Bill & Jim's Alaska Trip
June 19

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We left Lander, WY and drove through the Wind River Valley and over the Wind River mountains. The valley is quite spectacular. There are many rugged canyons that drain into the valley and interesting rock formations throughout. The river itself was very high - flooding many fields along the highway.

The highway over the Wind River mountains is very dramatic - lots of snow and rock cliffs along the road, even at this time. We found a great campground along the way - at Brooks Lake. There is also a historic lodge there. The whole are was closed, however - there is still about a foot of snow on the ground. Back on the highway, we rounded a bend and there were the Grand Tetons. Incredibly magnificent and dramatic!

Into Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. Grand Teton Park is very magnificent - beautiful mountains and pretty lakes. All of the water in Yellowstone Park is pretty much at flood stage - both Yellowstone Lake and the Yellowstone River were getting their water onto the road. The Yellostone Falls were absolutely incredible - I'm sure that there was about as much water going over the falls as ever. We also saw some wildlife: buffalo, moose and elk.

'Reasonable and Prudent' is the speed limit in Montana. 70 mph on the two-lane highways and 80 mph on the interstates seems to be about average. Alas, there were many places where we couldn't even hit 70 mph on the interstate due to headwinds and/or grades (where did I out that supercharger?).

We spent the night at the Gallatin Gateway Inn, built in 1927 by the Chigaco, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (aka The Milwaukee Road). It was built as a transfer point for Milwaukee Road passengers to get to Yellowstone Park. It has been restored very well - nice rooms and a great restaurant.

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