It was a long drive north through Utah but with the freeway that have been built it seems like a breeze.  We sat on 110km's all the way through Salt Lake City which I would consider impossible to do in any capital city in Australia.  Even though I was flying, the sun was disappearing quicker and we were well short of the intended destination so we had to start looking for a place to stay.  The thing in America is that anyone is allowed to camp inside National Forests, almost anywhere actually as long as is says that you can, so we saw one on the map and headed towards it.  The problem was that this NP was mountainous and we couldn't find a place to pull into and when we thought that we found a place there was a big sign saying "no overnight camping".  Shit.  Our decision was just to keep on driving until something came along.  At about 20H30, well and truly after dark, we turned off onto a little street just outside Logan and tried to find somewhere to pull over.  We eventually came across a little pullout next to a small reservoir right next to the road.  Being late I thought that there would not be a lot of traffic and that this spot would be cool.  Car after car drove passed and then all I could start thinking about was of all the serial killers that have plagued America over the years.  I didn't sleep well that night.  Morning came with relief, and the arrival of several cars with people who have come to fish in the lake, so we looked at each other and said 'time to go'.  The first part of the drive was along a Scenic Byway (there are tonnes in America and all worth it) from Logan to Great Bear Lake.  A bit further on was the town of Montpelier which was the site of one of Butch Cassidy's bank robberies so we stopped to have a look at that and then still further on was a place called 'Grand Teton National Park'.  This place is a magnet for artists and nature lovers.  The west side of the park is a line of Mountains, below them are numerous glacial lakes, next to that is small section of rolling hills, then we have the Snake River, the other side is a sprawling plain that is home to Elk, Bison and Moose before the east side of the park is defined by another set of, slightly smaller, mountains.  The first port of call was to the visitor center to get some info and then we were off for a small hike upto Lake Francis. On the way back down we past a small swamp and saw our first moose just hiding in between the reeds.  We stopped and watched it for awhile before moving on thinking that we are bound to see some more while driving around the Park but alas that was the only one we saw.  Next was off to have another shower because we just read in the free newspapers that are giving to people that this was the last day that the campsites were opened and we don't know when the next shower will be.  Next to that campsite was a small hill that you can drive upto the top for a panaramic view of the park and is also home to Black Bear, something that we would love to see.  The view was good but no bears.  Once agin it was getting late so it was off to the find someplace to sleep, just hoping that it was easier than last night.

The morning was wet, the clouds hung low and there was Buckley's chance of getting the brilliant sunrise photo that I was hoping for this morning.  Disappointment was an understatement but we tried not to let it get us down and we went for the morning drive anyway.  Not 15 minutes later we were driving along the main road when up ahead we saw a group of Bison crossing the road.  It's such a great site to just sit in your car and watch these animals (almost wiped out to extinction in the late 1800's, approximately only 300 where remaining) just wander around your car and run off into the distance.  A bit further up the road we got to see our first Elk, massive antlers and all, they had stopped about 50 m off the road and were probably waiting for a safe time to cross over on there way to the river.  The rest of the morning was spent cruising around the Park trying to see some more wildlife but alas we failed to see anymore.  It really is a beautiful setting and we weren't too disappointed with the weather.

The afternoon was spent driving to Yellowstone National Park, the world's first National Park.  Created in 1872, a lot of Australia was still to be 'discovered' by white man, which should give you an indication of how long ago this was first created and even to this day it is, in my opinion, one of the greatest things that humankind has ever done.  It set the seen for future Parks and areas that can be left to nature, we all wish that there were more of them around the world.  I digress.  Yellowstone is predominantly known for it major attraction, Old Faithful, a large geyser that erupts in a predictable manner therefore allowing people to get ready for it.  We arrived just after the previous eruption so we needed to wait for 1 hour and 40 minutes for the next predicted explosion.  We spent the time in the interactive exhibit before going on a little walk to an observation point and then returning with 20 minutes to go.  We sat down, waiting, the anticipation growing by the second.  More people arrived and the tension was palpable.  10 minutes to go, camera's ready as it could blow any minute.  5 minutes and I could swear that the steam was increasing.  2 minutes left and we could start to see the water bubbling up from the crater.  1 minute early and off she goes and if it wasn't for all the steam that accompanied the eruption it would have been fantastic.  See the problem was that we were here when the outside temperature was just too cold so when the hot water from underground came rushing out it turned the air it was hitting into steam.  We were told after that the best time to see the actual water is on a hot day.  Great but we're not hanging around until next summer ...  Our disappointment levels high we continued to walk around the upper geyser basin looking at all the different types that are present here.  It is fascinating to see this type of geological feature, my first, and to just admire what's happening.  Because of the cold, we found the same problem at every single other geyser, or hot spring, or boiling mud bath that we came across, throw in the overcast, sometimes rainy conditions and it left us feeling 'had'.  You can see that Yellowstone is magnificent, the hiking is everywhere, but for us it could have been better.  We had planned to for a few days but with the weather not going to improve soon we decide to try our luck elsewhere.  We didn't want to go west since that means that we were going to be heading into the mountains and more cold, rainy weather, so that left us with east.  Off we go.