Sunday, September 23, 2010

 Looking from the Jackson Hole Visitors center down the river towards town. The mountain at the edge of town is Snow King Mountain Ski Resort. 

There are arches made out of elk antlers all over Jackson Hole, and Wyoming. This was in front of the Inn we stayed at.

Today, we started the morning in Jackson Hole, WY to crisp cool temperatures, and a bit of smoke in the air. What I had assumed were mountains in the distance last night, turned out to be mountains in the back yard! We had a nice breakfast, and headed into Jackson Hole to see the town. Very quaint, lots of shops, and galleries, and museums. We parked at the Town Square and walked around the town. Ken tried on a few leather hats, but decided to pass.

 

We headed north to Grand Teton National Park. Very flat land, with mountains in the distance. We could just make out the mountains through the smoke. Huge spikes of rock barely visible.

 We were disappointed but continued on the trip. We made a loop around from Moose Junction to Moran Entrance. There are many scenic turn outs along the road that allow you to stop and drink up the beauty around you. One of the first stops gave us a very close up viewing of a herd of buffalo. There were a couple hundred head grazing right before us. Quite a sight.

We continued into the park, and tried to get a decent view of the mountains. Through the haze we could see only a fraction of the mountains. The camera just couldn't get through the smoke to get to the the mountains.

We stopped at the Jackson Lake Dam. Not quite as moving as Hoover Dam, but still a very beautiful stop. People were fishing, kayaking, and families were having picnics along the shore. Interesting stop.

The remainder of the loop brought brighter skies and somewhat clearer views of the Teton range. We were glad we went on with our sight seeing despite the effects of nature.

I had chosen a local micro brewerey/pub for a meal and a local brews. It was on the other end of Jackson Hole, away from the shops and galleries. The parking lot and surrounding streets were lined with cars, so we knew it had to be a good choice! And I was right. The place was ROCKIN'! Good meal, the best fries, and great beer! 
 We had passed the National Museum of Wildlife Art, and decided to check it out. 

Beautiful bronze sculptures along the entrance had us intrigued. We viewed many beautiful pieces of art, many mediums, new and old, but all in all, a very interesting stop. 

This depicts the migration of the mighty elk, coming down from the mountains at the start of winter. The picture above it shows the mountains that hold hundreds and hundreds of them. I would love to return to see such a sight.
It's now 7pm and we will retire early in hopes of an early start to Yellowstone in the morning.