Grand Tetons

Tuesday, September 13

We got up early, broke camp, packed everything and headed toward the Grand Tetons.  On our way out of Yellowstone we stopped at Biscuit Basin and hiked a mile through the woods to see the famous Morning Glory cauldron.  It is beautiful. Sadly, reports of people throwing rocks and coins into the pool have caused it to lose some of the brilliant blue color.  

Morning Glory

The beauty of Morning Glory was soon forgotten when we encountered a wolf face to face on the trail.  Of course our first reaction was oh *!*!*!*.   My next reaction was “I need to get a picture”, “No, it might  aggravate him” HIDE.  Not to worry ~ he didn’t want any more to do with us than we did with him.  He just meandered around us and kept on going ~ thank goodness.  

bring on the next wolf

 

Throughout our travels in Yellowstone we saw herds of Bison everywhere; some right next to the road.  

  A line of stopped cars usually meant wildlife was spotted or they were on the road. 

                                                   

We came across  a heard of elk at a watering hole and on the morning we left we spotted a large buck right next to the road.   

What an eventful way to leave Yellowstone.  Still on our list;  moose and bear.

Yellowstone Park is so large with so many different terrains it felt like we had been in several different parks rather than just one. 

we crossed the continental divide at several points

We continued to drive south directly into the Grand Teton Nation Park.


Our first stop was the road to the summit of Signal Mountain where we had a 360 degree view of the park.  The glacial valley to the east and the magnificent peaks to the west.  

the signal tower on Signal Mountain

 

 

glacial valley

 

                                                                                                               

We stopped at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart to give a prayer of thanks for our good fortune and moved on to Jenny Lake.    

 We hiked down a short path and sat by the water to marvel at the sight; peaks jutting from the water and reflecting back.  

We often won the prize in the parking lots for the vehicle  that came the farthest which started many conversations for John. Consequently we met some very nice people with some good tips on places to go and what to see along our route.  As a result, our return trip back east is ever changing.

We tried to get a camp site at Jenny Lake but it was much too late in the day for that.   That campground is generally booked by 8:00 am.  We found a site at  GrosVentre at the southern end of the park.  We pitched our tent quickly and headed out for a 2 hour float trip on the infamous Snake River.

here's the crew ready to go

our guide

bald eagle

immature bald eagle ~ doesn't get white feathers for a couple of years

sun setting over the Tetons

       

After the float we spotted a large group of people congregated on the bridge over the Snake River so we knew there must be wildlife.  Our first moose.  Actually the whole family.  The buck was chomping on  the poplar bushes while the cow and calf were trying to hide further down .  People were getting so close that the rangers had to come to  keep them back and remind them that these are wild animals. 

Check moose off our list.                       

We had a quick dinner at Dorans with a spectacular view of the sun setting behind the Grand Tetons and headed back to set up camp.