Rainbows and Waterfalls (Grand Canyon of Yellowstone)

Grand Canyon of Yellowstone (68 degrees, blue skies)

Top row Pat,Diana, John, Ben, Veronica, lower row me, Karen and Al

We have had lots of wonderful friends and family visiting us recently, so I'm a little behind in my blog posts. It was great fun to spend time with our RV-Dreamer friends and nephew Ben and his girlfriend Veronica hiking the canyon area of Yellowstone National Park.  Karen did a great job of planning our two hikes (North and South Rim Trails) and  you can read all about the details in her excellent post (click here).  

We arrived in time to see a rainbow at the base of the this spectacular falls at Artists Point. It's rather faint but we were sure excited to see it.  Especially since it involved having to get up at the crack of dawn to be here in time (9:30 a.m. - 10 a.m. per one of our guidebook suggestions.

The two trails gave excellent views of the upper and lower falls from so many angles. We had been here several times before but never hiked the trails.  They were easy to hike and it gave us a whole new perspective of this beautiful area  The trails were not crowded and probably missed by most tourists visiting the area. It's such a large park and most folks just don't have the extra time to hike the trail. What a loss. If you are traveling in the area we'd recommend making the South Rim Trail a "must do".  

We were so happy Ben came to visit with his girl friend Veronica for a few days.  They were on a 10,000 mile road trip from coast to coast before returning to their home Sao Paulo.  Ben lived for a year with John's daughter Jen in Indianapolis.  His girl friend currently is attending medical school in Bolivia.  Ben has decided to return home to Brazil and planned a great farewell road trip visiting many popular sites, National Parks and family.  Thanks so much Ben for including us in your itinerary.  

Ben and Veronica

We also were glad Karen, Al, Diana, and Pat joined us. We all get along so well together and there were lots of laughs during this fun day together. Plans are being made to get together again this winter since we all reside in Florida in the winter.  

Diana and Karen

More rainbows were to follow us as we stopped at this overlook.  It was a beautiful day and we were also so happy to be able to experience this amazing place and outstanding scenery!

Al and Karen

Pat and Diana

The most spectacular area in my opinion was at the head of the upper falls.  It was there you really had a view of the power of the river with the turbulent rapids and swirling water.

John enjoying the river

The North Rim hike had beautiful views of the canyon. However, there was less shade and is farther from the water. If you have only time to take one hike we'd suggest the South Rim Trail.  

Ben loves to hike!

We had a great time together from start to finish and after our hike we had a great dinner at the Canyon restaurant before returning home.  It was a day we will always remember made more special by sharing it with family and good friends. 

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Spectacular Paddle Trip - String and Leigh Lakes

Grand Teton National Park (70"s, clear blue skies, perfect)

This paddle trip is one of our all time favorites.  As a rule, we prefer kayaking down rivers.  However, this was certainly an exception.  The scenery was splendid, weather perfect, and our paddling companions were so much fun.  Priceless!  

The launch for String Lake is located within the Grand Teton National Park.  It's best to arrive early since parking is limited and it can get very crowded with swimmers in the afternoon.  We arrived around 9 a.m. with our friends Diana and Pat (lurkers of our blog & RV Dreamers) and Patsy and Bob (volunteers at Ding Darling and the Elk Refuge).  

Patsy paddling in the distance

You can pull up to the launch area and drop off  all  your gear  It's a short walk to the launch site and very easy to put in.  String Lake has crystal clear water and you overlook some very spectacular mountain ranges.  

Diana and Pat in their Sea Eagle

We just took our time and enjoyed the quiet solitude.  At this point there were not too many people on the water.  It was dramatically different in the afternoon on our return back to the launch site.  We saw lots and lots of paddle boarders.  This is certainly very popular here and the calmness of the lake makes it very easy.  

Mt Moran in the distance

This rock was draped wit swimmers in the afternoon

Patsy loves her new inflatable kayak

Pat is ready to upgrade to a hard sided kayak

Notice the clarity of the water

I tried out my new Keen water shoes for the first time.  Love them! They are very comfortable with a good arch and foot protection. Plus, they match my kayak so nicely, don't you think.

After a about an hour and half we arrived at the portage site to Leigh Lake.  It is about 100-150 yard portage to the other lake depending on who you asked.  :) We forgot to bring our little cart which would have made this a snap to portage.  Oops!  Pat was quite the trooper and helped everyone transport all their boats and gear.  We had a nice lunch and then headed out onto Leigh Lake.  

Launch in the distance.  There are some stairs involved  down to the water

This is a glacial formed lake and much larger than String Lake.  It's about 2 miles in width and a little longer in length.  It's a very deep lake and the views of Mt. Moran were spectacular. Patsy and I remarked about how blessed we are to be here and see this beautiful place.

There are back country primitive camping sites all around this lake. Hmmn, maybe this will be in our future.  There is also an easy trail around the lake too. Here is a link to a map of the lakes and campsites.

Beautiful Mt. Moran

 It was interesting to see the glaciers up close on Mt. Moran.  

Bob and John

We paddled around and gawked at the mountain range for quite awhile.  Reluctantly we had to turn around and head back the way we came.  We have seen this mountain throughout our stay in the Tetons.  It's especially prominent when you are in the Colter Bay area.  It was amazing this time to see it so up close.  

 What a beautiful paddle.  Certainly one we hope to repeat again soon.  

John checking out the glaciers with his binoculars