Tourist life in the Tetons goes on, but shutdown hits short

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GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK—Uriev, Nerina and Tash Ellapen were anxiously tracking the news from their Yellowstone hotel room when it became clear Tuesday night that the United States’ federal government was going to shut down.

Expecting that might happen, the tourist family hailing from South Africa and Germany rearranged their itinerary to ensure they’d be able to hit the best of the best during what was shaping up to be an abbreviated bucket list trip to the world’s first national park, Yellowstone, and the mighty Teton Range. They even eyed nearby alternative designations, like Paradise Valley’s Chico Hot Springs.

But then the gates didn’t swing shut. Tuesday