Flew to Salt Lake City, Utah, from where we drove through parts of Idaho to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to visit Grand Teton National Park. Moved then on to neighboring Yellowstone National Park where we stayed at Old Faithful. Vsited als North Gate, Montana. Drove back via the West Gate to Salt Lake City from where my brother flew back to Switzerland and I flew to Boston to meet my mother. We drove to Freeport, Main, from where we moved on to North Conway, New Hampshire, to visit the White Mountains before finally driving to Hanover, New Hampshire, for Class reunion and some visits to Vermont
	Driving to Idaho. Out west there is plenty of space...
	Beautiful autumn colours not only in the trees (to be seen later) but also in the grassland
	5 minutes after entering Grand Teton National Park we already saw a Moose, even with a calf
	The mighty Grand Tetons with the first snow of the season (a small glacier remains the whole year, though)
	several thousand Bisons live in the two national parks and bordering national land which is a lot but nothing compared to the 60 million which used to live here before the Europeans arrived. While theyare often called Buffalos, Buffalos are technically a different species.
	Snake River with all dominating Grand Tetons
	More wildlife. In gernal the wildlife here is not concerned about human beings at all
	More views of the mighty landscape
	Big country
	beautiful lakes
	Pictures from the Two Ocean Lake hike, well armed with Bear Spray
	Beautiful river landscapes
	For once close to the Grand Tetons (picture from the Inspiration Point hike)
	This deer was grazing just next to the walk way to the Inspiration Point, only when some 30 people congregated to take pictures it slowly moved on
	On the Taggart Lake / Bradley Lake hike
	A hike as beautiful as it gets
	Jenny Lake
	Now we are in Yellowstone National Park which is in many ways comparable to Grand Teton. Yellowstone has no big mountains but a lot of volcanic activity. In fact Yellowstone National Park is one of the biggest active Calderas (c. 40 by 30 miles) in the world (and one sleeps in it) with the highest number of Geysirs. Here we are at Westhumb Geysir Basin on Yellostone Lake
	The color comes from theromphile bacteria and varies with the different types of bacteria depending on the temperature of the water
	Very blue water means it is even too hot for bacteria
	The Old Faithful Geysir which is not the biggest but the best known as it is the most regular and frequent (every c. 90 minutes)
	Bisons also here and they are not shy. While they look very docile they are very strong and agile. The can jump over a car and run 35 miles per hour for several miles and you never know whether you annoy them or not....
	Here is the cabin where the idea came up to make Yellowstone a National Park (a concept which didn't exist before, globally)
	Yellowstone has many long and deep canyons with plenty of waterfalls. This is just an example (Grand Canyong of the Yellowstone)
	Of course also here: big, really big country
	Volcanic activity comes in different shapes and forms, here as as mud volcano. The rock was dissolved by sulphur acid to become mud
	The big Geysir basin near Old Faithful. There are plenty of Geysirs
	The bisons decided to graze on the parking lot which meant that nobody could get to their cars and to the hotel (at least from the parking lot side) as long as the bisons were there
	Another canyon at the northern end of Yellowstone N.P.
	An elk confidently walking through Mammoth Hot Springs (at least he takes the pedestrian crossing)
	Deer near Gardiner. Do they know that they are already 500 yards outside the National Park?
	Big horn sheep create a traffic jam
	Mammoth Hot Springs terraces
	Of course also the bisons regularly cause trafic jams
	The lower basin geysir basin at sunset
	dito