Spring Showers in the Tetons

Our stay in Grand Teton National Park has been marked by cool, cloudy days with numerous spring rain showers.  The temperature has hovered around 50 degrees and we’ve bundled up in our sweatshirts and rain coats.  The clouds have hidden the majestic mountain peaks and only give us a glimpse every once in a while.  The picture above is a baby Great Horned Owl.  There are actually two in this hole and, at the time of this photo, mama was off in a neighboring Cottonwood tree.  Some avid birders camp out with massive telephoto lenses attached to their cameras mounted on tripods for hours on end watching the owl site.  We, on the other hand, were more interested in the moose!

  This mama and baby swam across the Gros Ventre River as soon as more onlookers appeared.  The rains have swollen the rivers and creeks and the baby had a difficult time fighting the strong current, but safely made it to the other bank.  We’ve seen a couple other moose as well and they always seem to be a cow and a baby. 

This Yellow Bellied Marmot camouflages well with his surroundings!  He is right in the middle. Yesterday after driving up to the Colter Bay area, we ventured into the town of Jackson to see the nightly cowboy shoot out.  Chris and Caleb are standing under one of the four arches made from Elk antlers in the town square.  But the shoot out cowboys must have softened up a bit from yesteryear because they decided the light rain was enough to call off the gunfight! This will be our last night in Grand Teton National Park.  Caleb has read Sign of the Beaver and is in the middle of a book given to him called The Education of Little Tree.  We’ve also spent some time playing Uno, Monopoly Deal, There’s a Moose in the House, and The Scrambled States of America Game.  We will be heading north to Yellowstone National Park near the town of West Yellowstone, Montana.  We’re hoping for a break in the clouds for one last view of the Grand Tetons!

Grand Teton National Park- Wyoming

When we entered Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, we all agreed that we wanted to see a moose.  After getting settled in the national park’s Gros Ventre campground, we ventured to the visitor center.  As we walked towards the entrance, a gentleman told us there was a moose with a baby just off the boardwalk.  Sure enough, our wish was granted as mama and baby waited for us by the visitor center!  The Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at Moose is one of the finest we’ve ever seen, with floor to ceiling windows for a panoramic view of the peaks. After gathering maps, Caleb completed a junior ranger scavenger hunt and then we were off for a scenic drive along Jenny Lake. 

The bison are easily viewed along the road to the campground.  The babies are feisty and run all around and across the road! 

 After dropping the dogs off at the trailer for their afternoon nap, we ventured back to the Jenny Lake area.  We rode the pontoon boat across the bay to hike up to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. 

 We ventured back along the lakeside trail to the truck for about a 3.5 mile hike. 

It has been a cool spring and the trail was still partially covered in snow, so Caleb snuck a snowball and tossed it at his dad!  A snowball fight in June!  We have seen spritely Yellow Bellied Marmots playing hide and seek with the humans, curious Uinta Ground Squirrels, baby owls nesting in a campground Cottonwood tree, mama and baby Moose snacking near the Snake River, a herd of Elk moving through the valley, Bison meandering through the Sagebrush, a Bald Eagle soaring above the Gros Ventre River, and a Pika chirping in the rocks along the Hidden Falls trail! 

As the rain falls this morning, we are cozy in our fifth wheel, glad that we are no longer tent camping like some of our park neighbors.  Caleb is completing his junior ranger activities and should be able to earn his patch today. 

Jordanelle State Park- Heber City, Utah

Jordanelle State Park, north of Heber City, Utah is where we have called home for Memorial Day and Tuesday.  We left Red Canyon Campground on the morning of Memorial Day and traveled north on Hwy 89, through Provo Canyon, to this state park.  With a good sized dam, this is clearly a popular boating area on the weekend, but we arrived after all the weekenders left and settled in.  This is our view out our front window and looking up towards the mountains with the clouds rolling in. We are set to head out in the morning.  We have had some rain showers today, but managed to get out for a bike ride around the marina and Caleb is playing some baseball with his dad.  After dry camping at our last stop, we’re taking advantage of the electric & water connections, watching some TV, & doing laundry in preparation for Grand Teton National Park where we’ll be dry camping again. 

Here are some photos to recap where we’ve been so far… Caleb poses at Bryce. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

An interesting log in Red Canyon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family portrait at Bryce.

Natural Bridge at Bryce.

Sunset

highlights at Bryce.

Jordanelle has wi-fi, so I took the plunge and am experimenting with the Live Writer program for my blog, so any helpful comments are always appreciated!  I was using the Blog This feature with Picasa 3 but I always wanted to post more pictures!  

We make our way north tomorrow to the Gros Ventre campground of the Grand Teton National Park.  The weather forecast calls for rain and scattered thunderstorms, but we forge on!  As far as internet, I am tethered with my Verizon phone so if there is cell service, there will be blog postings!  Stay tuned to see if we are able to see the elusive Moose!