Tetons

This morning we were to meet my mother and stepdad for lunch in Jackson Hole, but we had the morning to explore. So, after a wonderful breakfast, care of the Togwotee Lodge, we headed out to see the Tetons in the morning light. We headed north on John D. Rockefeller Parkway towards Yellowstone National Park and just before we crossed the Snake River, we came upon our first wildlife induced traffic jam. The slowdown was due to a grizzly bear foraging by the side of the road. We half expected to see black bears on this trip, but were under the impression that grizzly bears are not as common. So, seeing this yearling digging for grubs on the side of the road was auspicious for the wildlife viewing opportunities to come.


On our way back towards Jackson we took a detour to see Cunningham Cabin, the remnants of an old homestead with an amazing view, and the Two Oceans Lake. This lake is situated on a pass in the continental divide and has two outlets, one eventually ending up in the Atlantic ocean and the other heading to the Pacific.



In Jackson, we had BBQ with the family and then headed back into the park for more basking in the glory of the mountains. Mom and I spent the afternoon naming the abundant wildflowers that contributed yellows, reds, and purples to the landscape. The little blossoms had wonderfully descriptive names such as harebell and fleabane.


We also saw a herd of elk, some bison off in the distance and a pronghorn antelope. The sun set on the Tetons again, but we are excited about going to Yellowstone tomorrow.



- Posted by Sara from my iPad

Location:Togwotee Lodge

First blood

This isn't Forks, Washington but we have met the local vampires. They are annoying and everywhere. We are now at war with them and while we did not draw the first blood....




...as you can see we are holding our own.

Tomorrow...bug spray.


- Posted by Sara from my iPad

Location:WY

Our Noble Steed

Here is the noble steed that will convey us on our adventure. It is a Dodge Nitro that we are calling Neo for the trip.







- Posted by Sara from my iPad

Location:On the road

Number 42

After an uneventful flight, intermittently punctuated by 10 second power naps, I glanced out the plane window and saw a large mountain staring back at me. I was briefly taken back to a fly-by of Mt. Fuji I experienced about ten years ago. It is at the same time inexplicably fascinating and utterly disconcerting to look out a plane window and see a huge hunk of rock and ice at the same altitude

Seconds later the plane bounced down the runway as we decelerated and turned toward the terminal of the Jackson Hole Airport. After descending the stairs onto the tarmac, I looked up and was awe-struck at the bigger than life vista of the Tetons. They are far by no means the tallest mountains I have ever seen, but to understand the true reason this group of mountains are so famous you have to understand that Jackson Hole itself is a very unique place. Technically a valley, really its more like a very flat plain from which the Grand Tetons rise without warning to straight up to heights exceeding 13,000 feet.




This moment also marked my first in Wyoming, the 42nd state I have visited and which would, by the next morning, be the 33rd state in which I have spent a night. After letting a noble steed to convey us upon our journey (more details to come). We grabbed our bags and hit Jackson for lunch at a sports bar called Sidewinders. I had a green chile smothered burger with sweet potato fries (yum), while Sara enjoyed a country fried steak. We stocked up on snack foods at the Jackson Whole Grocer (nice name), including a curious creation called chocolate tortilla chips, and headed off to spend the remaining few hours of daylight checking out the Grand Tetons National Park.




We squeezed a lot into a few hours: checking out Jenny Lake (which reminded us of our friend MJ), driving to the top of SIgnal Mountain (where we watched a couple of deer wander across a nearby ridge), crossing the Jackson Lake dam (where a pair of Sandhill Cranes stood in a nearby marsh), and getting some great views of the Tetons from the eastern shore of Jackson Lake. Exhausted, we wrapped up our day by checking in at our home for the next two nights, the Togwotee Mountain Lodge within Teton-Bridger National Forest. And enjoyed incredible meals (chicken etouffee and pork tenderloin) at the lodge's Grizzly Steakhouse. A very full day, but an excellent start to our vacation!

~Shawn

- Posted by Shawn from our iPad

Location:16 miles east of Moran, WY

Boarding!

-- Post From Sara's iPhone

Location:Chicago,United States

Yellowstone Adventure!!

I feel like the title of this post should be in a bold, colorful font with the text moving upward at a slight angle. Like a 'B' movie title such as "Swamp Thing!" or the vintage billboards when you leave small towns saying "Come Again!". But, yes, we are once again setting off and once again will try to bring you along for the ride.

And if the title of this post isn't clue enough here is where we are off to first...



-- Post From Sara's iPhone

Location:PHL Airport Marriott

New (again) Mexico

I am in Santa Fe, sitting outside a tearoom off of Canyon Rd. I'm here briefly, a pit stop on a business trip, taking advantage of the hospitality of a good friend. I grew up in New Mexico, so everything is familiar, but it has been awhile since I have been here. My fabulous host has been my tour guide today which has been fun. It is like going back to the house you grew up in and having the new owners show you all the improvements they have made. I'm impressed by the number of new restaurants but am disappointed they chose to put the casino along that particular road... Overall, I have decided that I have a love/hate relationship with New Mexico. I love it, I do, there is no place like it! But it brings back so many memories...many good...but the not so good ones always tag along. So today feels a tad bittersweet...with the emphasis on the sweet.


-- Post From Sara's iPhone

Location:Santa Fe,United States