Leaving Yellowstone, Lunch and Snack visit the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, a buffer of protected land between Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. It was named for the conservationist and philanthropist who was instrumental in the creation of numerous national parks across the country.

"Snack, these trees look burned."

Northern parts of the parkway were affected by the Yellowstone fire of 1988, which consumed 4,000 acres of trees around the Flagg Ranch area. The forest is regrowing, but many dead trees still stand.

As the cows had feared, smoke and haze obscured the view of the mountains by the time they arrived in Grand Teton National Park. But that didn't prevent visitors from enjoying themselves on the shore of Jackson Lake near Colder Bay Village.

"Too bad we're missing the view. The Tetons are gorgeous on a clear day."

The smoke got worse as the day wore on, leaving the Teton Range as only a silhoutte, backlit by the sun.

At least the cows were able to graze among the wildflowers before heading out of the park.

"Whoa Snack. That's a lot of antlers."

Town Square in nearby Jackson, Wyo., hosts arches of elk antlers on each of its four corners, enclosing a small park in the middle of town.

Lunch and Snack find themselves at Idaho Falls where natural falls and a man-made weir create a cascade on the Snake River.

A moose sculpture stands guard over a greenbelt along the shores of the Snake.

Next stop, Craters of the Moon National Monument in central Idaho. The cows admire towers of lava rock rafted to the location by a lava flow from a volcanic rift zone.

"This really does feel like the moon, Lunch."

The cows admire a spatter cone rising from a tumbled, rocky landscape.

Craters of the Moon features miles of lava flows originating from a 52-mile long fissure knows as the Great Rift.

"This is a really weird place."

"Hurts my hooves just thinking about trying to cross it."

The cows take a break in Boise, the capital of Idaho, on their way west towards home.

Lunch and Snack pay a visit to a familiar place as they wind down their journey. A day and a night in Mount Ranier National Park would be a fitting finale.

On their way up the mountain, the cows stop at Louise Lake for a few moments on a quiet beach.

Mount Ranier, one of the tallest mountains in the contiguous United States, lords over the park.

The mountain, also known as "Tahoma" by local Salishan speakers, is one of the most potentially dangerous volcanoes in North America because of its proximity to the population centers of Seattle and Tacoma, as well as the rest of Puget Sound.

But on a nice day, the peak is an irresistible place to visit.

"We're in Paradise again!"

The Henry M. Jackson Memorial Visitor Center greets park visitors on the flanks of Mount Rainier.

"The new viz center is finally starting to grow on me, Lunch."

A short walk to Myrtle Falls in the Paradise Meadow area made for a pleasant stroll.

A rainbow from falling spray added a nice touch to the view of Narada Falls on the Paradise River.

Leaving the park and on the journey home, Lunch and Snack pause for a traditional celebratory tasting at Wet Coast Brewing in Gig Harbor.

"A lot of miles, Snack, but a lot of wonderful memories."