Shelby Senior Services recently sponsored a September trip to Yellowstone Park and Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Traveler Sherry Ponsler took great notes about what she saw and experienced. I am paraphrasing her observations below:
Surprisingly, she observed, travelers to Yellowstone were impressed by the fall foliage. Magnificent yellows, oranges and reds dotted the countryside.
The scenery was absolutely gorgeous! In addition, animals were plentiful, including elk, bison, bald eagles, sea otters, ducks and sheep.
One of the highlights was the Mormon Tabernacle Church in Salt Lake City, Utah. Fortunately, the group was treated to a practice session by an organist while visiting this beautiful structure. The sounds from the large pipe organ were unbelievable, she wrote.
Across the street from the church, a family research center will search a person’s family tree free of charge. Some of the travelers found out about their ancestors as far back as nine generations.
While in Utah the group also visited the beautiful state capitol building.
Of course, another highlight was Old Faithful, which erupts approximately every ninety minutes. The visitors experienced many steam vents, “chocolate” mud pots, geysers and thermal basins, she said.
The magnificent Teton mountains showcased stunning white tops of glacial ice and snow. The Grand Teton is over 13,000 feet above sea level. To guard against altitude sickness, travelers were encouraged to drink lots of water.
In Jackson Hole, they boarded horse-drawn covered wagons to ride to the Double H Bar ranch to attend a barbecue. Along the way, they were “held up” by riders on horseback, pretending to be robbers!
The following day, they loaded onto rafts on the Snake River and floated three hours to the downtown Jackson Hole Playhouse, where they enjoyed a performance of “Cat Ballou.”
After a lengthy delay at the airport, their uneventful flight landed safely back home. Many thanks to Sherry for her excellent notes about this trip!
Don’t forget to sign up for the free Travel Show at the senior center Oct. 30 at 6:30 p.m. to find out about available seats for next year’s trips.
Call 317-398-0127 to put your name on the list. Bring your checkbook in case you want to join us.
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