Day 12: West Yellowstone to Rock Springs, Wyoming via Grand Teton National Park #fiveexplore

Day 12 – July 28th

Today we sadly departed Yellowstone. Lyra had mixed feelings given the next hotel would hopefully have better Wi-Fi. She would miss the tap in the hotel bathroom though. That was cool.

I completed a mad dash to a local hardware store to purchase a battery-operated pump. Today we were going boating on the lakes of Grand Teton. We navigated the morning queues into Yellowstone and headed to the southern gate. There was time for one last look at the prehistoric steaming geysers, gushing waterfalls, and bubbling springs. The weather was cool, cloudy, and damp. There was a strange comfort in the British feel to the climate. The smell of distant campfires and fresh air filled my nostrils.

We entered Grand Teton Park and initially there seemed little unique or different. Peering through the low clouds, we saw the majestic glacial mountains that loom over the western horizon. For me, this mixture of young and old mountain ranges is the defining feature of Grand Teton. Each photo we took belonged in a natural mountain water advertisement. The vegetation was different. Mint green coloured shrubs covered the landscape. We passed Jackson lake and parked at String lake, one of three smaller bodies of water to the south of the park. We chose this lake for its shallow waters meaning we could easily get back to shore.

Constant signs reminded us of dangerous wandering bears. We made a mental note to ensure Alaina left her food in the car and didn’t wander off on her own. Once you have three children, losing one is surprisingly easy. We unloaded a variety of paraphernalia from the car and quickly blew up two inflatable boats, constructed four oars, then prepared the children for a boat ride. We even had proper shoes to wade in the water. How professional.

Lyra was keen to take a boat with me. I completed the weight calculations so knew we would be fine sharing a boat. We loaded the children and set sail. Professional looking hikers and paddle boat riders stared at this motley crew attempting to launch their vessels. As I got in my boat it sunk a little given the weight differential, but we were perfectly afloat. I began to row into the lake.

What happened next disrupted the hiking, paddle boating, swimming, and outdoor pursuits of any human (or animal) within several hundred metres. Lyra started screaming at the top of her voice that the boat was going to sink. Everyone stared. Sarah and I laughed and told her it would be fine. Sarah was already in the middle of the lake. Lyra screamed louder, tears rolling down her face. I did that strange thing parents do under public gaze. Ignored the screaming child and kept rowing and smiling, even fake laughing. Lyra screamed even louder.

In the interests of peace, I returned to shore and dumped Lyra back on firm ground. Sarah swapped her for Zaria and for some reason Lyra seemed much happier in the other boat.

By now the clouds were clearing. Peaks of snow appeared over our boats. Geese swam next to us in the lake. The beauty of the landscape could finally be enjoyed between the intermittent chatter, complaining, and crying of children.

My initial rowing efforts were embarrassing. I would mostly propel the boat in a large circle and go nowhere. After ‘Lyragate’ this compounded my humiliation in front of the Teton regulars with their bikes, pickup trucks, and professional hiking gear. Eventually we made progress when I let Zaria do more rowing. Unfortunately, Zaria has an unhealthy fear of bugs (of which there were several) so I took the oars back to ensure we did not have another public screaming episode.

By the end, my shorts were so wet I may as well swum the lake. We deflated, disrobed, and decamped to the car. On our return one of the children had left a car door open. Luckily, there was no sign of bears. It was getting late and we wanted to be in Southern Wyoming by nightfall. I set course for Rock Springs and hoped to arrive before sunset.

The road took us south through Jackson. This was another tourist trap with multitudes of wood front buildings and one establishment called the Million-Dollar Cowboy Bar. Once we had extricated ourselves from the snare of local traffic, we took Route 191 through the Bridger-Teton National Forest, the third largest national forest outside of Alaska. We saw a bald eagle proudly sitting in a tree while we were waiting at a junction. The winding forest roads eventually flattened out and we drove into an increasing arid and empty landscape.

We stopped at a local food mart and enjoyed the locals ogling a British family with masks on buying takeout dinner in the middle of nowhere. No one else wore a mask. We decided to eat in the car as the sun started to set. Five minutes later we were a mess. Chicken on the floor, steak juice on my shorts, screaming, crying, tantrums. And that was just Sarah. Like an erupting geyser the family let off steam and then silence fell across the car.

Ahead the sky was turning the darkest grey. To our left were the Rockies. Sheets of rain fell in the distance. The sun lit up the mint green shrubs at the side of the road. The composition of luminous green and blackened grey made it hard to focus. As the rain began to fall, Alaina glimpsed her second rainbow of the week, arching across the sky into the Rockies.

As we emerged from the storm, a pungent herbal smell filled the car, like rosemary or basil. The setting sun tinged the grass orange as we chased the shadow of our car. We descended into Rock Springs. The town was an oasis of civilization after miles of emptiness. A feature of driving across different states is the variety of gas stations brands. In Rock Springs the gas stations were called ‘Kum and Go’.

As dusk became night, we checked into a pleasant hotel with three beds in the bedroom. This allowed one member of the family (Lyra) to luxuriate in their own space. At each establishment we visited, Alaina’s job was to enthusiastically try out the bath facilities. Unfortunately, tonight she had to make do with what she called a ‘mini shower’. Its important to maintain your standards on a long road trip.

In addition to this daily blog, you can check out our Instagram feed for more photos and short posts documenting our 2020 road trip @fiveexplore