. We preferred the views from Artist Point on the South rim.

Continuing counter-clockwise around the Grand Loop we come across a group of three River Otters frolicking in the Yellowstone River. A lady who was watching with us said she had been coming to the park for sixty years and never seen otters. We were as thrilled as she was to watch their antics as they wrestled with and tumbled over each other. After about a half an hour they retired to their den and we continued on our circuit.

Our next stop is the Mud Volcano area. Here I steel a kiss from my bride and capture our shadows in the rising sulfur mist. Credit to Jeanine for the idea for this photo.

Our success at locating wildlife in the Hayden Valley was limited to this lone coyote who was howling to his mate(s). Jeanine was speaking on the phone with Maya at the time and she was able to hear the call of the coyote clear back in Concord.

This morning we break camp before dawn and start driving towards the Hayden Valley, from my prior visit, a great location for wildlife observation. We witness a delightful sunrise over Yellowstone Lake as we approach Bridge Bay.

As the sun sets we spot a very nice bull elk on our way back to Grant Village. Our campsite is located near a large concentration of elk and we listen to their distinctive mating calls well into the early hours of the morning. Temperatures at night are in the low 30s making for perfect sleeping weather and we don’t bother to put the fly on the tent so we can enjoy the magnificent star field.