Monday, September 24, 2012

Up early and on the road north before 8 AM. Traveled through Grand Teton National Park, taking the Jenny Lake loop in hopes of a clearer view of the Tetons. We were not disappointed. 

We saw a cow moose eating in a river bed.

A bit further up the road a female elk crossed right in front of us.

She was about 50 feet away, huge animal.

After a few more curves, we spotted a male elk crossing a vast field, headed in the same direction as the female we had just seen. (it's hard to see it, as it was probably 1/2 mile out in the field.)

At Jackson Lake Junction, we headed due North towards the south entrance of Yellowstone. We stopped at one of the scenic pullouts, and while there, heard the sound of male elks trumpeting. Unbelievable! As we stood in amazement, a man came up out of the woods, telling us he had gone down the path a bit and saw 4 male elks. They are in rutting season, and were calling the females. Very, very cool! As we were headed towards the car, he commented that they sounded a lot like the sounds that whales make. And he was right!

We saw these white tail deer approach the road. 

The air was much clearer today. The views were indescribable. There were places where the banks on the sides of the road went down FOREVER! I couldn't look in some spots.

We pulled off a few times to see cascading water falls. The first was Lewis Falls, a lovely sight, relaxing sounds, actually looking up towards the falls.

At West Thumb, we headed west to make the loop towards Old Faithful. All along the way, breathtaking views, huge mountains as far as you could see in all directions. We crossed the Continental Divide three different times. Highest elevation I have ever been to! Another check mark!

We came upon Kepler cascades and decided to go out on the wooden deck built out over the rocks.

Yes, those are people out there!

The view up the river was beyond words. 

The view down was beyond words.

This is looking down, straight down!

We arrived at Old Faithful, and were amazed at the set up. Huge visitors center.

We arrived just about 30 minutes before the predicted eruption.

 This is what he looks like most of the time.

Then he erupts. Water and steam start spurting into the air, shooting higher and higher.

This is just about full steam! People around us said they had seen it 3-4 times before, and this was the best. We both thought it would be louder, more sound, but really all we heard was water splashing. Very amazing. We both felt very moved that we were there, at Yellowstone, watching Old Faithful.

We were on the road again, making our way through the Absaroka Range, a sub-range of the Rockies.  The basins all around Old Faithful, and even on the other side of some of the mountains, were filled with hot springs, and you could see steam rising in many places.

Winding our way through the park, we found vistas around every corner. This is looking down on Hayden Valley.

Another view with the free range bison grazing.

A bit further up the road, we encounter bison a bit closer.....

they were about 15 feet from us! Just crossin' the road to get to the other side!!! Huge animals!

There were many places where you could see that there had been fires in the past, some more recent than others. Kind of sad. 

Another area that experienced fire. If you look closely, you can see a lake. That is Yellowstone lake looking back towards the west. There are mountains way in the distance. The sight was unreal. 

Just before reaching the east entrance to the park, we saw an eagle, soaring above a chasm, and, for the first time, we saw a black bear.

This "little" one was on the side of the road, just before we got into Wapiti. The drive out of the park was a winding, breathtaking ride. The road through the mountains is a good road, but it weaves back and forth, around and down, and to be honest, at times neither of us enjoyed it. 

We arrived in Cody WY late afternoon. Rested for a bit, had a lovely dinner, and hit the bed. What will tomorrow bring?

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.

Sept.22,2012

It was the first day of vacation. I was up and at it at a reasonable hour. Didn't really feel like the first day of a vacation, because that usually means we would be getting up at 3am for an early flight. All flights went well, no problems, no delays, just very hard on your back and knees. We arrived in Jackson Hole Wyoming, on time, with a bit of smoke in the air. There are wildfires to the west of us, that have been burning since summer, but it wasn't too bad. Nice motel, The Rustic Inn, like log cabins, with running water. 
It's getting daylight outside, and we will be exploring Jackson, Grand Tetons National Park, and any other sights along the way. The weather is cloudy, with a chance of meatballs, I mean thunderstorms. It won't deter us from seeing what the town holds for us.
Missing the little ones. We usually get a call from Dawson on Sundays. Might have to call him later, and answer all his questions.

Too long.....

It's been way too long since the last post, so I am going to try to catch up. It's been a busy summer, even though I had planned on it not being so. Here are a few pictures from what's been happening in my crazy, ever so wonderful, life over the past two months.....

The girls were asked to be flower girls at Gavin and Jen's wedding. I took them to have their hair done for the special event. They looked beautiful after Sherry styled their hair.

D was the ring bearer. What a great job he did. Delivered the goods, with a smile, that killer smile, and acted like a gentleman.

The girls were beautiful in their yellow sun dresses, and sprinkled flower petals down the aisle. They smiled, and added so much to the entrance of a beautiful bride!

Mr. and Mrs. Gavin Dow! The day was perfect for an out door ceremony and reception. The humidity broke, the sun was shining, and the party was perfect!

She was beautiful! Their vows were inspiring, and the ceremony, memorable!

Ken and me, and Brooklynn snuck in, too. Before the ceremony. The tent was picture perfect. Flowers grown by Jen's father everywhere. Friends and family gathered to support the union. It was a perfect day!

Signs to get you there!

Signs of what took place!

A well captured moment....

and another, showing two very happy people!

What a wonderful aunt for Brooklynn! I didn't take many photos during the reception. I guess I was just too busy. It was one of the best days in my life. Such great friends helping celebrate their wedding. I have to take a step back some days, and count all my blessings. So many people helped make this such a great day for all.

The day was perfect. Two of our children married their best friend. What more could a parent ask for? My heart is fuller. My life, wonderful. I thank Ken for giving me a son, that was able to find the love of his life, my friends and family for making it all so remarkable. Evie, Cyndie, Gary, Debbie...I know there are more...What a wonderful world we live in.

Oh, yes! The Barker Pond Summer Ale, brewed at NTFB Brewery, Corinna, Maine!