(Posting for Tuesday, June 17th)
This morning we said a bittersweet goodbye to Yellowstone. We had a great night at the Old Faithful Inn. Everyone was so tired after dinner, it didn’t take much for everyone to fall asleep. The sun coming through the curtains woke me early, so I slipped out of the room, grabbed a cup of coffee and spent an hour or so on the outside deck of the hotel watching all of the geysers and thermal features steam into the cool morning air. That has to be one of the best cups of coffee I’ve ever had…
Once everyone was showered and ready to roll, we strolled over to the Obsidian Dining Room at the Old Faithful Snow Lodge for a leisurely breakfast. The kids loved the breakfast buffet – I think Trey had 5 different plates when they finally cleared our table. After breakfast, we let the kids finish some postcard, did a little more shopping in the general store, then dropped our postcards at the Old Faithful post office before heading south.
We had a great day for driving – temps in the 60’s and 70’s, wonderfully sunny. We made our way out of Yellowstone and back through the Tetons, taking a quick break at Jackson Lake Lodge before heading on to Moose, WY. At Moose, we checked in for our float trip down the Snake River around 2pm. It was a great day to float the river, and our guide was excellent. Our guide has been leading trips down the Snake River for about 15 years, and his experience shows. At this time of year, the river has more water than any other time of the year, and the current moves swiftly. Our guide was able to take us down lots of side channels that are bone dry most other months of the year. Our trip lasted about 2 hours, and we had a number of wildlife sightings, including a couple of bald eagles and their nests (one was flying back and forth over the river fishing), an osprey nest with a young osprey inside, a moose and her calf drinking from the river, and lots of ducks, geese and birds. It was an absolutely amazing way to end our visit to Yellowstone and the Tetons. The kids really enjoyed the float trip – both were a little disappointed they didn’t get wet, so maybe a whitewater trip is in our family’s future…
After wrapping up the float trip, we stopped at the Moose visitor’s center to hit the bathroom, gather some snacks, and then headed on south to Utah. It took us forever to get through Jackson – rush hour, I suppose. Once through Jackson, we followed highway 89 south through southwestern Wyoming, then crossed through Idaho, and finally passed into Utah.
I was kind of disappointed in our brief trip through Idaho. When I think Idaho, I always think potatoes. I guess I envisioned a welcome center passing out French fries, potato chips and the like at the state line. We didn’t see a single potato during the 50 or so miles we drove through Idaho. We didn’t see many people either. The expression “My Own Private Idaho” has a whole new meaning now…
We had a scenic drive through northern Utah, following the Logan River through a national forest and into the town of Logan, UT. We grabbed some fast food in Logan, then convinced the kids to hang in there a bit longer and pressed on towards Odgen, UT to stop for the night.
We called ahead and found a Hampton Inn in Ogden with some rooms, but when we drove in to the hotel, we discovered that it was downtown (and didn’t have a pool…). We quickly located another Hampton in a northern suburb of Salt Lake City about 10 miles south of Ogden, so we pressed on and rolled in here around 10:30 or so. Everyone was wiped out, but glad to be here. After 2 weeks of staying in cabins and hotels in the parks, the Hampton feels like the Ritz Carlton. There was nothing to watch on TV, but we had to turn it on just to feel the familiar glow of the TV. It was very comforting, I must admit (pretty sad, I know). Our hotel is in the midst of a slew of commerce – Barnes & Noble, SuperTarget, etc., so we’ll take the opportunity to restock some items before heading on south tomorrow.
Next stop is Cedar City, UT, where we will be staying for 2 nights while we check out Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.
Lots of new pics on the web – links follow below. If you’re wondering about the “Le Bus” pictures you see, it’s kind of an inside joke. Shortly after we arrived in Yellowstone, we started seeing Le Bus almost everywhere we went. It became something of a game to catch Le Bus in the parking lot or on the road and snap a quick shot.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay14
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay15
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay16
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay17
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay18
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay19
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarionGrayCPA/YellowstoneDay20
Good night from the Grays!
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Hello From Old Faithful
(Posting for Monday, June 16th)
Well, the Gray family didn’t cover a lot of miles today, but we are one tired bunch.
We left our groovy 1970’s cabin at the Lake Lodge this morning. We made a quick stop at the gift shop at Lake Hotel to pick up another Christmas ornament, then on to the General Store at Fishing Bridge to grab some breakfast for the kids – cinnamon rolls and Diet Dr. Pepper (yum!). We then made our way on to West Thumb and up to Old Faithful, saying a bittersweet goodbye to the Lake area one last time.
Before descending on Old Faithful, we made a stop at Biscuit Basin, one of the geyser basins in the Old Faithful area. While there, we kept running into a family on the boardwalk through the thermal areas that insisted on getting off of the boardwalk and walking up to each thermal feature for a closer inspection and picture (a big no-no in Yellowstone). Part of me wanted to say something to them about staying on the boardwalk, while another more sinister part of me just hoped I had the camera ready when one of them fell screaming into a thermal feature… As we passed them, we noticed they had a really thick Southern accent. This prompted a discussion among our clan about being a good representative of your family, state and region – and not reinforcing negative stereotypes about Southerners by acting like stupid hicks in public.
We decided to head on to Old Faithful around noon or so. We had already hit Old Faithful once last week when it was so cold and snowing. On our last visit, we had the place to ourselves. On this trip, it took 15 minutes to find a parking spot – ugh! Nothing like warm weather to bring out the crazies… Once we finally found a parking spot and hit the bathroom, we decided to do lunch at the cafeteria at Old Faithful Lodge. The food was pretty good, but the place was overrun by fairly rude international tourists. I’m starting to think it would be a good idea to have at least one month in the summer when only native English speakers are allowed in Yellowstone. Not to discriminate, the English only rule would apply to both visitors and employees…
Anyway, the temps were up in the high 70’s, and there were way too many people here. After lunch, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn to kill some time. We got lucky, and our room at Old Faithful Inn was ready around 1:30pm or so. We went ahead and checked in, and crashed in our room for a while to seek refuge from the heat and obnoxious tourists. After a little R&R, we headed out and walked most of the trails around Old Faithful. After a couple of hours of touring thermal features, the kids hit the wall and everything started to look the same, so we headed back to Old Faithful Inn to grab some ice cream. We picked up our ice cream and headed upstairs to the deck outside the hotel and watched another eruption of Old Faithful – pretty cool indeed.
We had a couple of hours before dinner, so we decided to slip off for a last little bit of fishing. We spent about 30 minutes fishing with flies and bubbles in the Nez Perce creek. I didn’t have much luck – couple of strikes at my bubble. Taylor threw her final cast, and as we watched the bubble float in the current, something large struck her fly, and the bubble quickly disappeared and bent her rod tip. Taylor tugged and reeled with all her might, but the monster snapped her line just as she began to fight him to the shore. We never caught sight of the monster, but I’m sure he was a beast. Taylor was so proud to have hooked and fought with such a beast!
After our fishing episode, we headed back to the Old Faithful Inn to clean up for dinner. Dinner in the main dining room was neat – a great experience (though a little hot and stuffy). Trey was so tired at dinner that I thought he might fall asleep at the table. We made it through dinner and a hot shower before heading off to bed.
In the morning, we’re leaving Yellowstone and heading south to float the Snake River in Grand Teton. We’d originally planned to stay in Yellowstone a couple of more days, but the Gray clan hears to the open road calling, so we’re doing to start working our way south to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and many other points in between. If we spent an entire summer in Yellowstone, we wouldn’t have time to do everything we would want to do. Yes, there are trails we didn’t get to hike, geysers we didn’t see, and fish that weren’t caught. I guess that is what keeps you longing to come back next time.
We’ve got a great room here at Old Faithful Inn, and I hear the comfy bed calling my name. If you ever get the chance, stay here. The hotel really is amazing – unlike any other place in the world.
We have a ton of pics to upload when we get back to civilization. Hopefully we can upload them from our next hotel in Utah (if you can call that civilization).
The Grays
Well, the Gray family didn’t cover a lot of miles today, but we are one tired bunch.
We left our groovy 1970’s cabin at the Lake Lodge this morning. We made a quick stop at the gift shop at Lake Hotel to pick up another Christmas ornament, then on to the General Store at Fishing Bridge to grab some breakfast for the kids – cinnamon rolls and Diet Dr. Pepper (yum!). We then made our way on to West Thumb and up to Old Faithful, saying a bittersweet goodbye to the Lake area one last time.
Before descending on Old Faithful, we made a stop at Biscuit Basin, one of the geyser basins in the Old Faithful area. While there, we kept running into a family on the boardwalk through the thermal areas that insisted on getting off of the boardwalk and walking up to each thermal feature for a closer inspection and picture (a big no-no in Yellowstone). Part of me wanted to say something to them about staying on the boardwalk, while another more sinister part of me just hoped I had the camera ready when one of them fell screaming into a thermal feature… As we passed them, we noticed they had a really thick Southern accent. This prompted a discussion among our clan about being a good representative of your family, state and region – and not reinforcing negative stereotypes about Southerners by acting like stupid hicks in public.
We decided to head on to Old Faithful around noon or so. We had already hit Old Faithful once last week when it was so cold and snowing. On our last visit, we had the place to ourselves. On this trip, it took 15 minutes to find a parking spot – ugh! Nothing like warm weather to bring out the crazies… Once we finally found a parking spot and hit the bathroom, we decided to do lunch at the cafeteria at Old Faithful Lodge. The food was pretty good, but the place was overrun by fairly rude international tourists. I’m starting to think it would be a good idea to have at least one month in the summer when only native English speakers are allowed in Yellowstone. Not to discriminate, the English only rule would apply to both visitors and employees…
Anyway, the temps were up in the high 70’s, and there were way too many people here. After lunch, we wandered over to Old Faithful Inn to kill some time. We got lucky, and our room at Old Faithful Inn was ready around 1:30pm or so. We went ahead and checked in, and crashed in our room for a while to seek refuge from the heat and obnoxious tourists. After a little R&R, we headed out and walked most of the trails around Old Faithful. After a couple of hours of touring thermal features, the kids hit the wall and everything started to look the same, so we headed back to Old Faithful Inn to grab some ice cream. We picked up our ice cream and headed upstairs to the deck outside the hotel and watched another eruption of Old Faithful – pretty cool indeed.
We had a couple of hours before dinner, so we decided to slip off for a last little bit of fishing. We spent about 30 minutes fishing with flies and bubbles in the Nez Perce creek. I didn’t have much luck – couple of strikes at my bubble. Taylor threw her final cast, and as we watched the bubble float in the current, something large struck her fly, and the bubble quickly disappeared and bent her rod tip. Taylor tugged and reeled with all her might, but the monster snapped her line just as she began to fight him to the shore. We never caught sight of the monster, but I’m sure he was a beast. Taylor was so proud to have hooked and fought with such a beast!
After our fishing episode, we headed back to the Old Faithful Inn to clean up for dinner. Dinner in the main dining room was neat – a great experience (though a little hot and stuffy). Trey was so tired at dinner that I thought he might fall asleep at the table. We made it through dinner and a hot shower before heading off to bed.
In the morning, we’re leaving Yellowstone and heading south to float the Snake River in Grand Teton. We’d originally planned to stay in Yellowstone a couple of more days, but the Gray clan hears to the open road calling, so we’re doing to start working our way south to Zion, Bryce Canyon, Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, and many other points in between. If we spent an entire summer in Yellowstone, we wouldn’t have time to do everything we would want to do. Yes, there are trails we didn’t get to hike, geysers we didn’t see, and fish that weren’t caught. I guess that is what keeps you longing to come back next time.
We’ve got a great room here at Old Faithful Inn, and I hear the comfy bed calling my name. If you ever get the chance, stay here. The hotel really is amazing – unlike any other place in the world.
We have a ton of pics to upload when we get back to civilization. Hopefully we can upload them from our next hotel in Utah (if you can call that civilization).
The Grays
Happy Fathers Day
(Posting for Sunday, June 15th)
I can’t imagine a better way to spend Fathers Day…
After a light breakfast at our cabin, we headed over to Gull Point Drive on Lake Yellowstone for a little fishing. The weather was great – temps in the high 50’s, lots of sun, hardly a cloud in the sky. We all gave it our best effort, but after an hour or so, all we had managed to catch was a few sticks. Taylor was really into it and probably would have lasted a couple of more hours – she’s turning out to be the real fisherman of the group. Trey was more interested in the black volcanic sand that creates the beach around Lake Yellowstone. Trey’s been fascinated with a sand box since he could crawl.
After stowing our fishing gear, we headed over to the picnic area for a quick lunch. We were stalked by several birds and chipmunks looking to steal something from our table, but we finished lunch without incident. After lunch we headed on through Hayden Valley to Canyon. At Canyon, we checked out Artist Point and the great view of the Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River. We also hiked a bit along the south rim trail and caught a brief ranger program on the geology of the canyon. We headed over to the north rim an hiked down to the brink of the upper falls – you feel like you’re right on top of the waterfall – such a massive force of nature. The roaring is so intense it’s hard to describe.
After getting our fill of the canyon and waterfalls, we made a stop at the Canyon ranger station. The kids finished their requirements to become junior rangers, so they had a brief “swearing in” ceremony and were awarded their junior ranger patches by one of the rangers on duty. We all walked over to the general store and had ice cream to celebrate.
Since we had a lot of daylight left, we made the quick trek over to Norris geyser basin and walked the 2 mile loop around all of the various thermal features. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone, you probably don’t have an appreciation for how smelly some of these thermal areas can be – the sulfur tends to produce a rotten egg smell that is omnipresent. As you can probably imagine, with an 8 and 10 year old on board, the “fart” jokes have been about as omnipresent as the sulfur smell…
After wrapping up in Norris, we decided to head into West Yellowstone, MT to grab some dinner. We made it to West Yellowstone sometime after 7pm and grabbed dinner at the Outpost Restaurant on main street. We enjoyed more good stick to your ribs food – burgers, country fried steak, pasta and salads. Everyone was stuffed when we left.
As we came back into the park, we saw a huge bald eagle near its nest along the road. We snapped some great shots. If you’re a fan of the Muppets, you’ll be happy to know that the eagle we spotted looked just like Sam the Eagle from all of the Muppet movies… After passing the eagle, we came upon a herd of buffalo crossing the road. The herd was pretty large – 50 or so, with lots of calves. Instead of just crossing the road, this head decided to walk down the middle of the road for a mile or so holding up traffic. We were right behind the herd, so we followed patiently along until the last buffalo was safely across the road. As we worked our way back through the park at dusk and into the evening, we saw hundreds of buffalo milling about – lots of calves, some makes fighting with each other, others rubbing against trees to get their winter fur off. It was a very bright full moon, which made the night even more magnificent – especially as we drove past the various geyser basins near Old Faithful.
We finally arrived back at our cabin around 11pm and got everyone off to bed. It’s been an incredibly full day and everyone is beat, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a Fathers Day I won’t soon forget…
I can’t imagine a better way to spend Fathers Day…
After a light breakfast at our cabin, we headed over to Gull Point Drive on Lake Yellowstone for a little fishing. The weather was great – temps in the high 50’s, lots of sun, hardly a cloud in the sky. We all gave it our best effort, but after an hour or so, all we had managed to catch was a few sticks. Taylor was really into it and probably would have lasted a couple of more hours – she’s turning out to be the real fisherman of the group. Trey was more interested in the black volcanic sand that creates the beach around Lake Yellowstone. Trey’s been fascinated with a sand box since he could crawl.
After stowing our fishing gear, we headed over to the picnic area for a quick lunch. We were stalked by several birds and chipmunks looking to steal something from our table, but we finished lunch without incident. After lunch we headed on through Hayden Valley to Canyon. At Canyon, we checked out Artist Point and the great view of the Lower Falls on the Yellowstone River. We also hiked a bit along the south rim trail and caught a brief ranger program on the geology of the canyon. We headed over to the north rim an hiked down to the brink of the upper falls – you feel like you’re right on top of the waterfall – such a massive force of nature. The roaring is so intense it’s hard to describe.
After getting our fill of the canyon and waterfalls, we made a stop at the Canyon ranger station. The kids finished their requirements to become junior rangers, so they had a brief “swearing in” ceremony and were awarded their junior ranger patches by one of the rangers on duty. We all walked over to the general store and had ice cream to celebrate.
Since we had a lot of daylight left, we made the quick trek over to Norris geyser basin and walked the 2 mile loop around all of the various thermal features. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone, you probably don’t have an appreciation for how smelly some of these thermal areas can be – the sulfur tends to produce a rotten egg smell that is omnipresent. As you can probably imagine, with an 8 and 10 year old on board, the “fart” jokes have been about as omnipresent as the sulfur smell…
After wrapping up in Norris, we decided to head into West Yellowstone, MT to grab some dinner. We made it to West Yellowstone sometime after 7pm and grabbed dinner at the Outpost Restaurant on main street. We enjoyed more good stick to your ribs food – burgers, country fried steak, pasta and salads. Everyone was stuffed when we left.
As we came back into the park, we saw a huge bald eagle near its nest along the road. We snapped some great shots. If you’re a fan of the Muppets, you’ll be happy to know that the eagle we spotted looked just like Sam the Eagle from all of the Muppet movies… After passing the eagle, we came upon a herd of buffalo crossing the road. The herd was pretty large – 50 or so, with lots of calves. Instead of just crossing the road, this head decided to walk down the middle of the road for a mile or so holding up traffic. We were right behind the herd, so we followed patiently along until the last buffalo was safely across the road. As we worked our way back through the park at dusk and into the evening, we saw hundreds of buffalo milling about – lots of calves, some makes fighting with each other, others rubbing against trees to get their winter fur off. It was a very bright full moon, which made the night even more magnificent – especially as we drove past the various geyser basins near Old Faithful.
We finally arrived back at our cabin around 11pm and got everyone off to bed. It’s been an incredibly full day and everyone is beat, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s a Fathers Day I won’t soon forget…
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Bears, Bears Everywhere!
(Posting for Saturday, June 14th)
What an amazing day in our country’s first national park.
The weather forecast looked good today, so we hoped to get an early start to take advantage of the good weather. The weather this morning was beautiful – little wind, high 50’s, very few clouds. We managed to get everyone ready, everything loaded and hit the road shortly before 10am. (Yes, 10am qualifies as an early start for us these days. This is a vacation…)
From Lake, we headed north to Canyon, then west to Madison and on north to Mammoth. Between Madison and Mammoth, we had our first bear sighting of the day – a grizzly hiding in the sagebrush on a ridge off the road (just out of photo range). We also caught a glimpse of a black wolf in the meadow along the road. At Mammoth, we took time to tour the terraces, hot springs and spent some time at the visitors center checking out their movie on the birth of the national park system. We had a great picnic lunch at Mammoth. Shortly after we set up our lunch spread, a young elk started making her was across the meadow to the picnic area. The elk never got really close to us, be we were able to enjoy her strolling across the meadow as we enjoyed the sunshine and our lunch.
From Mammoth, we headed north to the north entrance of the park near Gardner, MT. We drove through the big stone arch that marks the original entrance to Yellowstone and had a family photo op. Afterwards, we headed back into the park and stopped at a small picnic area along the Gardner River so the kids could splash in the cool water on a hot day – the temps had now climbed into the high 70’s. We also let the kids take their first shot at fishing in the park. The river was running a bit too fast for fishing, but we gave it a shot anyway. We didn’t catch anything, but everyone had a great time.
After drying off, we headed back into Mammoth and turned east to make our way to Tower. Along the way, we stopped at Lava Creek to try our hand at fishing again. We found a quiet spot, and the first fly we put in the creek landed us a small brook trout. We didn’t have any more luck fishing, but we had a great time hiking along the creek and splashing in the refreshing water. The kids declared this their best hike thus far.
After our second fishing adventure, we headed on east to Tower Fall. Along the way, we came upon a den of coyotes and enjoyed mom and 4 pups playing in the meadow. We also say mom eat a small varmit for lunch. From Tower Junction, we decided to head northeast toward Cooke City, MT and the park’s northeast entrance. This is a little traveled section of the park that takes you through Lamar Valley, an amazing place to spot wildlife. Today was no exception. We saw hundreds of bison, lots of elk and antelope, a couple of coyote, and two grizzly bears near Soda Butte. We made it as far as Plum Creek before deciding to head back towards Lake.
As we drove through a number of areas of the park that we had seen last week during our first swing through the park, it was amazing how different everything looks without a fresh coat of snow. In most places, the snow has completely retreated into a few deep embankments along the side of the road, or a couple of drifts deep in the woods. The weather today was really amazing – very summer like. It’s hard to believe how this place can swing from winter to summer in just a couple of days. I guess that speaks to what an amazing place this is.
Along the way, we stopped at Tower Falls for a bathroom break. We were treated to a sighting of a black bear and one of her cubs. The bear is Rosie – she’s a well known bear throughout the park and can often be seen tending to her cubs near Tower Falls. From Tower Falls, we headed south to Canyon through Dunraven Pass. We stopped mid way through the drive to snap some pics of the massive snow plow they use to keep the pass clear – it’s one nasty looking machine…
Between Canyon and Lake, we had several other wildlife sightings – another black bear, lots of bison and elk, and our first big horn sheep! Final bear count for today – six! That doubles the total we’ve seen since arriving here over a week ago to 12.
The weary Gray clan finally rolled into Lake Lodge around 8pm or so and headed to the cafeteria at Lake Lodge is search of some grub. We dined on pot roast, fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes and gravy. Good stick to your ribs food that was much better than expected. I think Trey wanted to lick his plate…
We headed back to our cabin, and the power went out as we arrived. It’s still out as I write this… Luckily, we have lots of flashlights, extra batteries, cold beer and pop tarts, so we should be fine.
The battery on my laptop is fading, so time to sign off. Goodnight!
What an amazing day in our country’s first national park.
The weather forecast looked good today, so we hoped to get an early start to take advantage of the good weather. The weather this morning was beautiful – little wind, high 50’s, very few clouds. We managed to get everyone ready, everything loaded and hit the road shortly before 10am. (Yes, 10am qualifies as an early start for us these days. This is a vacation…)
From Lake, we headed north to Canyon, then west to Madison and on north to Mammoth. Between Madison and Mammoth, we had our first bear sighting of the day – a grizzly hiding in the sagebrush on a ridge off the road (just out of photo range). We also caught a glimpse of a black wolf in the meadow along the road. At Mammoth, we took time to tour the terraces, hot springs and spent some time at the visitors center checking out their movie on the birth of the national park system. We had a great picnic lunch at Mammoth. Shortly after we set up our lunch spread, a young elk started making her was across the meadow to the picnic area. The elk never got really close to us, be we were able to enjoy her strolling across the meadow as we enjoyed the sunshine and our lunch.
From Mammoth, we headed north to the north entrance of the park near Gardner, MT. We drove through the big stone arch that marks the original entrance to Yellowstone and had a family photo op. Afterwards, we headed back into the park and stopped at a small picnic area along the Gardner River so the kids could splash in the cool water on a hot day – the temps had now climbed into the high 70’s. We also let the kids take their first shot at fishing in the park. The river was running a bit too fast for fishing, but we gave it a shot anyway. We didn’t catch anything, but everyone had a great time.
After drying off, we headed back into Mammoth and turned east to make our way to Tower. Along the way, we stopped at Lava Creek to try our hand at fishing again. We found a quiet spot, and the first fly we put in the creek landed us a small brook trout. We didn’t have any more luck fishing, but we had a great time hiking along the creek and splashing in the refreshing water. The kids declared this their best hike thus far.
After our second fishing adventure, we headed on east to Tower Fall. Along the way, we came upon a den of coyotes and enjoyed mom and 4 pups playing in the meadow. We also say mom eat a small varmit for lunch. From Tower Junction, we decided to head northeast toward Cooke City, MT and the park’s northeast entrance. This is a little traveled section of the park that takes you through Lamar Valley, an amazing place to spot wildlife. Today was no exception. We saw hundreds of bison, lots of elk and antelope, a couple of coyote, and two grizzly bears near Soda Butte. We made it as far as Plum Creek before deciding to head back towards Lake.
As we drove through a number of areas of the park that we had seen last week during our first swing through the park, it was amazing how different everything looks without a fresh coat of snow. In most places, the snow has completely retreated into a few deep embankments along the side of the road, or a couple of drifts deep in the woods. The weather today was really amazing – very summer like. It’s hard to believe how this place can swing from winter to summer in just a couple of days. I guess that speaks to what an amazing place this is.
Along the way, we stopped at Tower Falls for a bathroom break. We were treated to a sighting of a black bear and one of her cubs. The bear is Rosie – she’s a well known bear throughout the park and can often be seen tending to her cubs near Tower Falls. From Tower Falls, we headed south to Canyon through Dunraven Pass. We stopped mid way through the drive to snap some pics of the massive snow plow they use to keep the pass clear – it’s one nasty looking machine…
Between Canyon and Lake, we had several other wildlife sightings – another black bear, lots of bison and elk, and our first big horn sheep! Final bear count for today – six! That doubles the total we’ve seen since arriving here over a week ago to 12.
The weary Gray clan finally rolled into Lake Lodge around 8pm or so and headed to the cafeteria at Lake Lodge is search of some grub. We dined on pot roast, fried chicken, corn and mashed potatoes and gravy. Good stick to your ribs food that was much better than expected. I think Trey wanted to lick his plate…
We headed back to our cabin, and the power went out as we arrived. It’s still out as I write this… Luckily, we have lots of flashlights, extra batteries, cold beer and pop tarts, so we should be fine.
The battery on my laptop is fading, so time to sign off. Goodnight!
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.
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.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Quiet Day In The Tetons
(Posting for Thursday, June 12th)
Today was a relatively quiet day for the Gray clan. Everyone slept well, and we awoke to a fresh coating of snow on everything. Luckily, the sun was shining brightly and most of the snow was gone by mid morning.
After breakfast, coffee and showers, we ventured off for some morning activities. Steph did some laundry while I took the kids to a ranger program so they could finish their requirements for their junior ranger badges for Grand Teton. After the kids had their “swearing in” ceremony with the ranger on duty, we met Steph for lunch at one of the restaurants here at Colter Bay. After lunch, we rounded up our newly clean laundry and made a quick run back to our cabin. We had planned to take an afternoon cruise around Jackson Lake, but it started snowing again shortly after lunch, so the cruise was cancelled.
The snow soon turned to light rain, so we decided to do a little driving within the park to see if we could spot some more wildlife. We made several stops and ventured down a number of dirt roads and made some great discoveries. We spotted our first bald eagle today along the Snake River. He majestically sat along the side of the river for a while, then flew off while we rapidly snapped pics. We also stumbled upon a male elk with a massive rack, still covered in velvet. We happened to be on a dirt road when we spotted the elk, so we had the whole place to ourselves and could hang out a while. We also had several other sightings today during our travels, including antelope, sandhill cranes, a weasel, a fox, and lots of other birds. Not a bad day, even if the weather didn’t cooperate.
We hung out at the cabin for a while after our driving tour, then headed out to an early dinner here at Colter Bay. We’re headed back to Yellowstone in the AM, so we took some time to clean out and repack the van. Stuff seems to be multiplying as we travel… The weather is warming – it’s in the mid 40’s now, with highs expected in the 60’s tomorrow in the Tetons and high 50’s in Yellowstone – quite a heat wave. The weather is supposed to be great over the weekend in Yellowstone – 60’s with a low chance of rain. I think we’re all ready to say goodbye to the snow and rain. Muddy shoes aren’t fun when you have 4 people getting in and out of the car 15+ times a day.
We’ve snapped a few more pics, and will try and get those uploaded soon.
Goodnight from the Grays.
Today was a relatively quiet day for the Gray clan. Everyone slept well, and we awoke to a fresh coating of snow on everything. Luckily, the sun was shining brightly and most of the snow was gone by mid morning.
After breakfast, coffee and showers, we ventured off for some morning activities. Steph did some laundry while I took the kids to a ranger program so they could finish their requirements for their junior ranger badges for Grand Teton. After the kids had their “swearing in” ceremony with the ranger on duty, we met Steph for lunch at one of the restaurants here at Colter Bay. After lunch, we rounded up our newly clean laundry and made a quick run back to our cabin. We had planned to take an afternoon cruise around Jackson Lake, but it started snowing again shortly after lunch, so the cruise was cancelled.
The snow soon turned to light rain, so we decided to do a little driving within the park to see if we could spot some more wildlife. We made several stops and ventured down a number of dirt roads and made some great discoveries. We spotted our first bald eagle today along the Snake River. He majestically sat along the side of the river for a while, then flew off while we rapidly snapped pics. We also stumbled upon a male elk with a massive rack, still covered in velvet. We happened to be on a dirt road when we spotted the elk, so we had the whole place to ourselves and could hang out a while. We also had several other sightings today during our travels, including antelope, sandhill cranes, a weasel, a fox, and lots of other birds. Not a bad day, even if the weather didn’t cooperate.
We hung out at the cabin for a while after our driving tour, then headed out to an early dinner here at Colter Bay. We’re headed back to Yellowstone in the AM, so we took some time to clean out and repack the van. Stuff seems to be multiplying as we travel… The weather is warming – it’s in the mid 40’s now, with highs expected in the 60’s tomorrow in the Tetons and high 50’s in Yellowstone – quite a heat wave. The weather is supposed to be great over the weekend in Yellowstone – 60’s with a low chance of rain. I think we’re all ready to say goodbye to the snow and rain. Muddy shoes aren’t fun when you have 4 people getting in and out of the car 15+ times a day.
We’ve snapped a few more pics, and will try and get those uploaded soon.
Goodnight from the Grays.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
It's Like Deja Vu All Over Again...
(Posting for Wednesday, June 11th)
Today started out like so many of our other days here in Wyoming – a fresh coat of snow on everything. When we drove into the Tetons yesterday, we were struck by the absolute lack of snow on the ground. It was a winter wonderland this morning. We’re starting to wonder if the snow if just following us around – maybe the van is causing some freak weather disturbance wherever we travel. We’ll put that theory to the test when we head to Las Vegas in a week or so…
Since it was cold and snowy, we make an extra pot of coffee and took our time getting ready to venture out for the day. Around 11am or so, we all ventured out and headed south to Jackson Hole for the day. We made a quick stop at Jackson Lake Lodge to borrow some internet and upload pics from the past couple of days. The lodge has massive windows that seem to frame the Tetons. Yesterday, the view was spectacular. Today, nothing but a white fog. There could have been a garbage dump 100 yards from the hotel and none of the guests would have been able to see it in the clouds and blowing snow.
As we were leaving Jackson Lake Lodge, we came upon a moose cow and her calf. This was our first moose sighting of the trip, so everyone was excited. Steph braved the blowing snow to snap some great pics.
After the moose jam, we headed on to Jackson Hole for lunch. We found our way to the Snake River Brewing Company for some amazing food and great beers. We enjoyed nachos, pizzas and pasta that warmed us all on a cold, blustery day. After lunch, we walked around Jackson a bit and did a little shopping. We took the obligatory pics under the arches of elk antlers on the town square, then set off on a quick stagecoach ride around downtown Jackson. One of the “cowboys” running the stagecoach rides told us that Jackson Hole was the coldest place in the USA today. Not sure if he was correct, but it certainly felt like it. Maybe we’ll take a side trip to Death Valley so we can hit the hottest and coldest places all in one trip…
We poked around Jackson a bit more then decided to head back to our cabin at Colter Bay before the snow picked up any more. We took a detour at the ranger station and visitor center in Moose, WY. The kids worked on their junior ranger badges some more before we decided to call it a day and head back to our cabin. Local forecasts are calling for another 1-4 inches of accumulation tonight, and it’s been snowing steadily since we got back to the cabin around 7pm.
We had a light dinner in the cabin (everyone is still reeling from lunch) and started to settle in for another cold night in the Tetons. The weather may be cold and snowy again tomorrow, so we’re probably going to hang close to Colter Bay and work on some indoor activities for all. The weather is supposed to improve dramatically and Friday and over the weekend, both here and in Yellowstone, with temps climbing into the 60’s and a much lower chance of rain. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
The Grays
Today started out like so many of our other days here in Wyoming – a fresh coat of snow on everything. When we drove into the Tetons yesterday, we were struck by the absolute lack of snow on the ground. It was a winter wonderland this morning. We’re starting to wonder if the snow if just following us around – maybe the van is causing some freak weather disturbance wherever we travel. We’ll put that theory to the test when we head to Las Vegas in a week or so…
Since it was cold and snowy, we make an extra pot of coffee and took our time getting ready to venture out for the day. Around 11am or so, we all ventured out and headed south to Jackson Hole for the day. We made a quick stop at Jackson Lake Lodge to borrow some internet and upload pics from the past couple of days. The lodge has massive windows that seem to frame the Tetons. Yesterday, the view was spectacular. Today, nothing but a white fog. There could have been a garbage dump 100 yards from the hotel and none of the guests would have been able to see it in the clouds and blowing snow.
As we were leaving Jackson Lake Lodge, we came upon a moose cow and her calf. This was our first moose sighting of the trip, so everyone was excited. Steph braved the blowing snow to snap some great pics.
After the moose jam, we headed on to Jackson Hole for lunch. We found our way to the Snake River Brewing Company for some amazing food and great beers. We enjoyed nachos, pizzas and pasta that warmed us all on a cold, blustery day. After lunch, we walked around Jackson a bit and did a little shopping. We took the obligatory pics under the arches of elk antlers on the town square, then set off on a quick stagecoach ride around downtown Jackson. One of the “cowboys” running the stagecoach rides told us that Jackson Hole was the coldest place in the USA today. Not sure if he was correct, but it certainly felt like it. Maybe we’ll take a side trip to Death Valley so we can hit the hottest and coldest places all in one trip…
We poked around Jackson a bit more then decided to head back to our cabin at Colter Bay before the snow picked up any more. We took a detour at the ranger station and visitor center in Moose, WY. The kids worked on their junior ranger badges some more before we decided to call it a day and head back to our cabin. Local forecasts are calling for another 1-4 inches of accumulation tonight, and it’s been snowing steadily since we got back to the cabin around 7pm.
We had a light dinner in the cabin (everyone is still reeling from lunch) and started to settle in for another cold night in the Tetons. The weather may be cold and snowy again tomorrow, so we’re probably going to hang close to Colter Bay and work on some indoor activities for all. The weather is supposed to improve dramatically and Friday and over the weekend, both here and in Yellowstone, with temps climbing into the 60’s and a much lower chance of rain. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.
The Grays
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