Month: August 2023

It’s a good thing we set multiple alarms – Paul’s phone didn’t go off this morning despite him asking Siri to turn on his alarm and he says he saw it on…. Anyways we had a pleasant surprise when we go up – it was actually 12 degrees C so much warmer than yesterday was. Unfortunately we also had a fairly stiff wind so it made for rougher water. There were lots of people for this morning’s boat cruise- over 50 which meant they took 2 boats out. The horizon was also hazy compared with yesterday morning. One of the staff commented she wondered if it was because of the wildfires. We haven’t experienced any on this trip, but I guess it could be, yet there was no smoke smell. Disembarking at the island for breakfast was rough with the boat crashing against the floating dock.

Breakfast was cooked by staff who came over at 6 am with all the food. It included trout, bacon, sausage, scrambled eggs, pancakes, lots of fresh fruit and yogurt with granola, and danishes/muffins. Along with juices and hot chocolate, there was cowboy coffee made over the fire. What they do is simply put the coffee grounds in the coffee pot and add water and boil it over the fire. Paul noted the “sludge” in the bottom of his cup as the grounds aren’t filtered out!

The water in Jackson Lake is down nearly 10’ from normal. The people in Idaho own the top 30’ of the reservoir and they have started taking the water out. We were told they probably will only have about another week of boat cruises before the water is too low to dock.

The dam holds the water in Jackson Lake an extra 39’ in height. It was reinforced in hopes of being able to withstand a fairly significant earthquake.

After our ride, we went for another drive to see an area we had missed yesterday. We drove a 5 mile road up Signal Mountain. The sky seemed a bit clearer when we got to the top.

On our way down the mountain we saw a moose grazing in the trees just a short distance from the road and were able to snap a few pictures.

We also stopped at Jenny Lake Lodge – much newer and more modern architecture than the one at Old Faithful but there is a nice viewing lounge and often the animals are grazing.

Large windows overlooking the meadow make a good view to watch for moose but none were evident when we went through.

We were able to get a view of Jenny Lake from a lookout at the side of the road. There are hikes to a waterfall and boat cruises on the lake as well.

It was a good day and we headed back by 5 to barbeque supper before it got dark! Tomorrow we leave the Tetons and head to central Wyoming where we hope to get to some more hot springs. We also expect hot weather for the next week.

We got settled at our campground and then decided to spend Sunday at the campsite and doing our laundry. There was a good sized laundromat right at our campground so we were able to get it all done quickly. Then we headed to the marina to book a boat ride on the large lake in Grand Teton National Park. We planned on taking the dinner cruise on Monday but the person at the desk taking reservations talked us into the morning cruise on Monday. Looking at the forecast, it looked calm, but cold (5 degrees C). So, not being morning people, we set 3 alarms and got up at 6 am. When we checked in, we were greeted with the news our trip was cancelled! We were NOT impressed. No real explanation was given – possibly a cook was sick. It our impression they didn’t have enough signed up to make the trip worthwhile. So, we booked for the next morning and went back to the campsite for breakfast. Then we headed out on our own to see some sights.

It was a perfect morning! The water was so still and gave great reflections. While we didn’t see much wildlife, we did have some nice drives.

We drove down Antelope Flats Drive where we got to a viewpoint overlooking a small lake. The lake was created in 2002 when a massive rockslide occurred and dammed up the river.

We also had some beautiful red rock views.

From there, we headed back through to Jackson Hole for a snack of ice cream – expensive but all natural ingredients and we each had a scoop of huckleberry (similar to blueberry) which was excellent.

In the historic area of Jackson Hole is a square. At each of the 4 corners is an antler arch. Why antlers, you ask? Antler arches have been gates to the Jackson Town Square since 1900. The anters are from elk that winter on the National Elk Refuge. About 7,500 elk spend each winter on the refuge. The bulls shed their antlers each spring. Antlers are picked up by local Boy scouts and sold by public auction in this square each May. All four arches were built by the Jackson hole Rotary Club.

Check back for our morning breakfast cruise