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Intro, Day 1 – Idaho 2025 // Travel, Bozeman

Isaac Church — Fri, 19 Sep 2025 03:59:26 +0000

Welcome back — after over a year-long hiatus, we’re back on the road again, headed out west. I’ll give you a little trip background below, and then jump right in with the good stuff.

Background

As you might have guessed, this story, like many great stories, starts with Appalachian State football. A couple years ago, we found out through a conversation with an administrator in the ASU Athletic Department that we’d be playing a two game series with the Boise State Broncos. Naturally, we immediately blocked off the surrounding weeks on our calendars.

Faith’s grandmother lives in Idaho, which added to the trip’s potential. Originally, there was talk of some of Faith’s family, both of my parents, our kids, etc. making the trip together. Or, we would travel our separate ways out there, rendezvousing in southern Idaho a couple days before the game. Unfortunately, this plan fell through due to various circumstances (I’ll spare you the details), and slowly but surely the guest list dwindled.

Eventually, we decided that Dad and I would make the trip out west, meeting up with some of our friends along the way. Mom opted out of this trip, wanting to take a break from traveling. A large chunk of Faith’s family is taking a beach trip while we are gone, so Faith, Walker, and Ivey will be on that trip along with a host of their nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers, sisters, and who knows who else.

Oxbow Bend

Sunset - Lamar Valley

Dad and I are going to revisit a few places, and also see a few completely new destinations. We’re starting in Bozeman, driving through Yellowstone, the Tetons, southern Idaho, northern Nevada, and then flying back out of Utah. We’re excited to be back out west during the fabulous fall season!

Cars, Planes, & Automobiles

Last night, after I got the kids to bed, I headed down the mountain to Granite Falls. Mom volunteered to drop Dad and I off at the airport, so we left Granite around 06:00, arrived at the CLT airport around 07:15, and migrated through the whole airport process. Our flight departed CLT at 09:20, and after 4 hours and 33 minutes in the air, we landed in Montana at the Bozeman airport. We picked up our rental car (a Jeep Grand Cherokee) from Alamo, and headed for downtown Bozeman.

Downtown Bozeman + Food

In downtown, we found a parking space, and began walking down Main Street. First, we made our way to Five on Black, a Brazilian lunch counter known for quick, nutritious bowls and pão de queijo, their Brazilian cheese bread (see my Brazil blog for more info). Unfortunately, this late in the day, they were out of many of their most popular dishes. Even more unfortunately, I forgot to order the cheese bread, and the line was so long we didn’t go back through. Nevertheless, the bowl we ordered to split was excellent. It had tilapia with mango barbecue sauce, coconut roasted sweet potato, brown rice, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Five on Black

Bozeman, MT

Good, quick food – with a selection you don’t find in many places. It’s like local fast-casual Brazilian Chipotle or Cava.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Main Street + Coffee

Back on the street, we perused a few more shops in downtown, including Schnee’s, a toy store, a couple bookshops, the Bozeman Community Food Co-Op, a few leather goods stores, and some cowboy apparel shops.

Schnee's

Bozeman Community Food Co-Op

Schnee's

Soon, we stopped for coffee at Rockford Coffee. I got an Ethiopian pour over, and Dad got a Nicaraguan Americano. Both were good, and a nice pick-me-up after a long flight. They had a nice looking selection of pastries too, but we had our sights set on other sweets.

Rockford Coffee

Dessert

We walked back towards the eastern end of the shopping district and got some ice cream at Sweet Peaks, a Montana-based small chain that we visited during our trip to Montana in 2021. We got four flavors and split them: “Into the Woods”, which is pine-infused ice cream with granola and orange essence; huckleberry; “Wüstner Honey Cinnamon”; and “River Float”, which has Dutch-oven-style cornbread with extra honey and butter and a fruity swirl of forest berry jam. All the flavors were excellent, and we were hard-pressed to pick a favorite – but the “River Float” was truly unique and exceptional. Dad said it was probably the best ice cream he’d ever had.

Sweet Peaks Ice Cream

Downtown Bozeman

Sweet Peaks Ice Cream

Bozeman, MT

Amazing traditional and creative flavors, fresh ingredients, and friendly service. Everything you’d ever want in an ice cream shop!

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Murdoch's Home & Ranch Supply

We left downtown and decided to kill some time and run some errands before it was time to check into our lodging for the evening. First, we went to Murdoch’s Home & Ranch Supply, a western chain we’d heard about but never visited. It’s kind of like a Tractor Supply or Rural King on steroids, but with a large clothing and housewares section, and really a good bit of anything and everything you’d ever need or want. It was a fascinating place to walk around, and we managed to kill over an hour wandering the aisles.

Murdoch's Home & Ranch Supply

After Murdoch’s, we headed down the road to Walmart and Safeway to pick up some supplies. We got all the essentials you need for a western trip: snacks, a disposable cooler, water, and cleaning wipes…but forgot laundry detergent.

Sapphire Motel

By now it was finally time to check into our lodging, the Sapphire Motel just north of downtown. This is an old motor lodge that has been nicely renovated with a retro theme. We checked into our hotel, FaceTimed the family back home, resituated our luggage, and relaxed for a while.

Sapphire Motel

Montana Ale Works

We had a dinner reservation at Montana Ale Works for later in the evening, but I decided to call over and see if they had any super-early openings so we could eat and head to bed early. Sure enough, they did, so we headed on over to the restaurant for dinner. Montana Ale Works is situated in a historic Northern Pacific freight building, and is a beautiful, rustic restaurant that has the honor of being Bozeman’s most decorated establishment.

Montana Ale Works

We started with an appetizer of bison potstickers with mango-garlic chili sauce, and then split two entrees: the “Montana Meatloaf” with local bacon-wrapped pork, beef & Idaho Kootenai bison, mashers, and caramelized onion gravy; and the “Monarch Elk Burger” with North American elk, melted Gruyère, tomato jam, arugula, and truffled porcini aioli.

Montana Ale Works

Everything was phenomenal, down to the veggies that came with the meatloaf. We loved the meal, and saw many other things on the menu we’d love to try one day.

Montana Ale Works

Bozeman, MT

Amazing atmosphere, finely crafted menu items, and great service. This is one of our favorites we’ve visited for western food.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Sightseeing + Ice Cream

After dinner, we drove through Montana State University’s campus to see the sights (they have a duck pond similar to App’s!), and then stopped at Genuine Ice Cream Co. to split a couple of small cups. Genuine was once in downtown, and we visited their old location on a previous trip to Bozeman. For the day’s second round of ice cream, we once again got four flavors to split: huckleberry, salted caramel cookie dough, chocolate orange, and honey cornbread. All were fantastic, but perhaps a small step below Sweet Peaks from earlier. Although, we both agreed Genuine’s huckleberry might’ve been slightly better.

Montana State University

Genuine Ice Cream Co.

Bozeman, MT Mural

Genuine Ice Cream Co.

Bozeman, MT

Very good, very creamy ice cream. Great flavor selection. If Sweet Peaks wasn’t right down the road, this would probably be a 3-star establishment.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Early To Bed, Early To Rise

We headed back to the Sapphire, and settled in for the night, ready to get an early start in the morning. We’ve committed to stay mostly on eastern time, so you’ll see a lot of early nights and early mornings from us on this trip (we hope).

Sapphire Motel

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “Murdoch’s Home & Ranch Supply”.

The best thing I ate today was… “a tie between Sweet Peaks Ice Cream and the meatloaf”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “Murdoch’s Home & Ranch Supply”.

The best thing I ate today was… “bison potsticker and cornbread ice cream”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow we’ll be driving south into Yellowstone, but we’ll be taking a new [to us] route into the park. It’ll be a roundabout way—shocker—to get to our final destination, but I’m hoping we’ll see some great scenery along the way.

– Isaac & Jerry

The post Intro, Day 1 – Idaho 2025 // Travel, Bozeman appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 11 – Church Trip 2023 // Yellowstone National Park

Isaac Church — Thu, 28 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today, we traveled around Yellowstone National Park. Our goal was to see things we missed during our last trip, and to repeat some of the highlights.

Breakfast

We left our cabin near Henry’s Lake in Idaho, and traveled east to West Yellowstone to find some breakfast. We stopped at Go-Go Espresso, a small drive-through-only shack that sold coffee and some basic breakfast items. We all got coffees, plus some bagels and muffins. The coffees were good, but not very hot.

Bagel - Go-Go Espresso

Yellowstone National Park

Since this is our first full day here, here are some facts about Yellowstone National Park.

By the numbers:

2,221,766 acres // 3,472 sq mi (larger than Rhode Island and Delaware combined)
10mi north of Grand Teton National Park, connected by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway
Named after the “Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone”
From 1886 to 1916, the US Army oversaw management of the park
1,000+mi of hiking trails
Lowest elevation: 5,282′ (Reese Creek)
Highest elevation: 11,358′ (Eagle Peak)
Average elevation: 7,733′
96% in WY, 3% in MT, 1% in Idaho
5% water, 15% grassland, 80% forests
Yellowstone Lake is 131.7 sq mi, with 141 mi of shoreline
1,000-3,000 earthquakes annually
10,000+ hydrothermal features
500+ active geysers
290+ waterfalls
67 species of mammals, 285 of birds, 16 of fish, 5 of amphibians, 6 of reptiles
9 species of conifers, 1,000+ of flowering, 186 species of lichens, and 225 invasive plant species

Fun facts:

World’s first national park – established March 1, 1872
The park sits on top of an active supervolcano
About half the world’s hydrothermal features and half the world’s geysers are found in Yellowstone
Home to the largest concentration of mammal species in the lower 48 states
Wolves were absent from the park for 70+ years, and were successfully reintroduced starting in 1995

Yellowstone National Park

Old Faithful

After stopping for breakfast, we drove straight to Old Faithful, where we parked and watched the geyser spout off. I’ll echo what I said the last time we visited: if you are tight on time, skip Old Faithful in favor of something else in the park. But, Mom wanted to go back, so we made the stop again.

Old Faithful

Mystic Falls

We drove a short distance up the road to Biscuit Basin, where Faith and I started on a hike to Mystic Falls on the Firehole River. The falls drop 70′ over multiple levels, and feature several geothermal features in the canyon (mostly fumaroles). The hike was short and flat (about 2.4mi out-and-back). It was much more impressive than Fairy Falls, which we visited last year. Getting down close to the falls was a little sketchy, as the trail turned into a steep slope with mostly scree. We decided to not go all the way to the base of the falls, especially since my ankle and leg are not quite 100% healed.

Biscuit Basin

Back at Biscuit Basin, we made a quick lap around the boardwalks to see the hot springs and other geothermal features. Some of the highlights of this basin include Sapphire Pool, Black Diamond Pool, West Geyser, and Dark Opal Pool. It’s amazing how unique each one of the features is.

Biscuit Basin

Sapphire Pool

Biscuit Basin

Midway Geyser Basin

From Biscuit Basin, we drove to Midway Geyser Basin, home of two main features: Excelsior Geyser Crater and the massive Grand Prismatic Spring. Excelsior Geyser was an active geyser in the late 1800s, erupting over 100ft tall and 300ft wide Researchers believe it erupted so violently that it actually damaged its internal plumbing, and has since transformed into a hot spring, except for a brief 46hr-long stint of relatively tiny eruptions in 1985. The hot spring dumps ~4,500 gallons of 199°F water into the Firehole River every minute.

Excelsior Geyser Crater

Park Superintendent Philetus Norris on Excelsior Geyser

“…simply incredible, elevating to heights of 100 to 300 feet, sufficient water to render the Fire Hole River, nearly 100 yards wide, [into] a foaming torrent of steaming hot water, and hurling rocks of from 1 to 100 pounds in weight, like those from an exploded mine, over surrounding acres.”

Grand Prismatic Spring is by far the largest and most famous hot spring in Yellowstone and in the United States. It’s the third largest in the world, behind Frying Pan Lake in New Zealand and Boiling Lake in Dominica. We walked the boardwalk up to the 300′ wide spring, and marveled at the colors and runoff.

Grand Prismatic Spring

Opal Pool

Grand Prismatic Spring

Remember when I said I was foreshadowing about high winds on Day 7 of this trip? Faith lost her hat to a wind gust, which blew it 25ft away into the middle of the runoff. I counted at least 18 other hats which had fallen victim to the wind. Before Faith lost her’s, we had just talked about the crazy wind gusts, and I had just taken mine off to fasten it to my backpack. Faith was reaching up to grab hers when it blew off.

Lost hat

While Dad, Faith, and I pushed Walker up the hill in the stroller (a rather long walk), Mom sat down by the river to enjoy the view. She attempted to cross the bridge, but decided to turn around because of the wind gusts.

Firehole River

Lunch

We drove back to Old Faithful, and stopped at the Old Faithful General Store to get an afternoon snack in lieu of lunch. Dad got a slice of pizza, and the rest of us got either a hot dog or a bison brat. We ate our lunch on the front porch of the store, while watching the oversized crows scavenge for crumbs.

Old Faithful General Store

Lake // fishing Bridge

Leaving Old Faithful, we drove east toward Yellowstone Lake, winding our way up and around West Thumb. It was a beautiful, clear day, so we had a great view of the vast lake from the car and a couple of the pullouts we stopped at. I’d hoped to have time to continued around the lake to go to Lake Butte Overlook, and the Pelican Valley, but once again time didn’t allow us to. That was disappointing, as it’s one of the only areas of the park we haven’t visited.

Fishing Bridge

We made a quick pull-in to see Lake Yellowstone Hotel, made a brief drive across Fishing Bridge, and then drove north toward the Hayden Valley and Canyon Village.

Yellowstone Lake

Mud Volcano // Hayden Valley

Before the main stretch of the Hayden Valley, we arrived at Mud Volcano, and noticed a huge crowd by the side of the road. We though it might be some wildlife, but we were only half-correct. There was a dead bull elk on the other side of the Yellowstone River, by the East Caldron. The crowd was waiting to see what predators might arrive to try to score an easy meal. We waited for a while, but nothing showed, so we decided to leave and maybe try again later.

Mud Volcano

Bull elk carcass

Bison

Continuing north on the Grand Loop Road, we drove through the magnificent Hayden Valley. The Yellowstone River winds through the valley; bison herds were grazing in the distance. It a picturesque remnant of what the American west was once like.

Hayden Valley

Upper Falls

At the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, we stopped at Upper Falls View on South Rim Drive to see the thundering Upper Falls. For the sake of time, we didn’t continue to Artist Point at the end of the road, but I would highly recommend going if you have time.

Upper Falls

Crystal Falls

Madison River Valley

We left the Canyon, and cut across Norris Canyon Road back towards the park’s west entrance. In the Madison River Valley, we had to stop to feed Walker; fortunately, this allowed us to watch the sunset, and take some photos of a some birds and a lone bison grazing by the side of the road. Eventually, the bison had caused so much traffic backup, that two rangers had to arrive with bullhorns to move the cars along. We watched the spectacle from the a parking lot on the opposite side of the road.

Dinner

Back in West Yellowstone, we got to-go boxes from Firehole Bar-B-Que Co. for dinner. Mom got a pork sandwich, and the rest of us got brisket sandwiches. The food was pretty good, but most of our sandwiches had soggy buns. The food was filling, and that was the most important thing after yet another full day.

Firehole Bar-B-Que Co.

Ice Cream

After dinner, Dad and I ran in Food Roundup Supermarket to get him some allergy medicine and me some blister pads. Then, we drove to Espresso & Ice Cream House to get some ice cream. They, like many establishments in the state, serve Montana-made Wilcoxson’s Ice Cream. Mom got maple nut; Dad got maple nut and strawberry cheesecake; I got maple nut and huckleberry; and Faith got raspberry and mango sorbet.

Espresso & Ice Cream House

Island Park

After finishing our ice cream (and then turning up the heat in the car, because it was near-freezing outside), we drove across the state line into Island Park, Idaho. This time, it was much easier to find the gate to access our cabin. We did a couple loads of laundry, packed up all we could in preparation for tomorrow’s departure, and headed to bed.

Opening the gate

Video

Here’s a video from today’s adventures.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “Mystic Falls”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the brisket on the sandwich”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “Upper Falls – the worst thing was watching my hat fly away”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the bison bratwurst”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “Grand Prismatic Spring”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the brisket sandwich”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “front row seating at Old Faithful, and sitting by the Firehole River”.

The best thing I ate today was… “maple nut ice cream”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll explore the Canyon, Lamar Valley, and Dunraven Pass areas of the park.

– Isaac & Co.

Madison River Valley

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Day 10 – Church Trip 2023 // Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park

Isaac Church — Wed, 27 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today marked our final day in the Tetons. We spent the morning in the Jackson Hole Valley, and then traveled north to Yellowstone.

Morning Wildlife Watching

For the second straight morning, we rose before sunrise, packed the car, and left our Airbnb in Victor, ID. We drove across the Teton Pass, and turned onto Moose Wilson Road to look for wildlife.

Sunrise

Today was much more successful than yesterday. Almost immediately inside the entrance of the park, we saw a large bull elk up on the hillside above us. We followed him for a while as he moved parallel to the road, until he finally disappeared into the woods off to our left.

Bull elk

A couple hundred yards down the road, we heard another elk bugling, and finally caught a glimpse of him through the trees. This bull was enormous (dwarfing the last one we saw), but he was moving so fast in and out of the trees that I wasn’t able to get a picture. We followed him for almost a mile, before he finally turned off and headed east, away from the road.

By now, the sun had begun to rise, so our chances of seeing more wildlife close to the road decreased with every minute.

Sunrise

Further up the road, we saw a few pronghorn eating their breakfast in a field by the side of the road.

Pronghorn

Signal Mountain Lodge

Continuing north on Teton Park road, we stopped to eat breakfast at Signal Mountain Lodge. It was a good meal, reminiscent of a cafeteria/camp breakfast. Mom and Dad got pancakes, eggs, and bacon; Faith got a hot oatmeal bowl with fruit and bacon; and I got a yogurt parfait with a blueberry muffin and eggs on the side.

Breakfast - Signal Mountain Lodge

After breakfast, we stopped at Signal Mountain General Store on the other side of the parking lot to get some coffees for the road. Mom, Dad, and Faith got mochas, and I got a huckleberry mocha (a little weird, would not try it again). The coffee was okay – it tasted a little burnt.

Teton Park Road

We left Signal Mountain Lodge and backtracked on Teton Park Road, pausing to enjoy the views and clean up a spilled coffee along the way.

Teton Park Road

String Lake

Turning onto Jenny Lake Road, we stopped at String Lake. Dad and I took a quick stroll down to the water. I thought it was just as beautiful, if not more so, than Jenny Lake. It was definitely much more peaceful, and far less crowded. String Lake runs off into Jenny Lake, which forms the waterfall we saw yesterday on our boat tour.

String Lake

Jenny Lake

Continuing the one-way drive, we stopped at Jenny Lake Overlook to enjoy one of the park’s most famous views. Here, Jenny Lake is framed perfectly by trees on the sides, with the mountains as a snow-capped backdrop.

Jenny Lake

As we left the lake, we saw a large mule deer grazing by the side of the road. He didn’t seem to mind the people or cars at all.

Mule deer

Kayaking

Turning off of Jenny Lake Road back onto Teton Park Road, we drove the short distance to Jenny Lake Visitor Center. Faith and I rented a two-person kayak for an hour, and took it out onto the lake. Once we finally figured out how to steer effectively, we paddled almost all the way to the other side of the lake, until we decided we needed to turn around to get back to the east side dock before our time was up. The views were beautiful, and it was very peaceful out on the water.

Kayaking on Jenny Lake

Two things I’ll note about the kayaking: (1) I did not like having to travel through the wake of the powerboats. That made me very uneasy. (2) Faith is a terrible paddling partner for a tandem kayak.

Grand Teton National Park

Cattleman's Bridge

We decided to make a couple final stops before we left Grand Teton for good. First, we drove to Cattleman’s Bridge site, a quiet picnic spot down by a calm section of the Snake River. There used to be a cattle bridge here, but it’s now long removed.

Cattleman's Bridge

Oxbow Bend

Our final stop in the park was Oxbow Bend. This pullout is right next to the Snake River, and as you look up the river, you see Mount Moran in the distance. It was a beautiful view, especially with the aspens everywhere. There were a lot of waterfowl in the river; we spent about 20 minutes watching them and enjoying the landscape.

Oxbow Bend

Moose Falls

From Oxbow Bend, we briefly pulled off into Colter Bay Village Vistor Center to use the restrooms, and take advantage of the window of cell service to plan the rest of our afternoon. We bid goodbye to Grand Teton National Park and drove north on the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Parkway into Yellowstone National Park. After passing through the south entrance station, we drove about a mile up the road to Moose Falls.

Crawfish Creek flows under an arched stone bridge, and then plunges 30 ft’ over a steep cliff. Because of the creek, the falls are sometimes referred to as Crawfish Falls. Moose Falls is unique not because of its height, but because of its geothermal-heated water. Moose and other animals often stop to warm themselves in the water. The creek is named Crawfish Creek because the warmer waters allow crawfish to thrive at an altitude where they ordinarily would freeze to death. The top of the waterfall is just a short walk away from the car; I chose to not climb down to the bottom because it was quite steep, and I was more concerned about getting something to eat ASAP.

Moose Falls

Huckleberry bon-bon

Walker conveniently chose this spot to have a massive blowout. After an all-hands-on-deck effort to get him cleaned up, we ate some delicious huckleberry bon-bons I’d purchased at Signal Mountain Lodge, and continued on our merry way.

Lewis Canyon

Near the overlook for Lewis Canyon Falls, we noticed a small crowd of people gathered by the side of the road watching something. We stopped to see what they were looking at, and saw that there was a bald eagle on a tree branch just a short distance below the overlook. I scrambled around to the side through some trees to get an almost eye-level view of the magnificent bird.

Bald Eagle

Old Faithful Inn

About an hour later, we arrived at Old Faithful Inn, and decided to see if we could get a table for dinner, since it was fairly early. The line was tremendously long, and they didn’t have any remaining reservations, but the hostess told us to wait around in the Inn’s grand lobby and see if something came available. About 30 minutes later, our buzzer rang; someone had not shown up for their reservation!

Old Faithful Inn

Seated at a table in Old Faithful’s beautiful rustic dining room, we learned from our waitress that a lot of the chaos was because the Old Faithful Obsidian Lodge across the way had lost power, so guests were pouring over to the Inn instead. Mom and Dad got the dinner buffet, and Faith and I ordered prime rib with potatoes and asparagus. The buffet had huckleberry chicken, salmon, beef short ribs, salad, vegetables, soup, dessert, etc.. The prime rib was delicious, but all of us except Mom thought the dinner buffet was lackluster. Dad didn’t even clear his first plate.

Old Faithful Inn Dining Room

Despite the disappointing buffet fare, it was a special meal. We were all very glad we got to eat a meal in the historic dining room; we felt like we’d experienced the Inn as more than a passerby. The Inn had live music in the lobby, and some interesting exhibitions from local photographers, artists, and craftsmen – all this added to the ambiance.

Old Faithful Inn Dining Room

Evening Wildlife Watching

From Old Faithful, we traveled North past the Midway Geyser Basin.

Bison herd

Midway Geyser Basin

We turned down Fountain Flat Drive, pausing to observe the river, moon, bison, and a bull elk.

Island Park

We drove out of the park, crossing into Montana and passing through the town of West Yellowstone. After about an hour drive, we arrived at our lodging for the night, near Henry’s Lake in Idaho. It was pitch black outside, and was very difficult to find the gate to the development, let alone the cabin itself. We finally got inside, and settled down for the night.

Video

Here’s a video from today’s adventures.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the view while kayaking on Jenny Lake”.

The best thing I ate today was… “prime rib”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the view from Jenny Lake kayaking”.

The best thing I ate today was… “oatmeal at breakfast”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “the elk with the humongous rack this morning”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the huckleberry bon-bon”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “Old Faithful Inn”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the meal at Old Faithful Inn”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll continue exploring Yellowstone National Park.

– Isaac & Co.

The post Day 10 – Church Trip 2023 // Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 9 – Church Trip 2023 // Grand Teton National Park

Isaac Church — Tue, 26 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today, we spent all day exploring Grand Teton National Park. We took a boat tour, ate a delicious breakfast, and visited some areas of the park we hadn’t been to before.

Wildlife Watching

This morning, we woke up before sunrise, crossed the Teton Pass back into Wyoming, and drove back up Moose Wilson Road in hopes of spotting some wildlife. Our wildlife watching session was mostly unsuccessful. We didn’t have any luck on Moose Wilson Road, so we drove back to Schwabacher Landing to try our luck. We didn’t see any moose, and apparently just missed one that was diving in the water to eat reeds off the bottom.

While they might not seem built for aquatic activities, Moose are excellent swimmers, reaching up to 6mph. While that may sound a little slow, consider that an average human swims at 2mph, and an Olympic swimmer swims at 5mph. They have been observed swimming over 10 miles, and in currents that would easily sweep away other animals, even wolves.

Sunrise

Creek on Moose Wilson Road

Though we didn’t see any larger wildlife, we did spot a bald eagle in a tree above the beaver dam ponds at Schwabacher Landing. It was amazing watching its “eagle eyes” scanning the area for potential prey – and a little harrowing to see it looking straight at us.

Bald eagle

Hot air balloon

Bald eagle

Persephone Westbank

For breakfast, we headed to Persephone Westbank on Moose Wilson Road, a repeat from our previous trip to the Tetons. Dad and I split a breakfast croissant sandwich and a Belgian waffle with crème fraîche and blackberry compote. Mom and Faith each ordered a breakfast plate, and then we all got some pastries for “breakfast dessert”, including a blueberry muffin, a maple scone, and a couple cinnamon brioches. We all got a coffee to go with our meal – they have excellent coffee and espresso, in addition to the fine food.

Waffle

Croissant breakfast sandwich

Breakfast plate

Pastries

Persephone

Jackson, WY + Wilson, WY

A tasty levain bakery in a cozy, modern setting. Delicious pastries, coffee, and breakfast items.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve

Leaving the Westbank business park, we headed just up the road to Aspens Market to stock up on a few supplies for the day. Mostly, I needed some lip balm because the cold, dry air had been rather rough. Then, we headed back to Persephone to get some more coffees for the road – the early mornings had been taking a toll on us.

Continuing north on Moose Wilson Road, we pulled into the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. This area was kept by the Rockefeller family as a retreat family for years after they purchased land to donate to the national park d.b.a. the Snake River Land Company. In 2001, the Rockefellers transferred this final parcel of land over to the National Park Service, who restored it to its original state, except for a visitor center and some restrooms.

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve

The visitor center had recently shut down for the season, and the trails were closed due to bear activity, so we walked around for a few minutes and then left. Even though we couldn’t go inside, it was a good opportunity to give Walker a stroller ride.

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve

Bearproof bathroom door

Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve

Grand Teton National Park

Since this is our first full day in the park, here are some facts and information about Grand Teton National Park:

By the numbers:

310,000 acres (480 sq mi)
10mi south of Yellowstone National Park, connected by the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway
Named after the 13,775′ Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the 40mi-long Teton Range
8 peaks top 12,000′
Lowest elevation: 6,320′
Average elevation: 6,800′
242 mi of hiking trails
Jackson Lake is 15mi long
The average annual rainfall is 21.6″, and the average annual snowfall in the valley is 173″
~2,000 grizzlies reside in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Fun facts:

Home to both the smallest bird and largest waterfowl in North America: the calliope hummingbird and trumpeter swan, respectively.
Only National Park to have an airport inside it
Home to the fastest mammal in the western hemisphere: the pronghorn, which can run up to 70mph

Jenny Lake Boat Tour

Months ago, we’d booked a boat tour on Jenny Lake. We arrived plenty early to orient ourselves, but barely managed to find the boat dock and a parking space in time. The five of us boarded the boat, and enjoyed a scenic guided cruise around the lake. The excursion provided excellent close-up views of the mountains, canyons, and waterfalls around the lake; our tour guide provided commentary along the way.

Hiking

Jenny Lake Boating also provides shuttles across the lake for hikers. We got a significant discount with our bout tour passes, so Faith and I got our hands stamped, boarded a shuttle boat, and rode across the lake again to do the park’s most popular hike. At the west shore boat dock, we hopped off, and climbed up the hill towards Inspiration Point, which has a panoramic view of the land and Jackson Hole valley.

Inspiration Point

The next stop is the premier destination of the park – Hidden Falls. From the overlook at Inspiration Point, the trail continues winding up into the canyon. Finally, it turns a corner and reveals a 100ft waterfall thundering down the mountainside. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

Hidden Falls

If time had allowed, we would have continued into Cascade Canyon, where the trail winds into the Teton backcountry. However, we were short on time, and didn’t want to miss the last shuttle back, so we got a glance of the view up the canyon, and then hustled back down the mountainside to the boat dock.

Cascade Canyon

Our brisk walk turned into a near-sprint as soon as we caught a glimpse of the huge line at the dock. After four full shuttles slowly drained the line in front of us, we finally got to board a boat for the 15 minute ride back across the lake.

Hidden Falls

Picnic

Back on dry ground on the east side of Jenny Lake, we quickly realized we wouldn’t be back to Jackson in time to beat the dinner crowds. We’d also forgotten the diaper bag back at the Airbnb, so we needed to purchase a few baby supplies. We stopped at an Albertson’s in Jackson (my first experience in one of these) and for the sake of expediency, picked up some sandwiches from the deli. Leaving the ginormous grocery store, we drove back into the park and stopped at the Cottonwood Creek Picnic Area. Here, we ate our very mediocre, bland sandwiches at a picnic table, enjoying a view of the sun setting behind the mountains.

Picnic dinner

Sunset

Picnic dinner

Bear + Elk

As we drove back down Moose-Wilson Road, it was quite dark, and we didn’t really expect to see any wildlife. However, as we rounded one curve, I was face-to-face with a black bear out my car window! It was halfway up a tree, and I think it was just as startled by me as I was by it.

Wrapping up, we drove back across the Teton Pass to Victor, ID for the night. Along the way, we made one quick stop to listen to a herd of elk bugling (it was too dark for pictures). We were very glad to head to bed after another adventurous day.

Video

Here’s a short video from today’s adventures.

The Best Things we Saw Today

Isaac

The best thing I saw today was… “the view up Cascade Canyon – I wish we’d gotten to hike it”.

The best thing I ate today was… “cinnamon brioche from Persephone”.

Faith

The best thing I saw today was… “the hike to Hidden Falls”.

The best thing I ate today was… “cinnamon brioche and coffee”.

Jerry

The best thing I saw today was… “the Jenny Lake boat tour”.

The best thing I ate today was… “the ham and cheese croissant at breakfast”.

Amy

The best thing I saw today was… “the Jenny Lake boat tour”.

The best thing I ate today was… “my mocha latte from Persephone”.

Conclusion

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Tomorrow, we’ll do a few more activities in the Tetons, and then leave the park and drive north to Yellowstone.

– Isaac & Co.

The post Day 9 – Church Trip 2023 // Grand Teton National Park appeared first on Isaac Church // isaactchurch.com.

Day 8 – Church Trip 2023 // Wind River Range, Grand Teton National Park

Isaac Church — Mon, 25 Sep 2023 02:00:00 +0000

Today is the eighth day of our 2023 journeys in the west, and our first full day in Wyoming. We spent the majority of our time on the road, but still managed to see some great scenery.

Morning Driving

Well before sunrise, we dragged ourselves out of bed, left our hotel in Rawlins, and began driving NNW on US-287 towards Lander. It was a chilly morning, and there were patches of frost on the ground. Along the way, we witnessed a gorgeous prairie sunrise, and watched both deer and antelope playing in the fields by the roadside.

While I’m on the subject, here are some facts about antelope… First, to clarify, they are technically pronghorn, not antelope. Pronghorn are the second fastest land animal in the world (behind the cheetah), and are more closely related to giraffes than to deer or other ungulates. Although slower than cheetahs, they can sustain their top speeds for much longer, running lightning-fast for up to 45 minutes.

Outside Lander, WY

Driving to Lander, WY

Outside Lander, WY

Breakfast

After a little less than two hours on the road, we arrived in Lander, WY – the gateway town to Wyoming’s famed Wind River Reservation and mountain range. We stopped for breakfast at Lincoln Street Bakery, a local bakery with a variety of pastries and breakfast staples. To quench our ever-growing hunger, we got a sampling of baked goods, including German apple cake, banana bread, and a blueberry turnover. We also tried a sample of their whole-wheat sourdough, the bread of the day. Dad ordered biscuits and gravy; I got a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant with lemon-thyme aioli; and Mom and Faith got the “Bakery Standard” with eggs, bacon, toast, and raspberry jam. All the food was well-prepared and delicious; the breakfast plates were much better than the pastries.

Lincoln Street Bakery

Lander, WY

A cozy bakery serving plates of delicious food all day long. Worth stopping in if you happen to be hungry in the middle of Wyoming.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

More Morning Driving

I’d hoped to have time to visit a peculiar feature near Lander called Sinks Canyon. Here, the Middle Popo Agie River disappears underground in a cave, and then reemerges half a mile later from the bottom of a pond. We were running short on time, so unfortunately we had to skip this stop. Maybe another time…

Driving Near Lander, WY

Wind River Range

Outside Lander, WY

Wind River Range

We continued north on US-287 through the Wind River Range, eventually merging with US-26. Eventually, we drove through Dubois, WY, where there are a couple interesting museums I’d like to visit someday: the National Bighorn Sheep Center and the National Museum of Military Vehicles. I read you need to allow at least half a day for the latter. I’d love to make time in the future; it looked very interesting.

About 40 miles west of Dubois, we crested a hill and saw our first view of the Tetons and the Jackson Hole valley. We stopped at Togwottee Overlook to take some pictures of the spectacular view. Soon, the road came alongside the South Buffalo Fork of the Snake River, and we followed the river into the town of Moran and the entrance station for Grand Teton National Park.

Togwottee Overlook

Moran Entrance - Grand Teton National Park

Snake River Overlook

Our first stop in the park was the Snake River Overlook, the spot of Ansel Adams’s iconic 1942 photograph, “The Tetons and the Snake River”.

Snake River Overlook

Having been on the road for several hours since breakfast, we were all getting hungry, so we decided to head on to downtown Jackson for lunch.

Lunch

Our first choice of restaurant was closed, so we headed to Hand Fire Pizza and got a couple pies and two salads to-go. We took them to Rendezvous Park, a spot just off the Snake River that we’d visited on our last trip to the Tetons. We got a Caesar salad, a mixed greens salad with grilled chicken, a “Meatbawls!” pizza, and a “Queen of Savoy” (margherita) pizza. Everything was good, but the pizzas quickly lost their heat in the cool breeze. Ordinarily, I’d award a restaurant like this at least one star, but I’ll hold off until another visit because I felt like we didn’t get the full experience.

Hand Fire Pizza

Even though the pizza wasn’t hot, the scenery was spectacular. Mom and Dad played with Walker for a while, and Faith and I took a short walk over to the Snake River to enjoy the view. We saw several groups of people tubing down the river – a chilly activity for a windy day in the Tetons!

Snake River - Rendezvous Park

Moose Wilson Road

From the park, we drove north on Moose Wilson Road, and entered the park through the Granite Canyon Entrance Station. To our surprise, the National Park Service had paved the road since our last visit, a vast improvement over the washboard gravel road. However, this is a point of controversy for the locals, because the road now sees much more through-traffic, increasing the amount of noise and thus reducing the amount of wildlife in the area. We didn’t spot any wildlife, but it wasn’t an ideal time of day to do so.

Our only stop off of Moose Wilson Road was a quick side trip to the Murie Ranch, home to some historic residences. Now, it’s a base for conservationists.

Murie Ranch

Menor's Ferry Historic District

Soon, we arrived at Menor’s Ferry Historic District, and the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. We made a quick rest stop at the visitor center, and then took some time to explore the historic district. This spot was home to one of the only ferries across the Snake River, a mercantile, post office, and some other historic buildings.

Bill Menor, the proprietor, constructed the ferry in 1894. The Snake River bisected the valley, and was often unfordable, making the ferry an important transportation hub for the Jackson Hole valley. When the water was too low to cross with the pontoon ferry, Menor used a primitive rope cable car system to shuttle people and goods across the river. Eventually, Menor and his men would build a bridge for winter use, but would dismantle it each year before the spring snowmelt raised the water level.

Menor sold the business in 1918, and his successor eventually sold the land to the Snake River Land Company in 1927. The Snake River Land Company was a shell corporation John D. Rockefeller Jr. used to purchase land in the valley to donate to the National Park system, fulfilling his vision for the conservation of the beautiful area south of Yellowstone National Park.

Menor's Ferry Historic District

Chapel of the Transfiguration

Leaving the riverside, we stopped at the Chapel of the Transfiguration. In 1925, settlers built the chapel so they wouldn’t have to travel to Jackson to attend services. Today, it’s a part of the parish of St. John’s Episcopal Church, and seats 65 people, with additional outside seating for the summer months.

Chapel of the Transfiguration

Grand Teton National Park

Chapel of the Transfiguration

Grand Teton National Park

Downtown Jackson // Ice Cream

So we could be back in the park for the sunset, we drove back to downtown Jackson to get a snack. Faith and I strolled Walker around for a while (which he greatly enjoyed), and stopped at Pearl Street Market to get a wrap for Faith. We also stopped at the Kühl store; I’ve always known it as a great outdoor brand, but I’d never seen a brick-and-mortar store before.

Antler arch

Downtown Jackson, WY

Kühl store

Eventually, we all met up at Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream to get some dessert. Mom got wild huckleberry and maple roasted walnut; Dad got maple roasted walnut and praline & pecan; Faith got boysenberry or marion blackberry and mango sorbet; and I got wild huckleberry and Belgian chocolate. All the ice cream was very good, especially the huckleberry.

Wrap from Pearl Street Market

Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream

Schwabacher Landing

After finishing our ice cream, we drove to Schwabacher Landing to watch the sunset. At the end of the road, beavers have dammed up a pond that reflects the mountains, trees, and sky. Boaters were once able to access the Snake River from here, but the river has changed course over time, so launching boats from here is no longer possible.

Schwabacher Landing

Glacier View Turnout

Up the hill from Schwabacher Landing, we made one final stop at Glacier View Turnout to see the last light of the sun setting over the Tetons. It wasn’t the most spectacular colors, but still a beautiful sunset – it just didn’t last long.

Sunset - Glacier View Turnout

As it got dark, we drove south back through Jackson and Wilson, headed west over the Teton Pass to our Airbnb in Victor, ID, and retired for the night.