Grand Mountains

We woke to mountain views just beyond the Snake River, not 20 yards from one of our two porches. It was cold, 22 or so, but in my pajama bottoms, tee shirt hoody, and robe I was surprisingly warm enough. We slept in, recovering from our two long days of travel. I had my alarm set to get up to have a cup of coffee and watch the sun come up. I promptly turned that off, not even snoozing it. I woke an hour later and sat in the living room working on yesterday’s post. 

We were dressed and ready, but Amanda had to make a wardrobe change, a frequent occurrence. I was to blame because I was dressed a little nicer than she was expecting! I wouldn’t say nice, but not hiking attire. I just wanted to wear my new Red Wing Iron Ranger; I’ve been eyeing them for a while and finally pulled the trigger on a pair a few weeks ago. I was fidgety, so I told Amanda I was headed to the river and she could find me. I got a few pictures of the river with an obstructed view of the mountains behind the tree line.

Today was just an easy day; let’s say an acclimatization day. On the itinerary were short hikes and a loop around Grand Teton park. Amanda was tired and vetoed even a short hike. We made it to the office first to check in; they just had a key in an envelope waiting for us on a bulletin board when we arrived. Most of the snow had melted, including on the car; it had begun to melt and freeze as it dripped off the car. We had icicles hanging for hours, and snow was falling from underneath until our last stop of the day.

The first stop was the visitor’s center, only a mile down the road. On the way we did get gas; our cabins have a small gas station and a couple of restaurants just past the office, all the same owner. Everything is high in this area, especially inside the park. Gas was $5 a gallon and slow to pump. I started the pump on the lowest notch. Then we checked the store out, coming back with only three gallons pumped. I was too impatient to wait, so I got another gallon and called it good. The visitor’s center was m grand, with about 20 feet of windows looking out the back at the Tetons and a massive fireplace roaring. I chatted with the ranger and got a lay of the land.

It was then off on a loop suggested by the ranger. I’d forgotten to download an app for park info, so I did that quick in the parking lot. I saw it mentioned numerous times in a couple of Facebook groups. I bought a combo Grand Teton and Yellowstone package. Well worth the money; I was sold within the first 2 minutes. It just picks up where you’re at as you drive. Telling you pertinent information about your specific location and just random park trivia. He, whom I named Jack, was already talking before we got to the entrance. It’s an excellent tool; almost like a private tour guide, you can just mute and not feel obligated to laugh stupid jokes! We took a few suggestions and ended up in some great locations we’d have passed up for sure.

We didn’t make it far in the park before stopping to get mountain backdrop pictures. That would be one of many stops for photos. The more we drove, the closer we were to the range, so the more I wanted to take pictures. One good spot was in a meadow that was surrounded by the typical fence of this area, think log A-frame fence. Jack, our tour guide, said it would keep wildlife out. Although I’ve seen many deer up close jump fences, Elk especially can make quick work of a tall fence, so not sure if this is up Jack’s alley. Amanda pointed out maybe it was because of the broad base they wouldn’t jump it. The pictures we captured do not do the grandness of this mountain range justice, the height just doesn’t convey.

It’s a good thing the Subaru has active steering when on cruise control. I’m not looking at the l road, I’m looking at everything else! It is nice to put on the cruise and take it all in as we drive. I try to look at the road every once in a while!

The first of the lakes we hit was Jenny Lake. The wind was kicking along pretty well. The cost line was cold, with the wind coming down the mountains and barreling across the lake. We followed Jack’s instructions down a dirt road to a nice bend in the river that turned to a strait shot toward the mountains. There is always also a pretty field with the backdrop of the range as well. 

After making the final turn and heading to close the loop out, I lost my partner. She was out for good 20 minutes! The loop ended just where our cabin was, so we ran in for a quick snack and then off to Jackson Hole for groceries. We first went to a small local grocery store, but that wasn’t going to cut it, so on to Whole Foods. I also needed to drop off some jeans and a shirt at the cleaners. I’m learning the farther I get out of Texas, the less they resemble dry cleaners back home. 

After settling our massive grocery bill, we had one more stop at Target. Then back to the cabin to cook dinner, we needed the luggage cart just to get all the groceries inside. On the menu, tonight was mushroom bourguignon. It’s a take on boeuf bourguignon, a beef stew braised in wine with carrots and onion. I served it over mashed potatoes with a side of sautéed broccolini.

It’ll be an early morning leaving before the sun rises. We’ll be headed west into Idaho, then north to enter Yellowstone from the west side. I have a north tour planned for tomorrow.