Day 7 (Mammoth Hot Springs / Tower Fall/Roosevelt)

Here are some pics of our excursion to the Tower Fall/Roosevelt area and Mammoth Hot Springs area of Yellowstone. No pics from the rafting trip yet--had to use a waterproof camera :) (copy and paste the link)...

http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=1610705026/a=3145779026_3145779026/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

Day 7 (June 16) began a little earlier than the previous two mornings since we knew we had a fairly lengthy drive for our whitewater rafting trip in Gardiner, MT later in the afternoon. We headed up to the Tower Fall/Roosevelt in our (really my) quest to see a moose or two per the advice of one of the rangers. The drive up once we passed the Canyon Village area was unlike anything we had seen in the park to this point. It truly was very mountainous and full of spectacular views. I stopped several times along the way to snap a few pictures—at one point Collin said that I was “acting like Pa-Potts”, referring to Julie’s father who enjoys taking pictures as a hobby. After gazing at Tower Falls for a time, we continued up towards the Mammoth Hot Springs area. Along the way, there was a little excitement as we saw two coyotes wandering roadside in an open field. I stopped the RV for a couple quick snaps and we were off again. Once we arrived at Mammoth, we realized we were running a little short on time to make it to Gardiner for our whitewater trip. We hustled around the paths, but still were able to take in the beauty of the springs, which are unlike any other in the park in that the spring beds are mostly made up of limestone and deposit travertine. Mammoth is comprised of an Upper and Lower Terrace—after viewing the springs in the Lower Terrace, we decided to tackle the Upper Terrace, which is a roughly 1-mile loop. With only about an hour and a half to make it to Gardiner, we started out on the loop. Really, we probably should have just forgone the Upper Terrace since there really was nothing that distinguished it save the ½ mile ascent and the opportunity to chase a jackrabbit around. We finally made it back to the RV and headed to Gardiner, which is only a 10-minute drive from Mammoth. When we arrived, it was mostly sunny and breezy, temperatures were in the lower 50s. We were fitted with wet suits, piled into an old school bus, and headed to the raft launch. After a safety briefing, we were given our lifejackets and a few basic rowing instructions and into the water we went. Our raft consisted of the guide—his name is Thor—3 couples and Bryce and Collin. I was drafted by Thor to be at the head of the raft to synchronize the rowing on the left side of the raft, and a guy from Iowa headed the right side. We were immediately greeted by class III rapids upon our launch, and I was likewise greeted with barely-above-freezing water down my wet suit. Completely alert at this point, I gathered my bearings, and we made it through to a calmer section where we were afforded a short break from rowing. Apparently, Julie and the boys thought it was hilarious that I got drenched, as they were all smiles—I must admit, it was kinda fun. Our 8-mile trip lasted only about 1 ½ hours with intermittent class II / III rapids. Towards the end of the trip, a thunderstorm popped up and really cooled things off. We made it through, though, as Thor tried to inspire us with a couple really cheesy stories about a landmark in the Park called “Devil’s Slide”. The short bus ride (not on a short bus!) back to the rafting store was full of shivers and smiles. Bryce and Collin thoroughly enjoyed the adventure, as did Julie and I. After we dried off and made it into dry clothes, we headed south through the park towards the Grand Tetons, where we had reservations for the next 2 nights at Flagg Ranch. Because it was raining and cold, Julie whipped up some of her nearly-famous chicken penne pasta and a salad and breadsticks to accompany. Flagg Ranch Resort is really nice if you’re staying in the lodge or dining in the restaurant, but the RV and camping sites leave a little to be desired. Because the “resort” is a few miles to the north of Grand Tetons, we looked for a spot closer to the southern tip of the park, and one a little nicer. Bryce found a KOA in Jackson, WY, but because it was late, we would have to wait til the next day to alter our plans…