Yellowstone Trip 2016 // Pt. 2

 I already explained the first half of this trip in a post you can read here. Our second day we woke up to our truck bed freezing cold and a layer of ice as thick as frosting on the window. We cleaned up quickly because we had to get to the Tetons fast. When you camp in in the Tetons, it's a first come first serve basis. We didn't want to stay too far from all the stuff we wanted to do so we it booked down.

This is why it came in handy to have bought both the park passes together. It saved us money and we were able to experience more than just one park in a two day vacation.

We eventually found a spot at Signal Mountain campground and cooked a quick breakfast. The thing I liked about this campground was that every site had a bear box so we didn't have to load and unload our food. A downside to this campground? The neighbors were so close you could hear them whispering inside their tent. But it was only for one night.



After breakfast we drove down to Jenny Lake, all the while keeping track of all the license plates we saw. (By the end of trip, I found 47 states, including Alaska and Hawaii and 6 Canadian provinces) We got to Jenny Lake and could not find parking. Apparently the NPS had received funding to redo a lot of Jenny Lake trails and lodges so construction forced a lot of people to park on the road. We didn't mind walking.

The hike around Jenny Lake was amazing! You can either take a boat ride across and back for $15 each or $9 one way. We opted for the cheaper route. The hike itself took maybe an hour but it wasn't hard AT ALL! Trees covered the trail so we enjoyed the shade most of the trail. For the better half of the trail, we felt like we were the only humans alive.

Once we reached Hidden Falls, we realized the last 20 yards of the trail were under construction so even though we could HEAR the falls, there was no way we'd be going up to see them.  So we hiked back to the dock and took the boat across the lake. There's just something magical and relaxing about a boat ride, even if it's only 15 minutes.

After the boat ride we decided to head to dinner/lunch because we were starving. The ice cream sandwich and the Jenny Lake gift shop just wasn't cutting it. Connor's friend recommend a BBQ joint called Bubba's. If you haven't been, you're missing out. I got the pulled BBQ chicken with fries and Connor got the sloppy bubba with baked beans Normally, I'm not a baked beans kind of person but these were divine.

We walked around Jackson, took a picture in front of the iconic antler arches, and called it a night.

Back at camp we made a fire and just sat there, Connor playing with fire and me reading my book (possibly a dangerous situation).

The next morning we got up and went home.

It was an amazing weekend! I love vacations anyway and to spend our last summer weekend together was the best thing we've done for our marriage. It's important, I believe, to spend one-on-one time with your spouse, more than just at home. You learn things about each other I don't think you could have any other way.