Day 6 - Grand Teton National Park

Day 6 – Grand Teton National Park

August 1, 2013

We were supposed to get up earlier today and go to Jenny Lake for a boat ride and hike. Ricardo would like us to be able to leave early each morning, but some of us like to sleep in and the boys take their time in the morning. So, we did our laundry, took showers and found wi-fi instead.  I uploaded the last three days of blogs. The connectivity has been very slooow, so I have only uploaded one photo for each day. I have saved other highlights and hope to upload them soon.

Today is the first day we are staying in the same campsite for more than one night. We stayed in Colter Bay Campsite last night and will again tonight. From here this morning, we drove south along one of the park roads and pulled out at many overlooks and turn-outs. The Grand Teton National Park is exceptional in that Jackson Hole is a huge valley and the mountains rise directly from the valley. The road is along the valley and Snake River; there are no foothills or obstructions in front of the mountains. The Teton Range rises and stretches out fully from north to south. It is so open and majestic, it is very inspiring.

We made our way to South Jenny Lake and took the boat across to hike to see Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Hidden Falls are only a half mile in, but with the steepness of the path, they seem miles away. The boys did a fine job of paying attention to the rocky path and we didn’t have any falls.

After three hours hiking and seeing the views, we headed back across the lake. So, it seemed, did the rest of the people hiking in that area, and we had to wait for a boat. The hikers in front and behind us had both been on long hikes, so we heard about the places they had been.

The ferry boat driver had made a recommendation for us to eat what became an early dinner at Dormans in Moose, WY, which was a few miles away. We had a “cowboy style” buffet dinner of lots of “slop and glop” style foods (potatoes, beans, stew, etc). The boys did not like the food, but the view and surroundings were great. We made our way back via the Snake River Outlook, which is the site of the famous Ansell Adams photo of the Grand Teton. We got there late in the day and the light was fantastic. I think Alle and I each took about one hundred photos.

The boys were already planning what ice cream flavors they wanted to try at the General Store back at the campground, so we made our way there. After lots of hiking and running around at every outlook stop (and no naps), the boys have since passed out asleep for the night.

Tomorrow we will leave the park, visit Jackson, WY and make our way to Arco, Idaho and the “Craters of the Moon” National Monument.