Wyoming - and a frosty morning

Altho we have a couple days to drive thru Wyoming.  We choose to scramble the eastern side of the state as we have passed thru a few times before including just a few weeks ago.  Instead of more museums the choice was to enjoy some of the high country in the National Forests for a couple days.  As the road climbs above the farmlands it has a hint of the landscapes of northern AZ and southern UT.


Just outside of Grand Teton National Park we settle in at Turpin Meadow.  For $6 a night the campsite includes a nice picnic table, fire ring and pit toilets.


And cool temperatures.  There’s frost on the picnic table as I head out on my morning walk.  And oh-the-embarassment as Fran wears socks with her sandals.  At least they match the rest of her outfit, but ….


Altho we enjoyed the walk on the dam at Jackson Lake, we did not have the picture-perfect reflections this morning.


Last time we were in Grand Teton the trails at Jenny Lake had been washed out so we chose not to go, this trip it had to be the most popular stop in the park.  Hence again we did not stop, but were able to park at the Lake Taggart trailhead.


This is an easy ~4mi loop or a ~3mi out-n-back.  The trail rises gently thru aspen trees.


There’s a young black bear along the the trail munching on berries.  This is a popular trail and soon a bear-jam forms and the young bear leaves.


Shortly the trail opens into a meadow, with the lake just beyond.


From here most people go back the way they came in, but it is less than a mile more to make this a loop using the Beaver Creek Trail.  We choose to make it a loop and had the Beaver Creek trail very much to ourselves, so much so I was beginning to wonder if we missed a turn.


There are a lot of young tress that were crushed by the weight of snow.  The trees survived, but with a very noticeable bend in their trunk.  This one makes for a perfect rest stop.


The Beaver Creek Trail is more exposed wandering down thru mostly meadows, but the lack of trees does offer some great views.


And lots of wildflowers



For our first night in Idaho we stayed at another Forest Service campground at $6 a night on the Palisades River just below Palisades Dam.  The Palisades will meet up with the Snake River in a few miles.


We’ll meet the family in Idaho Falls next.

Grand Teton National Park

Finally time to move on with a couple more stops in Yellowstone on the way to Grand Teton National Park.


First stop was at Fishing Bridge for the Pelican Creek Nature Trail, we wanted to see a white pelican.  The trail begins a couple miles after crossing the Fishing Bridge going toward the East Entrance.  The trail goes down to Yellowstone Lake, but no pelicans.  Just a couple Canadian Geese and the remains of a young elk.


However as we crossed back over the Yellowstone River there one was!, on the south side of Fishing Bridge.


A brief stop at West Thumb Geyser Basin for the short hike up to the overlook.  As we went up though the forest section a couple young elk were near the trail.  At the overlook the 1988 burn area is being overgrown with young lodgepole pines, while he old growth is quite visible as taller trees of a darker green near the lake.


As long as we were parked took a quick walk around the boardwalk to view a few more thermal features.  The famous Fisherman's Cone was way too crowded for a picture.


Lewis Falls is near the South Entrance, not as spectacular as those further into the park, but still a nice stop.


We stayed a couple nights at Colter Bay for use of their full hookups – water, electric, sewer.  To one person’s thinking that should have included WiFi, cable and cell service.  For the first day we stayed here the bottom or the top of the mountains were majestic, but never a complete view.


The following day a morning loop was made from the campsite to Swan Lake and Heron Pond.  Again no swan at the lake nor herons at the pool – however both had Canadian Geese.  The trailhead is south of the marina at the end of the parking lot.


Taking the loop clockwise Swan Lake is followed by Heron Pond and one of the best trail markers on the diversion to the Lake Overlook.


It cleared a bit by lunchtime to ride the scooter down to Jackson Lake Lodge for lunch in the Mural Room.  With its tall glass windows facing the Tetons.



Weather permitting we’ll spend a night or two at Gros Ventre before heading to Denver …