G&T's Excellent Adventure

SAT., JUNE 15th thru THURS., JUNE 20th, 2024

On Saturday Gary & I enjoyed a stunning drive from Salt Lake City to Montpelier, Idaho located in the southeast corner of the state. We were briefly on I-15 before getting on US Route 89 North, which was spectacular if a little narrow and winding. We saw every shade of green and passed thru the charming town of Logan where we saw the beautiful Logan Tabernacle. There is still a Mormon influence in these parts. We had the churning Logan River by our side for miles. We went up, down and around valleys and hillsides, and enjoyed seeing the 109-square-mile Bear Lake, which straddles the Utah/Idaho border, spread out before us with its Caribbean blue water. We also passed thru the town of Paris, Idaho, and saw their Tabernacle… the Mormons are definitely a presence around here. This was one of the prettiest rides ever!

On a separate note, it’s interesting to encounter different kinds of road signage depending upon where we are in the country. This time we saw a “Deer Migration” sign almost EVERY 2 to 4 miles although we never saw any deer.

150 miles later we landed at Montpelier Creek KOA Journey, reminiscent of a small New England campground with its treed, rather tight sites. The pod was here for 2 nights taking care of chores, finishing a game of Mexican Train we started a week ago, and celebrating Father’s Day with dinner over at the Hannafords. The girls all went for a walk around the campground one evening and discovered a nature path, but a little too buggy to walk all the way through it. 

Tomorrow we move closer to Grand Teton National Park! 

Monday, June 17th, (2024) was another glorious drive. This time from Montpelier, Idaho to Moran, Wyoming… 5 miles outside of Grand Teton National Park. The Snake River was by our side for a good portion of the 150-mile drive on 89 North. The river is 1,078 miles long and spans 4 states: Wyoming, southern Idaho, Oregon, and Washington before then flowing west to the Columbia River. It’s massive. We were traveling behind Mary in her small motorhome for quite awhile before she pulled off to a turnout for a short hike by the Snake River. The benefits of a smaller RV!

Temps at night are getting down into the 30s and daytime temps are in the low 50s. Chilly! We even had snow flurries last night. But having experienced almost 100 degree temps recently in Salt Lake City, I’m not complaining.

We saw more JCLDS Tabernacles in several small towns that we passed thru. And we passed under the World’s Largest Elkhorn Arch in the town of Afton, WY on U.S. Route 89 North. The arch spans all 4 lanes. It’s 18 ft tall and 75 ft wide, and is made up of 3,011 elk antlers and weighs 15 tons. Kudos to Cheryl for alerting us to this so we could be on the lookout for it!

We also passed by the town of Jackson, Wyoming. It was super crowded when we drove through it. To clarify Jackson Hole is a valley about 80 miles long and 15 miles wide, and Jackson is the major town within the valley.

We ended up driving through part of Grand Teton NP on the way to our campground, Fireside Buffalo Valley RV Park, which is 5 miles from the national park. C&J are next to us. Mary is on the other side. We’re excited to be here and start exploring the National Park tomorrow! 

Gary & I were last in Grand Teton NP 7 years ago, shortly after picking up our spanking new 40 ft. tiny home in Oregon. Since we were still working, our time was limited. Seven years later… here we are back with more time to explore! 

Grand Teton NP is 480 square miles (or 307,000 acres) but the heart of the park rests in the 40-mile long Teton mountain range. The park is 10 miles south of Yellowstone. Tuesday, June 18th, (2024) our first day exploring,the pod visited the northern section of the park which included Colter Bay and Jackson Lake with lovely views of the snow-capped Teton range.

If you’re wondering… the name Grand Teton comes from French-Canadian trappers who were part of early British expeditions to this frozen tundra of western Wyoming. These solitary, no doubt lonesome, men called the mountains “Les Trois Tetons,” meaning the three breasts. lol. The sharp, snowy peaks became a guide for the trappers as they navigated the wilderness. The three peaks are now known as the Grand, Middle, and South Tetons. 

The Teton Mountain Range borders Jackson Hole to the west. That area was first called “Jackson’s Hole” and was named for David E. Jackson, a fur trader who trapped beaver here in the 1830’s. This 40-mile long valley is encircled by mountains, forming topography which mountain men called a “hole.” Over the years the possessive was dropped and the valley became Jackson Hole.

We hiked to Lunch Tree Hill which is just outside historic Jackson Lake Lodge. The lodge is 69 years old, having been built in 1955. It was the first modern lodge built in a national park and was designed for John D. Rockefeller, Jr. who was the Developer. Lunch Tree Hill gets its name from the fact that John D. Rockefeller Jr. used to walk up here and have his lunch. We only hiked here. No lunch for us… not yet. There were beautiful views along the trail including Jackson Lake. It’s recommended to hike in the park with Bear Spray on you so we decided it was prudent to buy a can. Probably not the best idea to buy it in the Jackson Lake Lodge Gift Shop. It cost almost $60! Then I read the directions to the pod so we would know how to use it. It said “Depress trigger level with thumb, releasing a 1 second burst of spray.” THEN it says… and this is where I lost it…“This should be done as the bear is charging toward you and is about 40 ft. away.” Oh Em Gee. I was laughing so hard I was crying… God forbid a bear is ever charging at us… and as if I’d wait until he’s 40 ft away to discharge the spray! Thankfully no bears were spotted on any of our hikes! But we dutifully carried our one can of bear spray… which we hoped would somehow protect five people! lol. 

We also did a 2+ mile hike around Jackson Lake that day. It was an interesting juxtaposition of boats docked in the lake and the lake surrounded by mountains. I’m not used to seeing that! The trail was bordered by very tall and straight lodgepole pines, plus an abundance of wildflowers in bloom, and lupine growing wild. We even saw a juvenile bald eagle perched on a dead tree limb. Beautiful hike. 

We found the best picnic spot EVER. It was a picnic table all by itself with tons of sunflowers in bloom and a view of the Tetons. Heavenly!

Lastly we came across a huge field of Camas. Kudos to Cheryl, who was the pod’s driver that day, for braking quickly before we passed the spot! And we loved the sagebrush “flats” which we saw while driving, which turn the landscape a silvery gray-green. Just beautiful.

Because it was a mostly cloudy day, Grand Teton’s peak was hiding most of the day behind said clouds. Perhaps tomorrow when we return for further exploration, we’ll have better luck seeing it! 

Wednesday, June 19th, (2024) we headed back into Grand Teton for Day 2. Unlike yesterday, today was a sunny day with clear views of the Tetons. Since there was very little wind, it also allowed for some gorgeous reflections off the various bodies of water i.e. Jackson Lake and the Snake River. We explored the “southern” end of the park including Signal Mountain Summit (elevation 7,727 ft). It’s a 5-mile paved winding narrow road to the top that’s fairly heavily trafficked. Gary did a masterful job negotiating it. We were rewarded with views of the Tetons and Jackson Lake. 

From a distance looking at the Tetons, it’s hard to tell what is simply unmelted snow on the range and which are actual glaciers. There once were 11 glaciers in the park, several have lost 15 to 25% of their total surface areas due to climate change. If they lose too much surface area, they are no longer considered a glacier. By definition, a glacier is an accumulation of ice and snow that slowly flows over land under its own weight. 

We also saw glimpses of the Snake River, which is over 1,000 miles long. The river’s elevation drops more than 9,400 feet over its length. The Oxbow Bend Turnout allowed for some beautiful reflections off the very quiet Snake River. And the Snake River Overlook had beautiful views of the Teton Range as a backdrop to the river. Ansel Adams, the renowned landscape photographer and environmentalist, took an iconic photo of the Snake River and Teton Range from this site. 

We were still treated to views of the sagebrush flats and lots of pine trees. We even saw a herd of bison in the distance. We tried to visit Jenny Lake, and take the ferry across and hike to Hidden Falls. Alas it was Juneteenth, a federal holiday, and all the National Parks had free entry. The Jenny Lake area was PACKED. Not sure if it was because of the free park entry or summer! Regardless, we decided to pass on that and explored less congested areas. 

The Teton Range is different than many mountain ranges because it has no foothills. Therefore it rises steeply from the valley floor with nothing to obstruct your view and towers over you. Then there’s the presence of snow-capped mountains most of the year making for stunning views! It’s also a park you can metaphorically wrap your arms around. It can be explored in a few days, whereas other National Parks, like Yosemite, feels like you need weeks to explore it. 

In 1895 the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints sent homesteaders to settle this area, it’s now known in the park as the Mormon Row Historic District. The district includes the remnants of 27 homesteads. It’s incredibly picturesque with rustic, wooden buildings surrounded by open fields. One of the houses is considered the “Pink House.” It was originally built in 1907 by homesteaders John and Bartha Moulton, who were among the first settlers in the area in the 1800s. In 1953, John sold the house to the National Park Service but kept a life lease on the property until his death in 1990. It’s called the “Pink House” because John Moulton painted his stucco home a distinctive salmon-pink color in the 1930s, possibly as a surprise for his wife, Bartha, though she initially wasn’t a fan; it’s now a famous, picturesque landmark on Mormon Row. 

Thursday, June 20th, (2024) was a chill day. Mary, bless her, cooked dinner for the pod, and we played a rousing game of Flip Uno afterwards. A hoot! 

Here’s a short video of the beautiful reflections off Jackson Lake. We were lucky to have such a beautiful sunny windless day.

Next we move on to Yellowstone!