Goodbye Grand Teton

(Posting for Friday, June 13th)

Friday the 13th was a pretty amazing day. At long last, the weather made a strong turn for the better. We awoke to no snow, but lots of sun and temps in the upper 40’s. There weren’t many clouds for the first time in several days, and the Tetons were absolutely brilliant against the crisp blue sky.

After breakfast and showers, we gathered and packed the rest of our goods in the van to begin another leg of our journey. Since the weather was cooperating, we decided to spend most of the day in the Tetons soaking in some last bits of their beauty before heading north back to Yellowstone.

After checking out of our cabin and making reservations for an afternoon cruise on Jackson Lake, we set out on a 2 mile hike from Coulter Bay to Swan Lake. Part of the trail followed the shore of Jackson Lake before turning into the woods and on to Swan Lake. Along the way we encountered a large family of ground squirrels – similar to prairie dogs, but a bit smaller. We enjoyed watching them scurry about and dart in and out of their burrows. We hoped to spot a moose at Swan Lake, but came up empty handed. On the hike back, we noticed a tree along the trail with a number of bear scratches on in. Luckily, no bears made an appearance on our hike.

After our hike, we headed over to the picnic area on Jackson Lake and had a great picnic along the waters edge. Roast beef sandwiches have never tasted so good. The kids had a blast throwing sticks into the water, then “bombing” them with rocks from the shore. After lunch, we headed over to the marina for a 90 minute cruise around Jackson Lake. The cruise was great – officially it was a ranger program, and the ranger explained how the Tetons were born of geology, glaciers and continue to be shaped by fire. While cruising the lake, we spotted a cow and young elk, and a bald eagle. The weather was absolutely perfect – the lake was like glass – a big change from earlier in the week. On the way back in to the marina, the captain let all of the kids on board take a turn driving the boat. Trey was first up, and he had a blast. The captain showed him how to blow the boat’s horn, so Trey blew the horn at least four times. Taylor went next, then all of the other kids on the boat. Both Taylor and Trey loved the chance to drive the boat. The captain was really great with all of the kids – telling them exactly what to do, making jokes with them – it was really a special moment for all of the kids.

After the boat ride, we took a stop at the general store to stock up on some basics we’ll need in the coming days. We gassed up ($4.56 gal!) and then were on the road back to Yellowstone by late afternoon. At several points along the way, I glanced in the rear view mirror and was almost shocked by the amazing view of the Tetons, even on the way out of the park. The ranger on our boat ride today says that at the end of every season when she leaves the Tetons to return to her teaching job in Florida, she cries because she knows how much she will miss the mountains over the coming months. After a couple of days in the park, it’s easy to understand how she feels…

As we cruised into Yellowstone, we were greeted by temps in the high 50’s and very little snow left along the roadway. We stopped in at the visitors center at Grant Village and watched the film about the 1988 fires and the rebirth that has occurred in many parts of the park since the fires. We also took some time to pick up fishing licenses, so hopefully we can get some hooks in the water this weekend.

We arrived back at the Lake Area around 6pm or so and found our way to Lake Lodge to check in to our cabin for the next 3 nights. The Lake Lodge. Lake Lodge is neat – an old lodgepole pine structure, large stone fireplaces, with a large front porch covered with rocking chairs. Unfortunately, the cabins at Lake Lodge aren’t quite as charming. There are several older cabins that probably match the style and charm of the lodge, but a large number of the cabins are low slug 1960’s era triplexes that are more reminiscent of the Bates Motel than a cabin in the woods. Our “cabin” has all of the charm of a 1971 Fleetwood mobile home – burnt orange countertops, artwork with avocado green frames, acoustic tile ceilings. The Brady Bunch would be quite at home in cabin F-7. Luckily, we don’t spend a ton of time in the room. Everything is clean, the hot water is hot, but I’m a bit worried the burnt orange counter will glow once we turn out the lights and keep us awake…

After settling in to the cabin, we headed over to the Lake general store and grabbed some dinner – burgers, hot dogs and a panini. Pretty decent lunch counter fare. We also grabbed some flies and other lures so we can do some fishing. After dinner, we headed back to the Lodge and spent a while playing games in the lobby – several rounds of Uno and LCR. We headed back to the mighty cabin a short while ago and are settling in for the night as I type. The walls in the cabin are a bit thin, so we can hear the Japanese family next door to us chatting away (in Japanese, of course). Luckily, none of us speak Japanese, so their constant, low mumbling will probably lull us to sleep. Who knows what they think of our crazy clan…

Goodnight from the Grays.