August 7 – 17
Our next destination is Grand Teton National Park. Our “home” while we are here is Colter Bay RV Park part of Colter Bay Village. This is a rustic campground set amid pines. The sites are gravel but with full hookups. There is no cell phone coverage or internet service (although there are hotspots at the store, laundry, and restaurants) and, due to the trees, no satellite. We try to position the RV so the satellite dish can peek through the trees but finally give up.
For our introduction to the park we have arranged a Grand Tetons All Day Safari photographic tour. So, the next morning, we’re up before dawn to meet our guide Dan at the Colter Bay store at 5:45 a.m. He’s there waiting for us so we jump in his vehicle and set off. His first objective is to try and capture some of the best spots for reflections so we visit Oxbow Bend and Schwabacher Landing and beaver pond.
From there he takes us to Mormon Row for shots of “The Barn”.
In an attempt to find moose, he takes us along Gros Ventre and through the Kelly Campground where he says three big bucks hang out. No visible moose this time though. Our next stop is the Church of the Transfiguration where apparently one must ring the bell before entering. (I think my hearing is still impaired as a result). By this time it’s really cloudy and raining so none of our church shots come out well. We do tour the inside of the church where Dan grabs my camera and takes a photo of a painting of the church in winter. At least it gives you an idea of what the church looks like. He also has us experiment taking a photo of the mountains through the church window before taking us outside to the rear of the church for a photo of the mountains reflected in the church window.
His next attempt at a scenic location is atop Signal Mountain but it’s still raining so I stay in the vehicle while Bill and Dan go up to look at the view. On our way to Signal Mountain Lodge for lunch Dan points out an osprey nest and daddy perched nearby.
During lunch the weather improves and the sun begins to make an appearance. After lunch Dan takes us for a ride along Moose-Wilson Road where he knows the berries on the bushes are ripe and ready for hungry bears. He’s determined to find one and by going very slowly and watching for telltale signs, he finally does. He yells at us to hop out quickly while he looks for a pullout to park the vehicle. It doesn’t take long before we are joined by quite a group of onlookers.
As we continue our tour through the park Dan notices a herd of bison along a side road and takes us there for a few photos.
We also spot some pronghorn antelope and an elk as we drive along.
It’s late afternoon when Dan drops us back at the Colter Bay store. We now have some great ideas for the remainder of our stay.
We try to take advantage of the early morning light and opportunity to view wildlife by getting up and setting out early on several mornings. I’ve never been a morning person so getting up before dawn is a chore. One morning as we’re driving around we spot this guy ambling along in the field beside the road.
On another of our excursions we return to Mormon Row to shoot some of the other buildings there and then continue on to Snake River Overlook.
Another morning we head out to the Jenny Lake area to hike the Leigh Lake trail. The trail is wide, relatively flat and follows the east shore of Leigh Lake. Across the lake we see deer and elk. At one point along the trail we hear something moving through the woods. We stop and wait and suddenly see a black bear pop out of the brush.
The mountain views are awesome too.
Later in the week we decide to hike from the campground to Heron Pond. Aside from one lone deer we don’t see any wildlife but the view is great.
We couldn’t leave the Tetons without seeing a moose so one morning we go on a moose hunt. We drive out to the Gros Ventre area with the thought of setting up a couple of chairs and camping out for the day. Since there are no animals visible from the overlook we decide to hike the trail along side the stream. It’s a pretty hike – no moose but we spot a pretty bird.
As we’re leaving the area we notice a few folks taking photos at a nearby overlook. When we stop to investigate this is what we find.
Our time in the Tetons is drawing to a close. The national parks have a saying – “find your park”. I think Bill and I have found our favorite park – Grand Teton National Park.
Stay tuned for our adventures in Yellowstone National Park.
