Saturday, June 9, 2012 - Grand Doesn't Begin to Descrbe the Tetons

 

The day started with a yummy breakfast at the "resort" restaurant. The same sweet young girl that served us last night is back again this morning. Most of the staff are very young and apparently run most of the place; serving, cleaning and cooking. We met the chef and several others that work there. While having breakfast, we watched pronghorns and black-billed magpies in the field outside the restaurant.

This is the view along the drive into the park. Notice the ranch and that those are mountains in the background, not just clouds.

Every turn we make brings more beautiful sites. This is from the pedestrian walk over the dam at Jenny Lake. 

One of the resources we used to plan the trip is Frommer's Southwestern National Parks. We read about a road that goes to the top of Signal Mountain. When we got to the top, we learned that it is not only a stunning view, but the Jackson Lake Overlook is the spot where legendary photographer William Henry Jackson shot his famous landscapes of Jackson Lake and the Tetons in the 1870s -- proof to the world that such spectacular places really existed.

 

 We've seen the beautiful wildflowers throughout our trip. While I was capturing this one, a small yellow-jacket  flew into my shot for a mid-morning snack.

Mom and Dad are standing in a meadow of wildflowers and sagebrush.

 






 I am still having a hard time believing this is real!








I've been taking a picture of where we have been having a picnic lunch every day. It's going to be really hard to eat inside like normal people after two weeks of this! At this point I should mention, the weather. This morning they were predicting snow all day. As you have seen, it has been picture perfect...until now. This is only about 30 minutes since the last picture. It is very cold and you can see in the distance, the snow is rolling in. We ate a very quick lunch and headed for the car.

Where did the mountains go? We were told yesterday that if you don't like the weather in Wyoming, just wait 10 minutes. How true! We continued on our loop, although the snow put a stop to our hiking plans. An hour or so later, the blue skies were back.

.

I have a new found respect for the women of the west. The structure, a double-pen log cabin, was built in 1885 by J. Pierce Cunningham and was the main dwelling until a more substantial house was built in 1895. It later was used as a barn.

On the route home, Dad dropped me off on the side of the road to get a shot of these lupines. They lined the road for several yards. Fortunately, he came back to get me! Come back tomorrow! There will be some special visitors.