We were able to sleep in a little at the Lehrkind Mansion, as breakfast wasn’t served until 8:30.  Actually we couldn’t really sleep in anyway, so we packed up the car before heading to the dining room.  There we met two other couples who had stayed the night and exchanged vacation stories and advice.  Shortly afterward, breakfast was served.  The owners of the bed and breakfast honored my request for no omelet or egg heavy dishes, and we were served bowls of fresh fruit, pancakes with blueberries and peaches, and thick-cut pieces of bacon.  It was delicious!

After our breakfast we decided to swing past the Museum of the Rockies before leaving Bozeman.  It receives great reviews, and one of the Lehrkind owners praised the dinosaur exhibit.  I wasn’t expecting much for this museum, but I was completely blown away.   It houses the largest collection of dinosaur remains in the United States and possesses the largest Tyrannosaurus skull ever discovered.  I spent a good chunk of time in the dinosaur exhibit before realizing that there were other exhibits as well.  We had already spent hours inside, so I just briefly glimpsed at some of the other exhibits before it was time for the planetarium, featuring a movie about Mars.

Once we finally made it out of the museum, we started the drive back south toward the town of West Yellowstone via US-191.  Along the way we stopped in Big Sky for an appetizer and beer at the Lone Peak Brewery.  After our quick stop there we continued down to West Yellowstone, where we hopped on US-20 heading west into Idaho, which became my 48th visited state.  We continued south through the Targhee National Forest, before detouring on to the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway.  This not only provided views of Mesa Falls it also provided our first view of the Grand Tetons, though it was from quite a distance.

Before reconnecting back to US-20, we hopped on to Idaho Route 32 through Drummond and then Route 33 through Driggs and Victor.  We stopped in Victor at the Grand Teton Brewing Company for a few drinks in the tasting room.  While I sampled Black Cauldron Imperial Stout and Trout Hop Black IPA, Kim enjoyed some Teton Jack Ginger Ale.  It was easily my favorite beer stop of the trip.  Afterward, we had dinner at the nearby Wildlife Brewing, which consisted of pizza and grizzly fries.  Once dinner was over, we continued south and then east over Teton Pass and into Grand Teton National Park.  We eventually made it to our hotel for the next few nights, Jackson Lake Lodge, just a little later than I originally expected.

Big Sky on Dwellable