Day 10: Look Out Jackson Town!

Our last day in the Grand Tetons and Jackson was another eventful one.  Though no hikes were on the agenda, that was probably best for the little legs in our group.  The kis really are being troopers but I'm trying not to push it too much with activities knowing that their enthusiasm and energy is waning.

Tom, Mike, and I had breakfast at the Signal Mountain Lodge this morning.  It was beautiful to watch the sun burn off the morning fog/clouds and reveal the mountains while he ate.  Though we had an early start to breakfast, it was a slow start to the rest of our day.  We didn't get out of the campground until after 10 and then headed out to Mormon Row.  The buffalo herd was further down the road so this time we were able to walk around the one little farm.  It's pretty neat, mostly because it sure would have been a beautiful place to live.  After some pictures, we headed back down Antelope Flats Road just in time to catch the bison herd crossing the road.  We stayed back while the majority went across and then tried to get through in between the lagging stragglers.  It was a little nerve-wracking to sit and wait for the one in front to mosey his way across while looking straight on at a mama and her calf coming on a direct line to where our van was.  But, we were able to get through without incident.

After this little side trip, the kids were clamoring for food so we stopped at the Visitor Center in Moose and pulled out our sandwiches for a quick on-the-go lunch.  Bellies full and bladders emptied, we loaded back up for the narrow Moose-Wilson Road down to Teton Village.  It was a little odd to exit the emptiness of the National Park and enter a full-on ski town with shops, hotels, condos, restaurants, and an antique fair to boot.  We picked up our tickets at the window (travel tip:  buy online and save $6 ticket) and headed up to the tram for our 4,000 foot ascent in 12 minutes.  The trip up takes you to the peak of Rendezvous Mountain and it is almost unbelievable some of the ski runs that they pointed out on the way to the top.  Once at the summit, we were over 10,300 feet in the air and the thin mountain air was a chilly 59 degrees (about a 20 degree difference from the base of the mountain).  Stepping off the tram, you can look directly out at Grand Teton or you could turn around and view the Gros Ventre Mountains framed in front of the Wind River Range - both of which rose high above Jackson Hole.  Journey up a few stairs and you are standing at the summit of the mountain and are afforded a gorgeous 360 degree view.  I may have enjoyed it more if I was constantly concerned that one of the kiddos were going to slide right off the mountain.  The trip down was enjoyable too - the kids liked the cable car ride and liked standing right at the window to see everything from "way up high" as Max likes to say.  I was a little nervous that they would get scared when the cable car went over the towers but they did good.  It would have been a rough ride down if they got scared on the way up and we had to wrestle some screaming kids into the tram for a 12 minute ride down.

After the tram at Teton Village, we journeyed into Jackson for a little bit of shopping.  Though I didn't get to do too much shopping, we did find the Teton Toys store which has train and kitchen sets sitting out for kids to play with (and couches for parents to wait on).  For a couple of kids who are really missing their toys, this place was perfect.  An added bonus, it had a couple of bathrooms downstairs in the toy store as well.  Jackpot!  After a little shopping, Tom and I took the kids to the town square to let them run around on some level, grassy ground.  They were disappointed that the "park" wasn't the kind with swingsets and slides, but they had fun nonetheless.  I left the camera in the car so I don't have any adorable pictures of them playing tag, hide and seek, and freeze.  Mom and Mike came back from their Jackson experience and took the kids for dinner while Tom and I had a dinner alone.  We were a little pressed for time because we wanted to eat before the 6:00 shootout in the square but the first two places we stopped at didn't start serving dinner until 5:30.  We stumbled upon the steakhouse under the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar and it was a happy find.  The food may have been expensive, but it was good and it was nice to have a dinner out with just Tom.

After dinner, we did catch the start of the shootout but the kids were scared of the guns so we ended up leaving early and just heading back to camp.  We did finally get our picture in front of the park sign and by the time we got back to camp it was pretty late.  Sophie wanted a fire so Tom started one for her.  It's kind of a shame that we didn't have more fires here in the Grand Tetons because we collected and split firewood from Yellowstone but we don't want to take it to Rocky Mountain National Park because we're not sure about the bugs that they might have.  At least the next camper should be pleasantly surprised at the wood we are leaving behind.  My original plan was to head to the Lodge again and upload posts and try to get some more pictures up (and sneak in a load of laundry there) but I'm pretty tired (it's only 9:30 but I think the days are starting to catch up to all of us) so I think I'll put it off until tomorrow at the hotel.

The plan for tomorrow is to pack up and get down to the Visitor Center in Moose in time for the 10:30 Ranger talk so that Sophie can check off her last requirement to become a Grand Teton Junior Ranger.  I wasn't sure if she was going to do this one, but she really liked the letter code game (1=A, 2=B, and so on); she couldn't read the words but she liked finding out what letter went where.  We may not have done much off the road exploring her in the Teton/Jackson area but we did get to gaze upon some pretty amazing mountains every day.  After Sophie becomes Grand Tetons' newest Junior Ranger, it's time to drop off the rental car and head southeast (the first step towards home) to Rawlins, WY where we have a hotel stay planned.  Max is definitely looking forward to the hotel ("And an elevator?!  With buttons?!") and we should be able to do some laundry there.  My plan is to order pizza, do some laundry, take advantage of the WiFi, and catch up on some news.  I mostly like being disconnected but sometimes I feel like I'd like to know a little more about what's going on in the world. We're in the homestretch now - the trip is winding down and we still have some amazing things to see!

July 11: Wagon Ride and Cookout

Our horses and cowboys getting ready to take us on our wagon ride.

Gorgeous views of the snake river for our ride.

...and mountain views too!

Our cowboy entertainment.

The kids started to get into the swing of things.

Getting ready for the ride back.

The kids had a lot of fun but Maxton really wanted to get back on the wagon to go home.

Great night.  Happy girl!

July 11: Beach and Camp Time

Beach time after Hidden Falls.

Tom says he was swimming but there is no photographic proof of it...

Sophie still had fun even though the weather shifted and it cooled off since our hike.

Mountain beach.

Max was less of a fan of the change in weather.

Acting goofy before leaving for the wagon ride.

Gotcha!

Hugs (kinda).

July 11: Hidden Falls

We skipped the extra 2 miles (each way) of hiking and took the boat to and from across Jenny Lake.

Sophie enjoying her boat ride.

 

Max was looking forward to the boat ride for two days.  Once we got on the trail, he just kept talking about getting back on the boat.

Waves splashing, mountains standing majestically.

Our dock and the path in to Hidden Falls.

Look out!  There's a fox on the trail!

Thought it was cute she wanted her backpack too...put her snacks in it for her.

My little hikers - before the enthusiasm waned.

"Over the bridge" says Max.

Oh Sophie.

Awwwww....

Mom and Mike at Hidden Falls.

...and with a crazy Sophie.

Day 9: Walking and Wagons

Before I tackle today I thought I'd wrap up last night a little bit.  The Signal Mountain Lodge has free WiFi so I was able to get down there and update some pictures.  (To see things in the intended order, you can click on the date on the Archive on the right of the page and then start reading posts from the bottom up.  Not that the order really matters...)  Anyway, I got wrapped up in what I was doing and before I knew it I looked up and it was dark.  And I still had to walk back to camp.  Alone.  No flashlight.  No bear spray.  Did I mention it was dark.  I procrastinated for another hour or two, a part of me hoping that maybe Tom would come up and get me.  Finally, I thought I had mustered enough courage to make the walk back to the tent.  Not quite.  I made it to the top of the hill, heard a rustle in the woods, and beelined back to the van.  Drove the van to the campsite, woke up Tom, brought him (and flashlight and bear spray) back to park the van, and then walked back to the tent together.  I haven't been that afraid of the dark in a LONG time.

Now on to today.  A little bit of a slower start than I was thinking for the morning but we still beat most of the crowds to Jenny Lake (as evidenced by the overflowing parking lot when we left.)  We took the boat across to do the Hidden Falls hike (with a slim hope of heading up to Inspiration Point.  The kids did pretty well up to Hidden Falls - Sophie did have a meltdown when trying to pee off trail because the grass was poking her - but it was clear that was going to be our final destination for the day.  It was a great hike though; the river was flowing and cascading over rocks for the majority of our time on the path so whenever we took a break for the kids, we had the sound of crashing water to help soothe our fraying nerves (they do say that it's a natural relaxant).  After a few pics at Hidden Falls, it was back down the trail to boat for the ride back across the lake.  Now it was Max's turn to throw a bit of a fit.  I was thinking at the time it was just because he was tired and hungry, but I did see where his sock must have fallen down because back at the camper I noticed that the back of his foot was rubbed raw.

After hot dogs for lunch back at the camper, the kids were eager to get down to the lake for some swimming.  Unfortunately, the weather had shifted a bit and the wind had picked up so it was a bit cool down at the water.  Tom did swim for a few minutes and Sophie got all the way in for a few seconds.  Max didn't last long at all and was already wrapped in a towel sitting on the rocky shore by the time I made it down to the lake.  Quick turnaround for me and then back up to the camper to get dressed for the evening activities:  a covered wagon ride and dinner.

Before heading out on the trail, we did a little souvenir shopping at the gift shop right next to our campground.  (There are a lot of facilities right here; in addition to the gift shop and lodge with internet, there is a gas station/convenience store, bar, and a restaurant that Mike had breakfast at this morning.  He was quite pleased, especially since they had seedless blackberry preserves.)  Shopping complete, we headed out to Grand Teton Covered Wagon Cookout (or something like that) run by Castagno Outfitters.  The only Chuckwagon Dinner out of town, this one was the right fit for us because it also featured a shorter ride and an earlier dinner time.  We comprised almost half of the group going out on this tour (13 total) and I thought it was well worth the time and money.  Max did fall asleep right before we got there (4:30 in the car for him is a dangerous time) but he woke up early in the ride and wasn't crabby (added bonus).  The pair of Percheron crosses pulled our red wagon up a little trail that provided us with a view of the Teton range in front or across a little valley and the Snake River to the side.  The abundant sage added a wonderful color while the little stands of quaking aspens provided the soothing sound.  Trixie and Dixie (our horse team) provided the smells - less appealing but still part of the experience.  

After a short ride we arrived at the dinner spot, a tent covered picnic table area with our singing cowboy and cheerful cook (and a porta-potty - important piece of equipment).  As soon as we arrived, we were able to help ourselves to water and lemonade, our cowboy entertainer pulled out his guitar and started singing, and our cook took steak orders.  I think we were all a little skeptical about the meal quality but I was pleasantly surprised.  Though not usually a ribeye fan, my steak was cooked to medium, seasoned well, and had good texture.  The meal was rounded out with baked beans, baked potatoes, corn bread, and a brownie.  It just dawned on me that there was supposed to be watermelon too, not sure what happened there.  The other reason that this chuckwagon dinner worked for us was because it was the only one that offered a hot dog meal for kids.

Though shy at first, Sophie really started to get into the music as the meal went on.  She was excited from the moment she saw him pull out his guitar but for some reason started to be really shy when we'd try to talk to her about the music.  By the end, she was joining in on a line or two with Jackson (Johnny Cash) and was dancing with Papa to the Boot Scootin' Boogie.  Maxton really enjoyed the ride but was done with the music and kept asking after each song "Can we go NOW?"  He was really excited to get out of there and enjoyed the ride back to the car.

No animal sightings on the ride home, but Sophie did see a fox again in the campground, this time on the way back up to the camper from the beach.  I was close enough to her to see it too, but everyone else missed it.  It was a late arrival back here and now the rain decided to finally fall so it's time to wind it down for the evening and get ready for another fun day tomorrow.  

The general/possible outline for tomorrow:

Mormon Row for barn pics and bison viewing

Aerial Tram from Teton Village

Time in Jackson

It doesn't look like Sophie is going to be a Junior Ranger for the Grand Tetons.  We got off to a slow start the first day and now she doesn't seem to have much interest in it.  We'll see how it's going tomorrow and see what happens.

July 10: Yellowstone to Tetons

Might be when we're leaving but we got our pic.

Max didn't want to stick around for more pics.

Mountain vistas.

America's Alps, here we are!

Definitely seems like more snow than the last time we were here.

They sure are rocky!

Hmmm...which rock to throw.

I do think that the water is a little chilly.

Mule deer near our campsite.

Day 8: Takin' It Easy

Even when I was planning the trip I knew I couldn't be sure how the kids' moods and energy levels were going to be on the trip and how that would affect our daily schedule.  Today was one of those days when you have to throw the plans out the window and just have a nothing day.  We drove south to Grand Teton National Park and were able to get a campsite at Signal Mountain.  This is fortunate for a couple of reasons:  1. The campground is not only on Jackson Lake but also has a store, restaurant, and hotel with WiFi nearby, and 2. There is electric.  The second is an added bonus because we've had to use the gas the last few nights to keep the refrigerator cold.  Also, though it had been cool in Yellowstone, it was mid-80s today in the Jackson area so it was nice to be able to run the air conditioner and cool things down inside the camper.    

The day got off to a rough start since Sophie isn't feeling quite up to par.  It was this that really influenced me to scratch my plans for the day (really just a couple of drives) and just hang out at the campsite.  Once we got our site secured, we did need to pick up the rental car.  I'm really looking forward to leaving our camp set up for the next few days and just cruising around in the car (though it was nice having a potty with us all the time).  Once we secured the van, Mom and I headed into Jackson to do a little grocery shopping in Jackson.  Grilled chicken with a ton of sides and salads was our awesome dinner tonight.  Super thankful that Mom has volunteered for dishwashing duty since I really hate it when the food floaties touch my hands in the water.  Yuck!

Now I'm sitting in the Colter Bay parking lot doing laundry (the ride up here is much more of an inconvenience than usual due to construction).  Other than a quick trip down to Jackson Lake (well, a couple of trips) we don't have much to report today.  I will say that the Tetons are looking especially marvelous this year.  The snow seems much more prevalent than the last time we were hear and the green stretching up the mountainsides seems much more pronounced.  It really is a beautiful country that we live in!

I hope to be able to get pictures up later tonight (at the least I should be able to get these posts up before I leave Colter Bay, just need to get over to the Cafe.)