September 20th - Day 5 - Bozeman, MT to Jackson, WY

As our convoy of 5 remaining cars left the Best Western in Bozeman the sun streamed down from a clear blue sky. Our drive today was to take us through Yellowstone and The Grand Teton National Parks. One could easily spend several days in each, but we would have to be satisfied a short stops at some of the highlights along the way. After stopping in Livingstone to visit a supermarket for picnic provisions, we drove to the park's northern entrance at Gardiner. 

Following Glen and Georgia's F-Type on the road to Yellowstone

As we drove through the small town of Gardiner we were greeted by some of the local residents out for an early morning stroll:

Good to see that the elk keep to the left, and no overtaking on a double yellow...!

Yellowstone is truly enormous - 2.2 million acres, and attracts a huge number of visitors each year. The roads we drove were far from empty, but being somewhat late in the season we were able to find parking spots for our group of cars without a lot of trouble. Yellowstone is famous for its widespread geothermal activity including geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and steam vents. Our first stop inside the park was to view a group of fumeroles in the hillside alongside the road.

Steam escaping from fumeroles in the hillside

Our drive on Rte-89 south then took us through Canyon Village to the Upper Yellowstone Falls. There are several viewing sites for the falls, some more accessible than others.

View of water disappearing over the top of the falls

Video of the top of the falls

The canyon below carved out by the river below the upper falls

This view of the upper falls may require a drone!

From the falls our route took us south on Rte-20 towards Yellowstone Lake, including an interesting circuit of the parking lots of one of the lodge complexes caused by a misguided GPS! The drive alongside the lake was enjoyable and relatively free of traffic. On leaving Yellowstone Park we immediately entered Grand Tetons National Park. By spending less time in Yellowstone than we had on the first BSOL (we had an overnight stay there in 2017), we had made time to drive past the Grand Tetons and into Jackson, WY. There are many viewing spots along Rte-191 south as you pass the majestic range of mountains, each more impressive than the last. Periodically, the road heads away to the east and you think that you've seen the last of the views, only to turn the next corner to find the mountains closer and more spectacular than before. Here are a few views that we took in along the way, with the mountains seen across Lake Jackson in the foreground.

The Grand Tetons across Lake Jackson

The five remaining cars, 2 Es, 2Fs, and an XK8 at Grand Tetons National Park

And so our Oil Leak came to an end in Jackson, Wyoming. In keeping with the tradition of the Oil Leak we all got together for one final dinner at the Whistling Grizzly restaurant. It was somewhat of a reprise of the opening dinner at Coeur d'Alene where the servers appeared to think that we were there for the night, but we didn't allow that to interfere with our enjoyment of the evening. Tomorrow everyone will make their own way onwards, some straight home, and others for one last stop in Boise, ID for the All British Car Show on Sunday. Thank you, once again, Michael for organizing this trip and safe travels home to everyone.

One final dinner in the "Whistling Grizzly" in Jackson