Grand Teton National Park, Finally

 June 10, 2021

We've pretty much been without WIFI and cell service for ten days! It's going to take awhile to catch up on all the great stuff from our week in the Tetons and start on Yellowstone. We just got to Yellowstone Grizzly RV Park in West Yellowstone, MT where they have limited WIFI. I'm not supposed to upload photos, so I'll see what happens.

Grand Tetons Day 1

Driving west from Casper, WY, we anxiously awaited our first glimpse of the mountains. After crossing the Continental Divide at elevation 9658', we saw this sign.

 I hung on for dear life as the engine of the RV screamed!

As we descended, we got our first glimpse of the spectacular Teton Range. In my opinion, the most beautiful mountain range in the country. We spent the next week admiring them.

We checked in at Gros Ventre campground where we would spend the next four nights. It's located at the southern end of the park along the Gros Ventre River. We had a site with no hook-ups, but we were counting on our four solar panels and two lithium batteries to provide us with enough power during our stay.

After setting up, we drove up to Jenny Lake to get a boating permit for our kayaks. We decided to take advantage of long daylight hours, and went ahead and launched right away. It was something we had been thinking about doing for a long time, and it didn't disappoint.

On our way back to camp, we stopped at this overlook in hopes of seeing wildlife by the stream, but all we saw was a beaver lodge.

The view from our campsite was a field of sagebrush with the mountains in the distance. 

Day 2

My day started off at 5:00 AM. That's very unusual for me, but I was determined to get over to Schwabacher Landing early to capture the reflection of the mountains in the Snake River. I didn't get there in time to see the sunrise at 5:45, but at 6:15 AM I was pretty close. It was beautiful and so worth getting up early.

After a late breakfast, Lee and I decided to take the kayaks out again. This time, we took a recommendation from a ranger and put in at String Lake, a smaller lake just north of Jenny Lake. No motorized boats were allowed. The scenery was spectacular. More beautiful than Jenny Lake. We spent almost three hours paddling around. Here are some views from the lake.

Day 3

Today was hiking day. We combined the Taggart Lake-Bradley Lake-Beaver Creek trails for a 7-mile hike. There was a lot of climbing but the views of the lakes and the mountains were worth the effort. 

Click on the map to enlarge. Our hike is marked at the bottom of the  photo. First we went to Bradley Lake,  then down to Taggart Lake, then returned via Beaver Creek. Note at the top of the map Jenny Lake and String Lake where we kayaked earlier in the week.

Scenes from the hike

A waterfall right off the bat.

Bradley Lake

Heading down to Taggart Lake. Lots of wildflowers along the trail.

Taggart Lake

Heading back down

Along Beaver Creek

Our campground was located along the Gros Ventre River, so later that evening, I drove to an overlook down the road to look for moose. They are often seen in this area. I got lucky!

Day 4

Today was another very early morning to photograph the iconic Moulton Barns in the Mormon Row Historic District. They stand out so beautifully against the mountain backdrop. Afterward, we continued down the unpaved road to look for pronghorn in the fields nearby.

 

On our way back to the campground, we stopped at the overlook where I had seen the moose the night before in hopes of seeing another one. We weren't so lucky this time, but I did see a bird that was new to me, a Spotted Sandpiper as well as a cute little ground squirrel.

This was our last day at Gros Ventre. Our next stop was a campground in Colter Bay a little farther north in the park. More on that in our next post.