Alaska 2024

Day 37 August 7, 2024 Livingston Montana to Jackson Wyoming 277 miles

The Super 8 we are staying in has one of the lightest continental breakfasts ever. They had one waffle maker and fruit loops. At one point there were four of us in line to make waffles. Then they had the air conditioner on 62 degrees so your waffle was cold in a hurry.

The skies are cloudy and they are down low. The weather report says no rain but it sure looks like it could. We are headed south and the weather is supposed to get better.

We fueled and then went across the street to the Albertsons. We bought cookies and ice tea. We should be set for dessert and lunch.

We are headed to Yellowstone for a drive through some of the park. Doubt we can make it all. Along the way we did see a heron standing in the river. Whistle pigs are still in abundance.

We stopped for fuel in Gardiner Montana guessing it is cheaper than in the park. The town is packed. Lots of big motorcycles. Many of them have come from the big motorcycle event in Sturgis. Many of them have the t-shirt.

We hoped to get a picture of the car at the Roosevelt Gate but there were too many people and cars. Several others took our picture as we went through. Throughout the day we were one of the most photographed sights.

A lone doe deer was standing along the road but when she heard our car she bounded into the woods. She was quickly out of sight. The only other animal we saw other than the ravens was a duck. We didn’t make it to the Lamar Valley where all the buffalo hang out. Later in the Grand Tetons we saw one other doe.

We got to the junction near the Great Geyser Basin. Oh my gosh the crowds were terrible. The parking lot is full according to the sign and a ranger was there making sure cars stayed out. The overflow was parked along the side of the roads on both sides in all directions for quite some distance. You would most likely have to walk a mile plus to see the sights. We decided to keep going. After all we have seen it before.

We do try our best to pull over whenever possible but one idiot passed us on a double line with traffic coming. That traffic pulled over as far as they could and so did we. Both of us slowed way down. He drove off in a hurry as if he was on a freeway. Surprising no one was hurt.

After going up and down several hills we got to the parking lot for Tower Falls. That lot actually had places to park. We ate lunch and talked to lots of people about the car. We chose not to walk down to the falls based on the time.

We came to a spot where a couple of park rangers were talking to a lady. As we got closer and looked down we could see a car way down the hill. It was still upright and didn’t appear to have rolled. She got very lucky.

Next was a very long construction delay. We waited almost 30 minutes. By this time the line was very long. We moved into the turnouts to let them pass. Must have been at least three quarters of a mile of vehicles. The length of the construction was not very long. They must do some work without cars to wait that long. When we got to the other side the line was just as long maybe even longer.

Mammoth Hot Springs was crowded when we first arrived and it is still crowded when we came back. Not as many big rigs as we expected. They must park those and take their pull vehicle into the park.

Every time we came to a major sight the traffic was backed up and the parking area was full. Most of the trail heads were the same. We have never been in Yellowstone at this time of the year. We usually avoid the summer. Now we know why.

Old Faithful is definitely off the list to visit. That place is crowded no matter the time of year. We managed to get past that without a big traffic jam but a short distance past that the traffic came to a halt. We kept just sitting and then moving a few inches. We most likely spent at least 30 minutes in that spot. Then it moved some but slowed again. After about 45 minutes the car died. We coasted to a stop where of course there was no turnout. Rob checked and decided we had a vapor lock. The car had gotten warmer than normal and we weren’t moving. So we cooled it down and continued. A short distance later it died again. This time a guy stopped and they made some other adjustments. Off we went again. We made it to Grant Village and filled with gas.

We drove along one of the lakes and saw what looked like a shark fin. Of course it wasn’t but it makes for a good story. It was very close to a picnic site.

Well as luck would have it the car died again. This time Rob decided to install a new fuel pump. Of course we were not in a turnout. He put up hazard triangles and little flashers. He needed to remove the trailer to get to some of the tools. A newly wed couple stopped then and that guy helped move the trailer. He offered to stay longer but Rob said that wasn’t necessary. So then Rob went to work. Before he could finish a park ranger happened along. He offered to tow us to the next turnout. Rob convinced him he was almost done. So he let us stay and he did as well. He told us of some possible places to stay for the night but turnouts are off limits as is the side of the road. A guy and his three kids driving a 1930’s era car stopped. His car had a big engine and other modifications. He didn’t stay long.

By this time it is starting to get dark. So the Tetons that are so beautiful were hard to see. Then the road sign told of all the wildlife that had been killed in the last 30 days. We could not find any place to stay. Those of you that are familiar with old cars know the headlights are not very good. It was not a fun 35 mile drive to Jackson Wyoming. The first two motels we came to had No Vacancy posted. We stopped at the gas station and tried to book a room or campground. Nothing was successful. Rob went in the convenience store to ask for help. He came back with two possibilities. As we tried getting those in the GPS two young guys came to admire the car. They said they knew a street we could park on in town. They escorted us there. By the time we got to bed it was 11:30 so no blog or Facebook.