Yellowstone – Day 2

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

The Teton Range in Wyoming

We are driving north on the John D. Rockefeller Jr Memorial Parkway into the Grand Teton National Park.

Horseshoe Bend in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

This is Axel, Ruby, and myself looking for wildlife, though I think Axel is discovering just how fat I am.

View of the Grand Teton range in Wyoming

While these old digital photos that were saved on floppy disks are of poor quality, I think they still convey how beautiful a place the Grand Tetons National Park is.

Caroline Wise and John Wise in the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

This has long been a favorite photo of Caroline and me, as it looks an awful lot like I’ve removed her head and placed it over on her shoulder. We get a good laugh every time it shows up.

Ruby Rieke and Axel Rieke at the Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

Ruby and Axel look much more normal, with their extremities and heads right where they should be.

Horseshoe Bend in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

Later in the day, we are back at Horseshoe Bend, only now we are looking in the opposite direction.

A moose in Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming

Alright, some wildlife in the form of a moose near the Horseshoe Bend. We’ll be staying the night at Signal Mountain Lodge, right in the national park.

Yellowstone – Day 1

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Ruby Rieke and Axel Rieke in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

This is Axel Rieke and Ruby Rieke, and the four of us are on our way to Yellowstone National Park by way of Grand Tetons. We are in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, spending the night before heading into the Tetons. Back when we made this trip we had no idea what we were doing and how long things take. If we had had a better feel for travel, we would have gone directly to the Tetons and not spent so much money on a room here in Jackson Hole. To make matters worse we flew into Idaho Falls, Idaho, and rented a car because we felt this corner of America was so far away from home. We should have driven all the way.

Mountain views in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

The four of us are thrilled to be up here as none of us have ever seen anything like it.

Mountain view in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

The views are just amazing.

Whoa sign in Jackson Hole, Wyoming

This was our sentiment exactly – WHOA!

Grand Canyon and Return by Train

JWise Photo of the Day, Travels

Caroline Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Okay, so I wasn’t very good at framing photos here in early 2000. We arrived yesterday afternoon but are stingy about taking photos as there are only so many images you can store on a floppy disk. This curse of not having unlimited storage would haunt me well into the end of this year and, to some degree, the following, too. After Caroline and I got married back on January 12, 1994, we came here to the Grand Canyon National Park and stayed in the President’s Suite at the El Tovar Hotel. Six years later, it’s still magic.

John Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Seems that Caroline, too, can work on her composition skills. Who knows, maybe we were on drugs? We were probably on drugs.

Caroline Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Caroline, before she tragically fell into the Grand Canyon, and I collected a ton of insurance money. No, seriously…she had a twin sister named Caroline who I live with until this day.

John Wise at the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

This was a pretty short visit to the Canyon, maybe one that will have been the shortest ever. We probably traveled with that suitcase for close to 20 years before it was retired.

Train back to Williams from the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Short of cash, we rode on top of the train all the way back to Williams, Arizona. It was cold up here. Just kidding, this is the view from the Observation Dome.