Last Day in the Tetons & Excitement Leaving

Our last day in the Tetons was a bit of an overcast one....and then the "excitement" of leaving.....

The overcast cloud cover on our last day in the Tetons provided a pretty cool, semi-moody feel to the day.  I really like how the clouds are hanging low on the peaks.

 

The next day, as we were driving out of the Park, someone crossed over the center line of the road we were on, and hit us!  It wasn't a direct head-on accident, thank goodness, but they did manage to break off the side mirror on the driver's side and it swung around and smashed right thru the side window and into Jeff's lap!  Thank goodness he was able to maintain control of the RV and pulled safely to the side of the road.  We were so lucky that no one was hurt (just covered in glass) and that we were able to get the window fixed and mirror replaced within 2 days to continue the journey.  I wish I could say the person who hit us had the good character to stop, but he/she didn't. Oh, well....

 

We enjoyed the Tetons just the same!

Magnificent Mormon Row

 

At one point in time, many people lived in the area now called Grand Tetons National Park.  When John D. Rockefeller first saw the Tetons, he was so taken with them, and so distressed by the land surrounding them that was being gobbled up by ranchers and farmers, he set about to purchase that land from them and gift it to the federal government for the purpose of expanding the National Park.  He was concerned that the beauty of the Tetons would be lost by over development in future years.  The purchase agreement did allow the farmers/ranchers to continue to live on the land, but at the end of their lifetime, it reverted to the federal government and the Park.  There was one settlement of Mormons whose homesteads are protected and somewhat preserved in Grand Teton National Park as a tribute to the farmers and ranchers from the past.

The above image (and actually a couple of the following images as well) just seemed to me to be the view of western life on the range that we hold in our imaginations.  Can you image - this was reality to the families that lived here!

It does seem sort of romantic a lifestyle, but this would have been a hard life, especially in the winter when several feet of snow would have buried this little community in the middle of nowhere.  There is only one road to this community, and it's really out in the middle of some fairly vast plains that lead up to the mountains.

Notice the extreme slant of the roof on this cabin - it's so the snow has an easier time of sliding off the roof, so as not to cause the roof to crash down on the family inside.  I do love the clouds, trees, cabin and mountains in this image.  This particular cabin was fairly close to a little stream, so running water was easier for this family to get to than the others!

This final image illustrates what I meant earlier about the homesteads being in the middle of the plains and how vast they were.  This is actually looking away from the Tetons toward some other mountains.  The valley in which these homesteads are is called Jackson Hole.  Many folks think that's the name of the town that's nearby, but actually Jackson Hole is the name of the valley alongside the Tetons.

Enjoy!

Signal Mountain Views

I wish there was some really cool piece of history I could share with you as to how Signal Mountain in the Grand Tetons got its name.....but, I can't.  It's called that because there are all sorts of cell towers at the top of the mountain - sigh.  Still, looking out from it gave us some great views!

As we stood atop Signal Mountain (which we could drive up, thank goodness!), I watched a crow or raven soar above the countryside.  I was lucky enough to capture him as he passed me by one time.

 

And, here's a great view of the actual Teton range from atop Signal Mountain.  It looks a bit hazy due to the wildfire in Idaho, but the trees and cloud line still provide some great accents to the mountains themselves.

 

Enjoy!

Antelope Flats

One of the great things about exploring around and in Grand Teton National Park is the variety of things that can be seen.  Here are just a couple of images from the area known as Antelope Flats.

Of course, with a name like Antelope Flats, you'd expect to see some antelope!  We did see a number of them, altho I was only able to capture this one with a semi-good view (meaning, something other than his back end).  They just seemed to bound away from us whenever we saw them!

We also came across this deserted cabin or homestead.  I loved the old fence that still seemed to protect it from curious viewers!

 

Enjoy!

Views from Heron Lake Trail

On the Heron Lake side of the trail, the views were different - mainly thanks to the Tetons in the background!  

Waterlilies in the foreground, a tiny reflection of trees in the center and the magnificent Tetons in the background created a wonderful view that greeting us as we emerged from the forest portion of the hike between Swan Lake and Heron Lake.  

I had to share this image of a spent sunflower.  I still love the center of it, and the dried petals that now seem to form spikes were really quite pretty, in an "almost fall" sort of way!

And, finally, another view of Heron Lake and the Tetons - another great reflection view. These mountains were so craggy and jagged, I never got tired of looking at them.

 

Enjoy!

Swan Lake HIke

On another morning, we hiked along Swan and Heron Lakes.  Altho it was the same trail, the views seen from both lakes were very different.  Here are the views from Swan Lake -

 



I really like the above view of Swan Lake from the darkness of the wooded trail.  We would emerge from the coolness of the forest to the warmth of the morning sun.  The green that this image looks out onto is actually the lake, covered in water lilies.  Very vibrant green, but no longer blooming...

Walking in the woods, I'd frequently be looking down so that I didn't miss little treasures like this - an Oregon fleabane bloom.  I really love the vibrant color of the purple bloom.

Actually, water lilies weren't the only thing in Swan Lake - cattails were there, too.  This image reminded me of my childhood when we'd pick the cattails from a lake in Wisconsin, let them dry and then light them in the evenings.....or try to!

Can you spot the little duck in this image?  Hint:  Look in the lower center!  Small ducks that aren't really good at flying will frequently seek the protection of the water lilies.  Their predators have as difficult a time seeing them as we do!

 

Enjoy!

Flowers Along Christopher Pond

 

The same hike along Christopher Pond had some lovely wildflowers (or remainders of them!) for us to enjoy along the way, too!

The above bloom is a Canadian Thistle (I believe) - I really liked the color of this one and the pattern of the petals.  Against the background, it really reminds me of fall.....

How lucky could I get to see another perfect "fuzzy head" of a dandelion?  I really like the color of this one in the morning sun.  There are some advantages to getting up early - seeing things like this!

 



I really liked the way the morning sun lit up just the tops of this bloom/grass.  I'm not sure what it is exactly, but the colors just seemed to calming and yet invigorating, I had to share.

 

And finally, isn't this just a luscious shade of purple?  Again, the detail in the bloom itself is what drew me to this. Perfection in nature....

 

Enjoy!

HIking Near Jackson Lodge at Grand Teton National Park

 

Another morning at Grand Teton National Park, we hiked a trail around Jackson Lodge.  The views were really quite peaceful and calming - take a look -

I just loved the way the sun reflected on the clumps of grass growing in the center of Christopher Pond.  It sort of creates a little abstract.

Here's a small duck doing the swimming version of a morning stroll!  He just sort of glided across the water, leaving hardly a trace of his movement.

This is a view of just about all of Christopher Pond.  I had hoped we might see some moose along the shore - but, alas, it was not to be!  

Here's someone we did see, tho!  This little guy seemed to follow us for a short time.  Our own little chipmunk hiking buddy!

 

Enjoy!

Two Beautiful Sights at Grand Teton National Park

As we drove around Grand Teton National Park, there were some lovely, beautiful views, but these have to be two of my favorites -

The above image is of Jenny Lake, with the Tetons in the background.  The place seems magical, and this image captures that.  I did some HDR'ing, and now it looks like it felt to be there.  One interesting note, the span of the Tetons is only about 12 miles.  If you were to cross Jenny Lake and hike thru the mountains, in 12 miles, you'd be coming down off the mountains in Idaho.

As we drove on a road that is probably the main road for the locals, we came across this guy having a morning drink.  I just loved the peacefulness of this place, and the moose seems very comfortable here.  I do believe he was aware of me being there, but I didn't startle him or cause him any worry, so he was happy to share the space.

 

Enjoy

Jenny Lake Road

One day at the Tetons, we decided to drive Jenny Lake Road and see what sights there were to see.  Take a look -

One of the things we noticed was a haze that seemed to hang about halfway up the mountains.  We found out that there was a wildfire in Idaho, and the haze was smoke from that wildfire.

As we drove across a bridge, I noticed this great reflection shot.  What I didn't know at the time was that to have the water this calm seemed rather unusual.  Any other time we drove over this bridge, the water was very wavy and almost choppy.  Lucky us!

This image is of what's called The Cathedral Group.  I can't remember all the names of the peaks, but one thing that does stand out in my mind is that there are 3 Teton named peaks - Little, Middle and Grand Tetons.  Other peaks are named for explorers that have summited those peaks.

Isn't this a great shot - and what a great scenic place to live!  It sounds a bit odd, but people live in very close proximity to the national park and some of the roads vary between inside and outside the Park.  Did you know that John Rockefeller was instrumental in the recognition of this area as a national park.  He bought up quite a bit of land and then donated it to the country for this park.  Thanks, Mr. Rockefeller!

 

Enjoy!

Campground Beach at Grand Teton National Park

 

Our campground in the Tetons was next to a beach that offered some great views -

 

 

Here's one of the reasons the views are so great - we're looking at the Tetons!  I really like this image because of the boat in the lower left corner.  Makes it feel like this is someone's usual place for their boat - wouldn't that be great?

Sunsets were also great here.  I like this image of the sun just before it disappears behind the mountains.  That's Jeff and Miki on the shore!

I love the look of the rays in this image.  The sun is just reaching to hang onto the day!

I thought this was a very peaceful image.  I did so a bit of HDR on this one, but it still maintains the feel of the original shot.

 

And, finally, this image of a dead tree stump back higher on the beach.  It let me get a fuller view of the tree, beach and sky.  What a lovely way to end the day!

 

Enjoy!

Grassy Lake Road Blooms

There were lovely blooms along the several little side roads out from Grassy Lake Road, and I did manage to capture some nice images – 

 

I know this is not technically a bloom, but I thought this image of a pine tree just had a nice feel to it.  We were driving on a VERY rough road and it was right there outside my window (of the Jeep) so I snapped it!

 

I don’t know what this flower is (maybe a Common Cowparsnip?), but I thought it was so pretty.  I may add a quote to this image, but for now, it’s just pretty on it’s own!

 

Are these flowers a beautiful color?  Really royal!  Such little treasures all around us at our feet!

Enjoy!

Grassy Lake Road - Grand Teton National Park

Our first exploration in Grand Tetons National Park was along a dirt road called Grassy Lake Road.  We stopped at a primitive campsite there (no water or electricity, altho there was a porta-potty) that was blocked off, meaning it was not open for camping.  The stated reason for the closing of this campsite was the sequestration, altho since this was vacation, I’m not going to get into any political!  Anyway, we climbed over the log in the drive to the site and just explored a bit.  Take a look at these views – what a lovely campsite view, and since this was only 1 campsite, you’d have it all to yourself!

 

I believe this river was the Snake River, altho it is much smaller here than it is in other places.  What a lovely peaceful view – can’t you see sitting out on a log eating whatever for breakfast and waking up to this?

 

Altho you can’t see them, Jeff & Miki did go down to the river.  However, there was no swimming here for Miki, as the current was much too strong!

 

The view was equally lovely from the opposite direction.  And, since this campsite was up on a bit of a bluff, it was probably away from many of the mosquitoes! 

Enjoy!