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The whole trip was a bit crazy -- right after defending my thesis and submitting three papers (my wonderful co-authors helped a lot) and moving out my old apartment in Pittsburgh, we flew to San Francisco and then to Idaho Falls, ID, from where we then drove to Yellowstone. But it was a lot of fun.
Yellowstone is "weird" in that it is a place full of contrasts. Often you see a stretch of green forest scared by a hot spring or a geyser. So there is a some-50 yards of sterile circle where the only remaining trees are dyed white and dying. Also, everywhere you go, you see the almost naked trunks reminding you the 1988 fire. The smell of sulphur permeates the air. There are numerous bisons and deers, as there are geysers and springs. Here you see a large flatland, and next you know, the Grant Canyon is right there, taking you by surprise. It is unbelievable to see so many radical different things co-exist so nicely.
What most interested us, though, are the wildlives. There are so many of them! I still remember the excitement I experienced when we saw a bison for the first time, right when we were entering the park from the west entrance. From that, there were deers, elks, mooses, trouts, coyotes, grizzly bears, etc. In the last few days, we were actually bored to see yet another horde of bisons... But the bears are alway interesting --- once the road was blocked by hundreds of people, many with the professional-grade heavy-gauge tele-lenses, seeing a grizzly with its two cubs.
The Grant Teton is completely different -- the animals are few and shy, but the view -- what a view it is! There is a lake, serene and quiet, and then the moutains (Les Trois Tetons) are standing right next to it. So close that you can almost touch them with your hands. Magnificant -- this is all I can say about the Grant Teton. We stayed in a lake-side cabin: completely made of logs, comfortable and cozy. This is the place for civilization and romance, which yellostone is for nature and wildness.
Click for a larger picture. Click twice for a very large picture.
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