GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK (WY)

THURSDAY - The first 100-miles of todays travels was actually quite boring.

Miles and miles of flat cattle grazing scrub lands with only a few "tiny" towns like Eden (pop. 281), Farson (pop. 313), Boulder (pop. 170) and finally the "small" town of Pinedale (pop. 2262) along the route.

The 1st 100-miles today.
At least there were some snow capped mountains far off in the distance.

We knew there had to be some wide open, unpopulated spaces somewhere in the state of Wyoming, due to the fact that at 97,914 square miles it's our 10th largest state, but with only 576,851 residents in ranks dead last, 50th in population.

In comparison, Broward County Florida, where we are from, has a population of 1,944,375 packed into only 1,322 square miles. That's means that Broward County, at only 1.35% of the size of Wyoming has 3.37 people for each person in Wyoming!

Another fun fact I learned is that if you have a Wyoming telephone number, 307 is your area code. That's because the entire state only needs one area code to service all of it's residents.

The 2nd 100-mile stretch of today's route was entirely different, and in a good way!

Not long after traveling through the town of Pinedale we found ourselves entering the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Finally something interesting to look at.

We soon found ourselves entering a canyon-like setting.

We even saw fellow Airstreamers heading south.
I assume after visiting either Grand Teton or Yellowstone National Park, or better yet, both!

This section had signs that warned of avalanches and land slides. I can see why!

For a 20-mile stretch we followed directly adjacent to the path of the Hoback River.

A little further down the road we found ourselves in the "big city" of Jackson, WY (pop. 10,849) where we crossed paths with a herd of 10 preschoolers and their 3 adult handlers. They were all very welcoming, but the first two little girls even waved and blew us kisses!

It wasn't too long after leaving Jackson we were within sight of our final destination for today, Grand Teton National Park. The park is tall and skinny from north to south, and our campsite for the next week is very near the center of the park, so we still have nearly 35 miles to go once we enter the park from the south.

Once we were all set up after "squeezing" THE POD into our campsite, they have a 30' limit here and we measure 28', we headed over to the nearby Signal Mountain Lodge to eat lunch at the Trapper Grill.

As with most older National Parks the size limit is not determined by the campsite size,
it has more to do with negotiating the tight quarters of the roads and trees in the campground.

Not a terrific view out the back windows...

...but we do have a slight view of Jackson Lake out of our corner window.

After lunch we were going to drive up to the Coulter Bay Visitor Center to get my Passport Book stamped and watch the park's movie, but I forget my sunglasses back at THE POD so we made a short detour back to the campsite. I'm so glad we did!

At the entrance to the campground I spotted what I thought was a large moose, but it turned out to be a large elk instead, we've seen many of these.

By hiding in the shadows I almost didn't see him on the way in.

How would you like to come home to Campsite #34 after hiking all day
and have this guy pop up out of the bushes to welcome you back home?

P.S. - Tricia took this second photo while "standing" in our newly repaired sunroof.

FRIDAY - Our intentions were to wake up early, eat breakfast and then drive the entire length of the southern half of the park.

That way we could revisit all the wonderful pullouts we had to skip yesterday while towing THE POD to the campground.

By 5:45AM Tricia had already made her way down to the boat ramp here at Signal Mountain...

...and by 6:15AM she was already back admiring the view from the rear of our campsite.

Like I said, we had no trouble waking early, we usually do, and no trouble eating breakfast either, but somehow it was after 9:00AM before we made it out of the trailer and into the truck.

And I'm so glad we were lazy this morning, because at 8:00AM we had a visitor. Spotted right outside our trailer window was this large beast with huge antlers.

Now that we've seen him twice in two days, we've decided to give him a name.

Meet our newest follower, "Elroy the Elk".

Oops, Tricia has been spotted spying on him from behind THE POD.

Now something else has caught his attention.

Nothing to worry about, just more silly humans watching me eat breakfast.

Yummy! This roadside grass is so much better than the grass I find deep in the forest.

Elroy is easy to identify thanks to the two bald stripes on his left shoulder.

Elroy is not afraid of humans! Why should he be, he's just as tall, even without the antlers, and probably four or five times the weight of a typical full grown man. Add in the fact that he has probably lived his entire life inside this National Park where he has been protected from harm.

Elroy must believe "the grass is always greener on the other side" of the street.

Unfortunately that doesn't mean he won't unintentionally harm humans or pets, especially ones with yappy little dogs like our next door neighbors across the street who are tent camping. Shortly after crossing the road to continue with his breakfast, one of the neighbors dogs caught sight of Elroy and began barking.

Such a handsome face! Don't you agree?

What is making all that noise in there?

Elroy lifted his head momentarily and took two slow steps through the foilage towards the barking dog before the owner caught sight of him. Upon doing so, he quickly scooped up the dog and ran for the safety of his SUV. It was hilarius, only because no one was hurt, when the owner waited for Elroy to move on down the road to the next campsite before he left the safety of his vehicle.

Thanks in part to Elroy's visit this morning, we were just a little bit late getting started with our sightseeing endeavors.

On our way out of the campground we drove through the back loops of the campground and spotted this 1976 Airstream tucked tightly into one of the sites.

This owner, in an attempt to hide a few dents and some discoloration of the 45-year old aluminum, decided to etch a full length shark and octopus into both sides of his trailer.

I really like what he did, and he was successful in his efforts to conceal the imperfections, but I don't think I could ever do that to THE POD for any reason.

After speaking with the gentleman about his talent for etching for about 15-minutes we finally headed for the campground exit. Tricia wanted me to see for myself the beauty of the mountains from the boat launch area so we headed down the road in that direction.

And guess what we found? Elroy munching on roadside grass on the boat launch road.

While we were stopped and taking this photo a small sedan coming the opposite way passed within just a few feet of Elroy's head going about 25MPH, they didn't even slow down!

Elroy never even lifted his head as the car approched and passed by. In addition to his lack of fear of humans, he also isn't afraid of cars or trucks apparently. That might not be a good thing for his health and well being.

The boat launch area at 10:30AM.

WOW! 18 individual photos shared this morning and we haven't even begun our "official" sightseeing for today. Guess I'll create a slideshow for the rest of today's activities.

PARK OVERVIEW

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF23

That's Mount Moran, named for Thomas Moran, an American western frontier landscape artist.
At 12,610′ it rises some 6,000 feet above Jackson Lake below it (not seen in this photo).
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF23

All the stops in the park are well marked by easy to read signs.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF23

SLIDE NUMBER
4OF23

SLIDE NUMBER
5OF23

This is the shoreline of Jenny Lake.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF23

SLIDE NUMBER
7OF23

This small building was the original Entrance Station for the entire park.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF23

There is a $20 round trip Boat Shuttle to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point
located on the opposite bank of Jenny Lake...
SLIDE NUMBER
9OF23

...or you can rent a kayak and/or canoe and paddle over yourself.
Your other option is to hike the 2+ miles to get over there.
SLIDE NUMBER
10OF23

This is the iconic T.A. Moulton barn, the "most photographed barn in the world".
SLIDE NUMBER
11OF23

A distant view of the three prominent peaks of the Grand Tetons.
SLIDE NUMBER
12OF23

This photo was taken at the Schwabacher Landing site.
SLIDE NUMBER
13OF23

Another view from Schwabacher Landing.
SLIDE NUMBER
14OF23

This photo was taken at the Snake River Overlook.
SLIDE NUMBER
15aOF23

This is the famous Ansel Adams photo from 1941 of the exact same overlook.
SLIDE NUMBER
15bOF23

Here is Tricia's offering from 2023, some 82 years later.
Notice there are a lot more trees now hiding the river.
SLIDE NUMBER
16OF23

We decided to drive 5-miles to the summit of Signal Mountain...
SLIDE NUMBER
17OF23

...and wouldn't you know it, at the beginning of the drive up we spotted Elroy eating again.
SLIDE NUMBER
18OF23

From the summit we had some amazing long distance views...
SLIDE NUMBER
19OF23

...and some pretty decent short distance views to go along with them.
SLIDE NUMBER
20OF23

Looks like we'll be seeing some rain in the next hour or so.
SLIDE NUMBER
21OF23

I wonder if this is why they call it Signal Mountain?
No, it's been called Signal Mountain since 1891.
SLIDE NUMBER
22OF23

The Snake River far down below.
SLIDE NUMBER
23OF23

What a beautiful ending to a splendid day.

Nothing's cuter than baby ducks on a pond, right? (at Schwabacher Landing)

Remember, this was just a "first look", an overview of sorts.
You'll be seeing lots more photos of most locations seen in this slideshow in the days to come.

SATURDAY - Today we were determined to get up and get out early, that's the only way you improve your chances of spotting wildlife!

At 5:00AM it started lightly raining for a short period of time. Then at 6:00AM it rained again, harder this time, but by 6:30AM it had let up enough that we could get out and start exploring.

JACKSON LAKE DAM
AND
OXBOW BEND TURNOUT
(PLUS A COUPLE OF BONUS LOCATIONS)

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF23

As you can see, everything was still dripping wet when we headed out this morning.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF23

This is the Jackson Lake side of the dam.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF23

All those boats over there are moored very near our campsite.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF23

This is the Snake River side of the dam.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF23

There seems to be a lot of fishing activity on this side of the dam, some are even human.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF23

Near the intersection of Teton Park Road and US-191 we spotted this small herd of elk.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF23

There were several elk fawns in the group, some still sporting their spots.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF23

There was one male elk in the center of the herd. Could it be Elroy?
SLIDE NUMBER
9OF23

Nope! No bald spots on his left shoulder could be seen.
SLIDE NUMBER
10OF23

I guess that White Pelican is done fishing and heading home.
SLIDE NUMBER
11OF23

We were told by a ranger not to skip any of the seldom visited side roads we ran across.
This one led down to the previous location of the Cattleman's Bridge across the Snake River.
SLIDE NUMBER
12OF23

There were also a lot of these yellow flowers along the road. This is a front view.
SLIDE NUMBER
13OF23

This is a rear view with the sun shining through the delicate petals.
SLIDE NUMBER
14OF23

This is the Oxbow Bend Turnout location.
SLIDE NUMBER
15OF23

What are these Canadian Geese still doing in Wyoming. Isn't it time to go home!
SLIDE NUMBER
16OF23

They don't appear to be heading anywhere else anytime soon.
SLIDE NUMBER
17OF23

Thanks to a family who hired a local guide to show them around the park,
we learned of a Great Blue Heron nest high up in a tree. We would never have spotted it otherwise!
SLIDE NUMBER
18OF23

Time to clean up after a big breakfast I guess.
SLIDE NUMBER
19OF23

Mountain reflections as seen at the Oxbow Bend Turnout.
SLIDE NUMBER
20OF23

This photo is from a roadside parking space halfway back to THE POD.
SLIDE NUMBER
21OF23

We then took the turoff for the Chapel of the Sacred Heart and found this quiet place.
SLIDE NUMBER
22OF23

It had several picnic tables with awesome views.
SLIDE NUMBER
23OF23

It's 8:00AM, let's head home and eat some breakfast for ourselves.

I spent most of the day writing the blogposts for yesterday and today, which includes going through all of Tricia's photo and hopefully selecting the best of the best to share with you.

I also took time to make a big batch of my Brunswick Stew recipe. I'll eat two servings while here at Signal Mountain and freeze the rest for future meals.

We've got a busy schedule of sightseeing planned for tomorrow,
with an even earlier start, so as of 6:00PM I'm taking the rest of the day off.

SUNDAY - We've got a busy day today and once again we're off to a late start.

The logistics of Grand Teton National Park, the generally north/south mountain range and the eastern side of that range being the location of nearly all the park's scenic views, means it's best photographed during the less harsh early morning sunshine.

Being in northwestern Wyoming in the summertime means sunrise today was at 5:49AM and sunset isn't until 9:05PM. That makes for a long day of sunlight, but around 10:00AM each day it begins to get cloudy and by noon it is very hazy making long views of the mountains hard to photograph clearly.

Getting up early isn't the challenge for us, it's getting ourselves ready and exiting THE POD that always seems to be the most difficult part of the day.

TODAY'S ITINERARY:
1) Photograph the barns on Mormon Row
2) Check out the paid USFS campground of Atherton Creek on scenic Gros Ventre Road
3) Check out the FREE 5-day USFS dispersed camping at Toppings Lake
4) Enjoy lunch on the upper patio of Dornan's Pizza & Pasta Co.
5) Take the 1-hour Scenic Boat Tour on Jenny Lake
6) Drive the scenic Moose-Wilson Road (currently only open weekends)
7) Check out the Elk Antler Arches on the Jackson Town Square
8) Taste the award winning Wild Huckleberry Ice Cream of Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream

T.A. MOULTON BARN ON MORMON ROW
AND
JENNY LAKE SCENIC CRUISE
(PLUS SEVERAL BONUS LOCATIONS)

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF30

This, the T.A. Moulton barn, is the most photographed barn in America, if not the world.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF30

We were not alone here. There were dozens of ground squirrels running all around.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF30

This one was enjoying breakfast as we watched.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF30

This, the John Moulton barn (T.A.'s brother), is the 2nd most photographed barn in America.
It just so happens to be just a short distance down the road from T.A.'s barn.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF30

On John Moulton's homestead there are still several outbuildings standing.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF30

These make just as interesting of a photo as the barns do, thanks to the backdrop.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF30

An outhouse with a view. I'd turn it 180° and leave the door open, but that's just me.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF30

Some minor restoration work is being done to preserve the Moulton's home.
SLIDE NUMBER
9OF30

This is the Kelly Warm Spring run where we spotted more baby ducks (video to follow).
SLIDE NUMBER
10OF30

Below is the Aperton Creek Campground on the Lower Slide Lake of the Gros Ventre River.
SLIDE NUMBER
11OF30

Just stunning! No further description needed.
SLIDE NUMBER
12OF30

Another great photo! Good job, Tricia.
SLIDE NUMBER
13OF30

It doesn't always need to have a Teton view to make a great photo.
SLIDE NUMBER
14OF30

Not "wild" horses, but still a great photo.
SLIDE NUMBER
15OF30

Lunch on the upper patio of the Dornan's Pizza & Pasta Company.
Tricia had the Mount Moran Pizza and I had the Tri-Tip Gumbo Pasta!
SLIDE NUMBER
16OF30

Another view from the Upper Patio of Dornan's.
SLIDE NUMBER
17OF30

Waiting on the dock of Jenny Lake for our scenic cruise.
SLIDE NUMBER
18OF30

Here comes our cruise ship (boat) now with Captain Thomas at the helm.
SLIDE NUMBER
19OF30

Out on Jenny Lake we were able to get up close to the base of the Grand Tetons.
SLIDE NUMBER
20OF30

This glacier carved canyon is over 5000' deep.
SLIDE NUMBER
21OF30

There are hiking trails that will take you deep into Cascade Canyon.
SLIDE NUMBER
22OF30

We didn't have any bear or moose sightings on our late afternoon cruise,
but we did spot an osprey nest high up in a tree.
SLIDE NUMBER
23OF30

There are babies in the nest, we just didn't catch them with the camera.
SLIDE NUMBER
24OF30

Here's another osprey chowing down on some fresh caught fish (probably lake trout).
SLIDE NUMBER
25OF30

Here's the "Shuttle Boat" landing on the far side of Jenny Lake.
Nearly an hour wait to return to the Visitor Center, I'm glad we're on the "Scenic Cruise" boat.
SLIDE NUMBER
26OF30

Another wildlife sighting was a Bald Eagle high up on his perch.
SLIDE NUMBER
27OF30

There we are under one of the famous Elk Antler Arches of The Jackson Town Square.
There are four of them, one in each corner of the Square.
SLIDE NUMBER
28OF30

There is plenty of shade and seating in the center of The Square.
SLIDE NUMBER
29OF30

There were even two street musicians located around The Square.
SLIDE NUMBER
30OF30

We're also here to sample the Food Network's "Best Desert in Wyoming" Award Winner,
the Wild Huckleberry flavor from Moo's Gourmet Ice Cream.

A Ground Squirrel eating grasses in front of the Moulton Barn.

I just can't get enough baby ducks, so here's more cruising the Kelly Warm Spring's runoff.

MONDAY - After such a busy day yesterday we're both taking a day off from sightseeing, but that didn't stop Tricia from taking her early morning walk today.

She did her normal walking route from the campsite, down to the boat ramp, and then back. It's about a 15-minute ½-mile walk each way, so all of the following photos were taken between 5:45AM and 6:15AM this morning.

EARLY MORNING IMAGERY

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF10

"The Beach" on the shoreline of Lake Jackson at Signal Mountain boat launch.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF10

No sand, no surf and 58°F water! Not our idea of a beach, we're from Florida afterall.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF10

There were many flowing plants along the roadway to the boat launch.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF10

This purple flower with a yellow center is identified as Aspen Fleabane.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF10

Imagine that, another purple flowering plant (Tricia's favorite color)!
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF10

This flower is identified as a Large-leaved Lupine.
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF10

Who's that trying to blend into the background behind our campsite?
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF10

That's not Elroy! No bald spots on the left shoulder and look at that face.
SLIDE NUMBER
9OF10

Both sides of the face seem to be badly discolored or scarred.
SLIDE NUMBER
10OF10

Guess what we'll name this one if he shows up again in our travels.

TUESDAY - At 7:00AM we were enjoying breakfast at the Trapper Grill.

Afterwards Tricia had left overs so we took them back to THE POD to place in the fridge.

Next we headed straight over to Schwabacher Landing to see if we could spot the moose family that is rumoured to hang out there. No such luck, but I did catch a quick photo of a playful otter with my 7-year old iPhone SE (1st generation).

Sorry, I don't have a 10X zoom like Tricia does on her brand new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Tricia did however take a few wonderful shots with cool reflections in the calm water.

I just know there's a moose hiding over in those trees waiting for us to leave.

Another popular spot for moose sightings is at the first pullout heading south on the Moose-Wilson Road near the southern end of the park.

We just missed seeing one here on Sunday when we drove the entire road down into Jackson for our ice cream treat.

Today, no moose were to be seen!

This is the area where the moose was spotted on Sunday.

It's getting too late in the day to expect to see any large wildlife, so we'll turn our attention to visiting some historic locations here in the park.

Menor's Ferry and the Cunningham Cabin will finish out our morning quite nicely, the best thing is they are "guaranteed to be there" when we arrive. Although later we learned that all the buildings at Menor's Ferry are padlocked shut during the week, so we had to settle for peeking in the windows today.

MENOR'S FERRY HISTORIC DISTRICT
AND
THE CUNNINGHAM CABIN

SLIDE NUMBER
1OF28

This is a replica of the ferry that Bill Menor ran from 1894-1918.
SLIDE NUMBER
2OF28

It ran across the Snake River on a rope and used only the current to propel it across.
SLIDE NUMBER
3OF28

This is Bill Menor's cabin and store, built in stages between 1894 and 1905.
SLIDE NUMBER
4OF28

The right hand section contain a small general store.
SLIDE NUMBER
5OF28

This is a replica of the large pier used to anchor the rope on each side or the river.
SLIDE NUMBER
6OF28

This was Bill's storehouse and root cellar
SLIDE NUMBER
7OF28

This was originally the blacksmith shop, but today it's used as a carraige house.
SLIDE NUMBER
8OF28

SLIDE NUMBER
9OF28

SLIDE NUMBER
10OF28

SLIDE NUMBER
11OF28

SLIDE NUMBER
12OF28

SLIDE NUMBER
13OF28

This is Maude Noble's cabin, she bought out Bill Menor's homestead in 1918.
SLIDE NUMBER
14OF28

A very important meeting took place in this cabin in 1923.
SLIDE NUMBER
15OF28

The 1929 creation of Grand Teton National Park was started during this 1923 meeting.
SLIDE NUMBER
16OF28

In 1927 a bridge downstream made the ferry obsolete and in 1929 the property was sold.
SLIDE NUMBER
17OF28

Since 1929 this property has been part of the Grand Teton National Park.
SLIDE NUMBER
18OF28

From the opposite bank of the Snake River you can see where the ferry dock was located.
SLIDE NUMBER
19OF28

Also from the opposite shore you can see the magnificent backdrop of the homestead.
SLIDE NUMBER
20OF28

The Flying U Ranch was established in the 1880s by J. Pierce Cunningham.
SLIDE NUMBER
21OF28

The Cunningham's cabin is the only structure still standing on the homestead.
SLIDE NUMBER
22OF28

The cabin is of a "dogtrot" style, two separate cabins joined by a breezeway.
SLIDE NUMBER
23OF28

The breezeway roof was very low, even I at 5'7" had to duck my head to enter.
SLIDE NUMBER
24OF28

The floors were dirt. They were wetted with water, compacted and then swept.
SLIDE NUMBER
25OF28

One thing this cabin didn't lack were great views from the windows...
SLIDE NUMBER
26OF28

...or from sitting under the breezeway.
SLIDE NUMBER
27OF28

SLIDE NUMBER
28OF28

We may have been shutout seeing moose or black bear this week in Grand Teton National Park, but I'd say we got our fill of up close encounters with elk and now bison this week.

I offer you seven short videos taken over the space of 30-minutes of what I'm going to call:

"BISON JAM"
GRAND TETON FLAVOR

We have seen the bison herd in this field everyday this week,
but they were always several hundred yards from the roadway.
Today was very different, quite a few of them were maybe just 10-yards from the road.

There were a good number of "red dogs" (baby bison calves) in the herd.
They are born late March-May and are orange-red in color, weighing 30-70 pounds.

This was our first clue that the next 25-minutes was going to be something special.

Some people just don't seem to respect the danger they are in around these animals.
Bison are the largest mammal in North America.
Male bison (called bulls) can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and stand 6 feet tall.

Female bison (called cows) can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and reach a height of 4-5 feet.
Both parents are "extremely" protective of their young!

We watched as they all migrated across the road in a half dozen separate crossings.

You wouldn't know it watching these videos, but bison can run up to 35MPH and are very agile.
They can spin around quickly, jump high fences and are strong swimmers.

Oxbow Bend near Signal Mountain in Grand Teton National Park

WEDNESDAY - Tomorrow it's time for us to move out of Signal Mountain Campground, but not out of Grand Teton National Park.

We're moving just a few miles north where we'll spend the weekend before heading to our next National Park (#27 of 51 for us).

If you've looked at a map, I'm sure you've already guessed where that'll be! It's the granddaddy of them all, our nation's 1st National Park.

Would you like to be notified of new blog posts?

Labels: