Yellowstone – Round 2

On the first half of our big adventure, we skipped a few planned stops due to weather and vehicle repairs, and other stops were shortened due to weather as well.  Yellowstone was one of those, and a place we wanted to return to.  This put us far ahead of our original schedule, and the resulting “surplus” of time prompted our decision to see Yellowstone again on our way south.  We went back to the campground near Gardiner which was quite full, but we found a site and set up.  The campground host recognized the Jeep and came over to chat for a bit, and let us know where he’d seen a couple of bears, as well as where to get free drinking water – very nice and helpful of him.  We finished situating things and headed off for the park.  After negotiating the elk-induced traffic jam at Mammoth Hot Springs, we took the road east.

Hot Spot Hopping: Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Craters of the Moon, Yellowstone

The time had come for us to leave Mt. Rainier and set out for Mt. St. Helens.  While finishing packing the Jeep, we were graced with a brief visit from this Clark’s Nutcracker.

Mt. Rainier, or Mt. Ruh-neer, or Mt. Ray-neer

I’ve heard it all three ways, and that kind of thing bugs me!  I think it should be pronounced Mt. Ray-nee-ur, but I don’t live there, so I don’t get to decide what the rainy place gets called.  No matter how you say it, the roads leading to Mt. Rainier National Park were rich with the dense green foliage one expects to find in a rainforest, which is the climate we were venturing into.

Blasting Through Canada

We packed up our gear and departed Eagle Trail just south of Tok, Alaska, making our way toward the Canadian border.  We were sad to leave Alaska behind, but vowed to return to this beautiful, enchanting place someday.  Hopefully that will happen in the not too distant future, and I suspect we’ll start daydreaming and planning for that trip shortly after this one is finished!  For now, though, we are fully present in this adventure as the events unfold.

The first day’s drive got us across the border and started us back along the famously jarring Alaska Highway to Whitehorse.  Crossing into Canada was again smooth and pleasant, and the officer we dealt with was quite friendly and helpful.

In our quest to find the hot dry air sooner rather than later, we would again make good time getting through Canada.  Kluane Lake in the Yukon was one of our favorite locations on this part of the drive; the lake seems to go on forever, and the surrounding landscapes are endlessly beautiful.