Grand Teton National Park

             A couple final photos as we headed south on 191 toward Jackson, WY.  Ted and Jan both agreed that they had seen some of the prettiest landscapes of their trip so far in the Tetons.

Here are a couple of local color photos taken in Driggs, ID as we finish up our day of sightseeing and head back to our RV park in Tetonia, ID.

Jenny & Jackson Lakes in GrandTeton National Park

Jenny Lake, formed by melting glaciers about 60,000 years ago, is a beautiful blue mountain lake set in the heart of Grand Teton National Park, at the base of Teewinot Mountain. On the west side, the lake touches the Teton Mountain Range. The lake is about 260 feet deep at the deepest point.

The largest lake in Grand Teton National Park, Jackson Lake covers 25,540 acres and reaches a maximum depth of 438 feet.  Photos were taken near Signal Mountain Lodge.

 

The Snake River emerges from the dam and flows about 800 miles through Wyoming, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington to its mouth on the Columbia River in eastern Washington. The chief purpose of the dam is to provide water storage for irrigation in the Snake River basin in the state of Idaho as part of the Minidoka Project. Jackson Lake is a natural lake but its depth was increased by the dam to provide water storage

Granite Entrance Teton NP

Entering the park through the Granite Entrance is limited to cars...no trailers or RVs.  The road is narrow and dirt part way, but this is the most scenic entrance.

Stream along the Moose-Wilson Road in the unpaved area.

Few landscapes are as striking and memorable as that of the Grand Teton Mountain Range rising abruptly from the valley floor.

From Moose  or Taggart Lake Trailhead there is a new multi-use pathway that can be used for walking, biking, skateboarding or rollerblading.

Photo taken from Cascade Canyon pull out.  The canyon is know for its great hiking trails.

Jan, Scout and Patches take a stroll along a sagebrush meadow.  The dogs are getting alot of good smelling. Imagine they are hoping to spot an American Pika, which is a small rabbit like mammal that lives on the park's rocky slopes.

Towards Jackson Hole, WY

Jan and Ted at the summit of Teton Pass 8431ft elevation on hwy 22 at the edge of Bridger-Teton National Forest.

Jackson & Jackson Hole, WY in the distance from Teton Pass

Heading toward the Granite entrance to Teton NP on the Moose-Wilson Road.  Teton Village is located at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain and is the most popular ski area in Wyoming.

Island Park, ID to Tetonia, ID

Had a very scenic two hour drive south from West Yellowstone area to the Tetons

This is what we see when we look out of our rig at Teton Mountain View Lodge and RV Park located in Tetonia, ID.  This is a great RV park in a small town, which is a good jumping off point for seeing Teton NP and for Ted to get in a round of golf at the local course.

RV Weigh

Paul and Doris Cunningham weighed our Winnebago Tour before be pulled out of our campground outside Yellowstone NP.

It was money well spent...found that we were fine on the front axle, but off balance right rear.  Will have to do some moving around in our back closet.  Luckily the rig is are not over weight, so won't have to throw any of our treasures away.

Philip Kircus, Master Wood Carver

Philip was our across the street neighbor at Valley View RV Park during our stay in Island Park, ID.He would work daily on his basswood buffalo carving.

Philip and his wife, Mary Ann are from Surprise, AZ, but spend their summer in cooler area's like ID or SD.

A museum in SD has offered to buy Philip's Merlin Falcon.

Yellowstone NP-Old Faithful to West Thumb & back

One of the ways to get around Yellowstone is to take a Yellow Bus Tour.   2007 was the year that the Old Yellow Bus returned to Yellowstone. These buses are historic touring vehicles that where a popular tour bus starting in the early l900's.

This three-tiered cascade drops over 50 feet as the Firehole River flows North. The Kepler Cascades were actually named in 1881 for the 12 year old son of Wyoming's territorial governor, Kepler Hoyt, who toured the park with his father, Governor John Hoyt

Photo taken from hill overlooking Yellowstone Lake. The lake is the largest body of water in Yellowstone NP and at 7,732 ft above sea level it is the largest fresh water lake above 7,000 ft in North America.  The lake freezes over by late November and stays frozen until late May or early June.

We were lucky to see several groups of Elk during our Yellowstone visit, tho of the wildlife in the park Elk are the most abundant large animal.

Old Faithful area Yellowstone NP

Old Faithful was named by the first official expedition to Yellowstone, the Washburn Expedition of 1870. They were impressed by its size and frequency. Old Faithful erupts every 35 to 120 minutes for 1 1/2 to 5 minutes. Its maximum height ranges from 90 to 184 feet.

The amount of water expelled per eruption is 3,700-8,400 gallons depending on the length of the eruption.

Old Faithful's "sister", Castle Geyser, is located within an easy walk & view of Old Faithful.  Both geysers were going off at the same time the day we were there.

Historic Old Faithful Inn was opened in 1904 and built by the Yellowstone Company which was affiliated with the Great Northern Railway.