Surprise Weekend In The Tetons

David’s parents were flying out to Colorado to visit us the first week of July. During that time his mom would be celebrating her 60th birthday, so David and I wanted to do something special. She made a few subtle comments on the phone about how close we were to Wyoming and its great national parks… little did she know we planned a surprise birthday trip to Grand Teton National Park, followed by a couple days in Yellowstone.

David and I had planned every detail: My sister was flying out later that week to watch Biscuits while we were gone. We created rebus puzzles for his mom to solve that revealed each destination. And David’s dad was in on the surprise trip to the Tetons… but he had no clue about Yellowstone. The hardest part was keeping all of this a massive secret!

We gave her the first rebus puzzle over breakfast at the Chautauqua Dining Hall. It took a little bit for her to decipher the card… which was mostly our fault for making it too difficult… but we knew when her eyes doubled in size that she had figured it out. She was so excited and couldn’t wait to be in the Tetons again.

We spent the day before the big trip in Rocky Mountain National Park with my sister and her friend. We showed them the spot where David and I got married, along with Moraine Park before driving up the rest of Trail Ridge Road. We stopped at several overlooks to gaze at the expansive mountain range. We also got to play in (and fall through) the snow as we climbed higher in elevation. We all ate lunch at the Alpine Visitor Center and talked about how this was the first time my sister and her friend have been out west, and that they couldn’t wait to explore more of Colorado.

We hit the road early the next morning, as it was going to take roughly seven hours to get to the Tetons. We quickly discovered that there’s not much to Wyoming. After passing Cheyenne, you could literally see for miles in all directions. No towns, no mountains, hardly any cars. When the Teton Range finally came into view it was a sight for sore eyes. We were all ready to start this adventure!

The Tetons were just as beautiful and picturesque as I remembered. The last time I was here was on vacation with David’s family many years ago. We spent the next couple days leisurely exploring the park, photographing its popular spots like Jenny Lake, Mormon Row and the Chapel of Transfiguration. David and I also spent an afternoon hiking through Cascade Canyon, one of our favorites from the last visit. We ate lunch at a serene lake and saw a bull moose making its way through the thick brush along the river.

Our next rebus puzzle was presented during his mom’s birthday dinner at the Mural Room in Jackson Lake Lodge. The card revealed that we would be leaving for Yellowstone the next day, and spending the night at the Old Faithful Inn. This time both David’s mom and dad had to decrypt the card together. His parents were overwhelmed by the surprise once they figured it out. They had never stayed at the Inn before, and were excited to check that off their bucket list.

With just one day to explore, we drove the main loop through Yellowstone stopping only at our favorite spots: The Fishing Bridge had a swarm of swallows collecting dirt for their nests along the lake’s shore. The Canyon was as vast and crowded as our last visit. And the Prismatic Pool was just unbelievable. Two of my personal favorites are Hayden Valley, where we saw a giant herd of buffalo alongside the snake-shaped Yellowstone River, and Mt. Washburn, which is always peaceful and showered in colorful wildflowers.

We ended the day at Old Faithful Inn, where we spent the rest of the evening lingering around the lodge. We browsed the gift shops, relaxed in the lobby’s rocking chairs, and dined at the restaurant where the waiters serenaded David’s mom for her birthday.  Since it was the 4th of July, instead of fireworks we watched Old Faithful erupt under a dramatic pink and orange sunset. It was the perfect way to end our incredibly jam-packed weekend.