Wife has us scheduled for a week including the 4th of July. I typically hate crowds, bad drivers and tourist traps....so, how do I make the best of this? We're staying at eagle creek near Gardiner. We're meeting my inlaws on what is surely their last road trip due to health and mobility issues.
Can a dog ride on a flatbed if it's in a kennel? Is it worth trying to fish?
Stories I've heard over the last couple of years make it sound like I'm burning vacation time to park in a traffic jam.
I agree that this is burning vacation time to park in a traffic jam. Treating US20 as a throughway means accepting unpredictable travel times and unplanned delays sometimes long delays. I suspect many people find the stop to enjoy the surroundings is well worthwhile or they wouldn't be there. I suggest maybe repeating the Serenity Prayer from time to time. Making the best of it may mean making sure your wife and her family have a good time.
Not very convenient to your stay but I find that even at the height of the season the service roads to back country ranger stations, for me those mostly east of Ashton Idaho, avoid crowds, the worst of if not all drivers and tourist traps. Mostly I suppose because they also have no roaded access to the highly touted unique to Yellowstone attractions.
