Grand Teton ~ Yellowstone National Park trip

We are headed home from a trip to the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone. It was everything and more that I thought it would be. Definitely something to see once in your life at least. I started planning this trip as soon as we left Rocky Mountain National Park last summer. If you visit one national park it will make you to want to visit more. I love national parks. The views are unreal, and there is a surprise around every corner. 

I planned for us to fly since it's a 23 hour drive. The morning before we left Adam was having some serious anxiety over flying. To be honest, I wasn't too crazy about the idea either but was willing to do it since it would have been faster. After much discussion, we decides to drive. We quickly packed everything up and left within two hours. We tend to make spontaneous decisions like that, but we haven't regretted one yet. 

And we're off....

Sun setting in Nebraska

We made it to our hotel in Kearney, Nebraska around 9:45. We were tired and in desperate need of a shower. It was so nice to lay down and get a good nights sleep. 

The next day we headed over on the last leg of our trip. We had about 10-11 hours left to drive. Paige decided to ride in comfort and zip herself up in her blanket. 

The best thing about road trips is seeing how the terrain changes. Wyoming was very brown and dry until we got about an hour outside of Jackson Hole. We stopped at a rest stop and the wind was blowing through like crazy. Look at Paige's hair. It was crazy!!

 

Finally, around 7:45pm, we arrived in Teton Village. It was beautiful and exciting to see. 

We stayed in a condo in Teton Village. It was a great condo in a nice location. I have never stayed in a condo with instructions on how to turn on the shower. I ended up pulling the knob out of the hole. Ugh!! We have stayed in many rentals and never had this happen. Oh well...

On our first day we went to Jackson to explore, shop, and see the famous antler arch. We were staying close to a moose habitat and low and behold, on the way to Jackson, we spotted a moose. I was SO excited since I had been wanting to see a moose. Adam pulled over so I could take a few pictures. 

This moose had no idea, but it made my day!

I loved this sign!

I have seen many pictures of this antler arch and finally was able to see it in person. 

It was a beautiful day in Jackson. It was warm but cool enough to walk around and be comfortable. I only wish it was like this at home. 

Ella and I found this cute little ground squirrel running in and out of it's hole. 

We ate lunch at Liberty Burger. I had looked at reviews that morning, and it had all good reviews. It was probably the best meal we had the entire week. We ordered burgers, and I got a "torch" on the side. It was a deep fried pepper stuffed with cheese. YUM! 

After lunch and shopping, Paige and I went to check out the pool. Paige swam and I just stuck my feet in the water. It was a nice break in our day. 

That evening, we went to the village and rode the gondola up the mountain. I loved Teton Village. It reminded me a lot of Vail. There were hotels, shops, restaurants, and activities. 

We spotted our second moose of the day while riding the gondola. Two moose sitings in one day!! 

After the gondola ride we were starving and had no idea what to do for dinner. Paige played on the playground, and I went to search for dinner. A restaurant was closing but they had one cheese pizza left. I bought the whole thing, and we ate outside. It was a great night! 

On the way back to our condo Paige wanted to visit the horses at the entrance of Teton Village. They were very friendly horses that are typically right by the fence. They were unfortunately eating that night so we didn't get to pet them. 

The views were gorgeous. We definitely don't get to see views like this at home.