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First day, Mt. Moran
from Oxbow Bend |
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| Oxbow Bend, Snake River |
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| Moose at Jackson Lodge |
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| East entrance |
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| View from our campsite |
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| Bike ride on the 8-mile greenway |
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| A happy cycling family |
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| On the Snake, Mt. Moran in back |
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| A very happy Patti on the Snake |
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| White pelicans at Oxbow Bend |
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Mt. Moran with a magma stripe
(diabase dike) |
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The main Tetons from
the Cascade Canyon trail |
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| Jenny Lake from Inspriation Point |
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| Mt. Owen |
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| View of the Forks of Cascade Canyon |
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| Hidden Falls above Jenny Lake |
GRANT: The day before we headed into Yellowstone, we explored Grand Teton NP a little. Oxbow Bend was beautiful, and we vowed to kayak it later, which we did. We also saw a bull moose hanging out at a pond near Jackson Lodge. It can be very easy or very hard to spot wildlife in the parks. Easy when there are swarms of cars stopped at the side of the road, people with their cameras at the ready. That's how we spotted the moose.
Our trip overall was very gratifying when it came to wildlife viewing. We saw many moose, black bear, grizzly bear, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, bison, elk, mule deer, white tail deer. All the "charismatic mega fauna", as the rangers call them. We also saw a number of small but nonetheless interesting critters: hoary marmots, golden mantled squirrels (look like chipmunks, taste like chicken ... kidding), pikas (rabbit-like animals with no tails and small ears), bald eagles, geese, mergansers and other ducks, osprey, cut-throat trout (never caught any), and all kinds of nasty mosquitos and biting flies. We checked everything off our list but wolves and cougars, which isn't surprising. Actually, we almost missed the pronghorn antelope. We even made a special trip on the southeast of Teton one evening looking for them with no luck. It's when we left the park on our way to Boise that we spotted one by itself in the middle of a field by the freeway! In any case, Gabe was so intrigued by the animals that he got a couple of books on drawing them and drew a great many of them.
Lots of "stealth learning" went on this summer for Gabe (and for Patti and me), what with all the geology, geography and wildlife around. Gabe also did a lot of writing. Speaking of geology, Wikipedia has a good article on the Tetons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geology_of_the_Grand_Teton_area. It describes the area as having some of the oldest rock and newest mountains on the continent. Truly amazing. What impressed me is that I never got tired of looking at them. Every place and time of day and weather condition would yield a very different view of them, and they were always striking and dramatic. Jackson Hole is an enchanting place, to be sure.
After Yellowstone, Gabe and I found an awesome campsite at Signal Mountain in the park, right next to Jackson Lake. Great views of the mountain range, lake access, privacy, shelter from the winds, and big huckleberry patches, which Gabe and I helped ourselves to. The only downside was that the road construction crews hit the Signal Mountain area just as we got there and stayed for a few days. They have traffic control wired, so it wasn't too bad. And just like other times we had to slow down or stop on the roads in the parks, we never minded the views!
We took a lovely bike ride along the 8-mile path (and back) that runs from the very popular Jenny Lake between the face of the Tetons and the highway on the west side. The path was built because a young girl died on her bike on the road some years ago. We stopped at Moose Junction at the south side to check out the new visitor center, which is impressive, and to have some lunch. A windy, threatening day turned beautiful, which was often the case (or vice versa) in the area, and we had a great time.
We spent one day floating the Snake River from Jackson Dam to Oxbow Bend, which was very calm, albeit with a swift current at first, and very pretty. Lots of birding there. Patti told Gabe how the Snake was her first river experience, which changed her life and ultimately led her to me. In a way, that river is part of the arc that led to his existence. Turns out we followed and crossed it many times on our way back to Oregon.
Our last hurrah in the park was a hike up Cascade Canyon to its forks, with close-up views of some of the major peaks like Grand Teton, Teewinot and Mt. Owens. We took a boat across Jenny Lake, walked up to Inspiration Point with a view of the lake, then a gentle walk up the canyon to the forks. We met a fun family from the bay area (originally from central Texas), and Gabe and the boy Sam became fast friends.
I have to say that we met many fellow travelers along the way who were all delightful. From Peter with the 49 foot mobile home to the two gals who were traveling from Brooklyn to visit their brother on furlough from Iraq, many people with lots of interesting stories and open hearts. Like our friends at home and elsewhere, they enriched so much of our journey.
At one time about 3/4 of the way through the trip while we were camping, Gabe said he noticed we were all getting grouchy with each other, likely because of the close proximity of the tent trailer and the constant exposure to one another. After that realization, we all mellowed out and stayed mindful and grateful of the fact that we were traveling through beauty. Gabe gained a lot of perspective during the trip. His world view was broadened and deepened, which we were hoping for, and he has returned a noticeably more mature fellow in the process.
Our trip back home was long but very fun. We drove 8 hours to Boise, then another 8 hours the next day to Portland. We had become such seasoned travelers that the days went by very pleasantly. We reversed our original path from Portland, visiting friends there and in Corvallis, Pistol River and Brookings. A wonderful way to ease our way back home.
After we came home, we took a quick trip up to Howard Prairie while the carpets were cleaned, then came home and re-arranged the furniture and got rid of a lot of stuff. I reckon living simply and traveling in nature for a couple of months will do that for you.
