Yellowstone National Park (Aug 2025)
The plane from KL had difficulty landing due to strong wind. Free upgrade to Premium Economy, two seats to himself. Different meals from Economy. Reached LAX late at 930pm. Collected luggage and went to Trend Motel. McDonalds is just next door across the wall. Woke up at 3am and bound for SLC. TSA check got problem with first name, last name and DOB. This problem persisted for the return flight, as well as the return flight to Singapore by SQ.
We had been assigned a row at the back but I managed to changed the seats slightly to the front even though we got separated. Full flight. Flight landed on-time in SLC. Collected the Chrysler Pacifica and we headed to Idaho Falls. We stopped by Smith's in Woods Cross for brunch. I was delighted to find Rainier Cherry.
We reached Idaho Falls in the afternoon and managed to check in early. The motel was quiet, clean and very affordable. There was 24-hour free juice, coffee, tea and utensils for use in the cafeteria. The owner even bake cookies for guests in the afternoon. There was a small pool and a hot tub. Fast food joints, Walmart were all nearby.
We drove to West Yellowstone the next morning and took the time to try the huckleberry icecream during loo stop. There was a Farmer's Market going on and we managed to buy honey. We drove into Yellowstone National Park through West Entrance. The first stop we made was at Grand Prismatic Spring. After the photo taking both near the spring as well as from the vantage point, we drove to Old Faithful Lodge for checking in. We were not too happy with the cabin assigned, as it was a bit far from the loo. The staff reassigned us to cabin 200 and it was perfect as it was near enough to the toilets and even near enough to the HQ building for wifi connection. Telco signals in the Old Faithful region was sketchy so WIFI provided was essential.
We waited for Old Faithful eruption before we had early dinner. The food was reasonably priced. After that we drove to Fountain Paint Pot to enjoy the sunset. It was a pity that the Fire River Way was closed as an RV damaged the wooden bridge on that road. We couldn't visit the geysers accessible from the road.
The night was very chilly, probably only 1-3 degrees which made loo visiting a challenge. The toilets and showers were outside the cabin so doing business in the middle of the night could be challenging. There was a sink for brushing teeth in the cabin though. The beds were super comfortable.
The next day we drove to Upper Falls and Lower Falls to take pictures. Lunch was at the diner, which was a very unique experience. Food portion was small though. We drove further to Mammoth to see the hot pools. On the way back, we saw a bison grazing by the roadside.
The night was not as cold as last night. We woke up in the middle of the night to capture geyser eruptions by Old Faithful and Beehive. There were some Geyser Gazers (geyser watchers) illuminating the water column with powerful torch, hence made our photo shooting easier.
The next day, we walked the whole geyser basin. The hard-to-predict Artemisa Pool erupted, which was really rare. The usual predicted eruption was every 1-5 days so it was rare to be able to see it.
I tried to hitchhike back to Old Faithful and retrieve the car to fecth the rest back to Old Faithful but had no such luck. Drivers refused to stop for me, which was totally understandable. I shifted my standing location to an entrance to the trail and hoping to be able approach one of the visitors who came out from the trail. One couple Ethan and Anna were symphatetic but simply had too much things at the back of their car to fetch me. I asked them to pass the car key to my cousin who stayed back in the lodge and asked my cousin to fetch us instead. Ethan managed to pass the car key to my cousin at the Old Faithful Visitor Centre revolving door. Awhile later, my cousin came to our rescue. There was another gentleman who went cycling earlier who wanted to give me a ride when he was done cycling but since my cousin already came i politely thanked him for his generosity.
I went to see eruption at Riverside Geyser and Grand Geyser. The sun was relentless, I was looking for shade to hide from the sun. After the show, we went to Fountain Paintpot for sunset photo taking. We could see rain clouds already pouring from far away. The rain clouds, steaming geysers and majestic sunset made for spectacular pictures.
My brother woke up around 440am to take night sky starry picture and chanced upon a spectacular meteor sighting. He captured the video.
The next morning I managed to see the Beehive Geyser eruption and spoke to Emily and her parents. Emily was there with the other Geyser Gazers waiting for the eruption since 530am. The indicator went off at 9am and the eruption happened at 920am finally. We checked out and drove to Lake Yellowstone. We took the longer way back to Salt Lake City by driving past Grand Teton National Park and Jenny Lake. Lunch was at DQ at Jacksonhole. There was a very clear and beautiful stream flowing next to the fastfood joint. School kids and their teachers in bikinis were having fun eating in the restaurant.
We reached Salt Lake City around 730pm, just in time for dinner at China Town. Walmart grocery shopping after dinner before we checked into the townhouse. The garage was big enough for the car. Chinatown was just across the street. There was a credit payment facility next to our little residential area. There were many pawn shops and credit loan providers nearby, to our surprise.
The next day we went to REI to buy sporting goods before heading to Sugarland to look at have pizza. There was a board game shop next to the pizza joint. We also look at the toys and games in Barnes and Nobles. We didnt have KFC in SLC even though the first KFC opened in South Salt Lake. We packed chinese at another chinese take out restaurant and ate in the rental home, portion was huge.
The next day we checked out and went to Creek City Shopping Centre in Downtown. Macy was having We returned the rental car and went to return the car at Hertz SLC. Delta was kind enough to put us all in one row in the middle, rather than at the back which was initially shown on my app for the return flight. We still had the same problem with TSA and needed to return to the check in counter to sort out the details. The gentleman at the check in counter was a funny guy with great sense of humor.
The flight from SLC departed on time and reached LAX at 620pm. We parted ways and I proceeded to LAX Hertz Rental to get my second rental car - for the next trip to Yosemite. Notes:
1. Watched Top Gun Maverick, Ocean 11 and Borned on 4th of July.
2. There was a car speeding through I-5 from behind when I was at his lane. I gave way. Minutes later a police car went past. That speeding car was booked.
3. Smith's offered better discounts with members. Always enquire at the counter instead of going for automatic check-out counters if you wanted to enjoy discounts as the cashiers might be able to help.
4. Plastic bags in Walmart LA need to pay, whereas in SLC they were given free.
5. The Gold Club membership card saved my life in Hertz LAX. I will never leave home without it.
6. Basic Economy worked for us. I dont think there was a need to pay more.
7. Delta stewardess were friendlier than United's. United's crew on SFO-SIN segment were not friendly.
8. Gasoline prices in SLC were cheaper than LA. Yellowstone gasoline price is in between the two.
9. Wifi in Old Faithful Lodge tend to work well in the morning but will normally fail to work in the afternoons.
We had been assigned a row at the back but I managed to changed the seats slightly to the front even though we got separated. Full flight. Flight landed on-time in SLC. Collected the Chrysler Pacifica and we headed to Idaho Falls. We stopped by Smith's in Woods Cross for brunch. I was delighted to find Rainier Cherry.
We reached Idaho Falls in the afternoon and managed to check in early. The motel was quiet, clean and very affordable. There was 24-hour free juice, coffee, tea and utensils for use in the cafeteria. The owner even bake cookies for guests in the afternoon. There was a small pool and a hot tub. Fast food joints, Walmart were all nearby.
We drove to West Yellowstone the next morning and took the time to try the huckleberry icecream during loo stop. There was a Farmer's Market going on and we managed to buy honey. We drove into Yellowstone National Park through West Entrance. The first stop we made was at Grand Prismatic Spring. After the photo taking both near the spring as well as from the vantage point, we drove to Old Faithful Lodge for checking in. We were not too happy with the cabin assigned, as it was a bit far from the loo. The staff reassigned us to cabin 200 and it was perfect as it was near enough to the toilets and even near enough to the HQ building for wifi connection. Telco signals in the Old Faithful region was sketchy so WIFI provided was essential.
We waited for Old Faithful eruption before we had early dinner. The food was reasonably priced. After that we drove to Fountain Paint Pot to enjoy the sunset. It was a pity that the Fire River Way was closed as an RV damaged the wooden bridge on that road. We couldn't visit the geysers accessible from the road.
The night was very chilly, probably only 1-3 degrees which made loo visiting a challenge. The toilets and showers were outside the cabin so doing business in the middle of the night could be challenging. There was a sink for brushing teeth in the cabin though. The beds were super comfortable.
The next day we drove to Upper Falls and Lower Falls to take pictures. Lunch was at the diner, which was a very unique experience. Food portion was small though. We drove further to Mammoth to see the hot pools. On the way back, we saw a bison grazing by the roadside.
The night was not as cold as last night. We woke up in the middle of the night to capture geyser eruptions by Old Faithful and Beehive. There were some Geyser Gazers (geyser watchers) illuminating the water column with powerful torch, hence made our photo shooting easier.
The next day, we walked the whole geyser basin. The hard-to-predict Artemisa Pool erupted, which was really rare. The usual predicted eruption was every 1-5 days so it was rare to be able to see it.
I tried to hitchhike back to Old Faithful and retrieve the car to fecth the rest back to Old Faithful but had no such luck. Drivers refused to stop for me, which was totally understandable. I shifted my standing location to an entrance to the trail and hoping to be able approach one of the visitors who came out from the trail. One couple Ethan and Anna were symphatetic but simply had too much things at the back of their car to fetch me. I asked them to pass the car key to my cousin who stayed back in the lodge and asked my cousin to fetch us instead. Ethan managed to pass the car key to my cousin at the Old Faithful Visitor Centre revolving door. Awhile later, my cousin came to our rescue. There was another gentleman who went cycling earlier who wanted to give me a ride when he was done cycling but since my cousin already came i politely thanked him for his generosity.
I went to see eruption at Riverside Geyser and Grand Geyser. The sun was relentless, I was looking for shade to hide from the sun. After the show, we went to Fountain Paintpot for sunset photo taking. We could see rain clouds already pouring from far away. The rain clouds, steaming geysers and majestic sunset made for spectacular pictures.
My brother woke up around 440am to take night sky starry picture and chanced upon a spectacular meteor sighting. He captured the video.
The next morning I managed to see the Beehive Geyser eruption and spoke to Emily and her parents. Emily was there with the other Geyser Gazers waiting for the eruption since 530am. The indicator went off at 9am and the eruption happened at 920am finally. We checked out and drove to Lake Yellowstone. We took the longer way back to Salt Lake City by driving past Grand Teton National Park and Jenny Lake. Lunch was at DQ at Jacksonhole. There was a very clear and beautiful stream flowing next to the fastfood joint. School kids and their teachers in bikinis were having fun eating in the restaurant.
We reached Salt Lake City around 730pm, just in time for dinner at China Town. Walmart grocery shopping after dinner before we checked into the townhouse. The garage was big enough for the car. Chinatown was just across the street. There was a credit payment facility next to our little residential area. There were many pawn shops and credit loan providers nearby, to our surprise.
The next day we went to REI to buy sporting goods before heading to Sugarland to look at have pizza. There was a board game shop next to the pizza joint. We also look at the toys and games in Barnes and Nobles. We didnt have KFC in SLC even though the first KFC opened in South Salt Lake. We packed chinese at another chinese take out restaurant and ate in the rental home, portion was huge.
The next day we checked out and went to Creek City Shopping Centre in Downtown. Macy was having We returned the rental car and went to return the car at Hertz SLC. Delta was kind enough to put us all in one row in the middle, rather than at the back which was initially shown on my app for the return flight. We still had the same problem with TSA and needed to return to the check in counter to sort out the details. The gentleman at the check in counter was a funny guy with great sense of humor.
The flight from SLC departed on time and reached LAX at 620pm. We parted ways and I proceeded to LAX Hertz Rental to get my second rental car - for the next trip to Yosemite. Notes:
1. Watched Top Gun Maverick, Ocean 11 and Borned on 4th of July.
2. There was a car speeding through I-5 from behind when I was at his lane. I gave way. Minutes later a police car went past. That speeding car was booked.
3. Smith's offered better discounts with members. Always enquire at the counter instead of going for automatic check-out counters if you wanted to enjoy discounts as the cashiers might be able to help.
4. Plastic bags in Walmart LA need to pay, whereas in SLC they were given free.
5. The Gold Club membership card saved my life in Hertz LAX. I will never leave home without it.
6. Basic Economy worked for us. I dont think there was a need to pay more.
7. Delta stewardess were friendlier than United's. United's crew on SFO-SIN segment were not friendly.
8. Gasoline prices in SLC were cheaper than LA. Yellowstone gasoline price is in between the two.
9. Wifi in Old Faithful Lodge tend to work well in the morning but will normally fail to work in the afternoons.
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