Never during our trip to Grand Tetons National Park, did the sun illuminate all the peaks in all their glory.
Monday, coming out of our hotel room in Jackson, the smoke from the Berry Fire, which straddled the border between Grand Tetons and Yellowstone parks and closed the road for two days, created an eerie haze over the Elk Refuge...
Seeing the glorious peaks rise up from the valley floor is such an iconic view for a moment I was disappointed but then again this isn't an Amusement park. Other than Old Faithful in Yellowstone, which does somewhat hold to a set schedule... this is wilderness and that, ladies and gents is the reason why these natural wonders are so important.
We love to camp at Jenny Lake in Grand Tetons, as does everyone else, so we got ourselves a coffee/tea and a bagel, and early in the morning, made our way into the park to see who was leaving...
luckily it was the end of the season, literally the last full week the Jenny Lake campground was open, so we had a few choices and course we had to circumvent the campground, a couple of times before compromising ( aghhh...me getting my way). But look at the view we had sitting around the fire pit. Yes, the trail to the bathrooms were right on the other side of the tent, but contrary to Jon, I saw that as a plus. Close proximity to the outhouse, in grizzly bear country I see as a good trade off to foot traffic.
Too dreary to do any hiking, we then circumvented the Park, going north up the park road and then south down the Jackson Hole highway, we stopped at the Cunningham cabin....
J. Pierce Cunningham and his wife were one of the first homesteaders who tried to make a go at the base of the Grand Tetons. All I can say is burrrrrrrrrr.....
Getting back to camp we just enjoyed the view and realized that we had not camped, together and alone in about twenty five years. We have taken kiddos all over the Rocky Mountains and this was our third camping trip to Jenny Lake. We did do quite a bit of weekend jaunts just the two of us, but apparently a nice hotel in Santa Fe seemed more appealing to us when our kiddos were home.
The heated outhouse was rather nice and but covered in bear etiquette warnings in the stalls. Keep all smelly things including lotions, toothpastes in locked car or bear box. Don't sleep in clothes you ate or cooked in.... that one was a little disturbing laying on the ground with just a thin nylon tent between you and a grizzly wanting a snack...
The next day we woke up to the snow line quite a bit down towards the lake...
So decided to drive the River Road, that drops down just above the Snake River and there were rafters who apparently had already paid for float trips and couldn't get their money back or families pulled along by Dad's that, well. were set for an adventure...burrrrrrr again
We also passed the remains of the Bar BC Dude Ranch established by Maxwell Struthers Burt, a writer and novelist that was instrumental in the creation of Grant Tetons National Park turn of the century.
Meandering towards Kelly, Wyoming. yes for a photo opt, we came across a cluster of cars, and people with really really big camera, the best indication that some wildlife is near by...
Sure enough, a mamma moose and baby bedded down. Then the sun started to come out....
and the tourist&^%$$%$#$#$#
The tourist that come in crowds and block traffic at any overlook or view that does not involve more than fifty steps from their big shinny buses...
We did finally get away from "the people" and of course we had to bushwhack it down to the lake...
The clouds and sun gave us a awe inspiring view of the Cathedral group above Jenny Lake
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