Grand Teton National Park. Day Two.

There are any number of driving and bicycling loops in Grand Teton National Park, as well as hundreds of miles of trails. Yesterday we drove from Jackson to Moose and then back along the foot of the Teton Range to Wilson before heading back over Teton Pass to Victor.

Today we explored a driving loop just a bit north. After we got to Jackson, we again climbed aboard US 191, the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Highway, and charged north to Moran Junction and the Moran entrance to GTNP.

In Jackson, we glimpsed one of the famous Antler Arches, made from the annually discarded antlers of male elk. There is an arch at each corner of this city park, but there were way too many people and way too little parking for us to stop.

At our next stop we watched a rock climber scale a shear cliff face. Go for it!

North of Moose we began to get closer to the Tetons. It's almost a religious experience to contemplate such grandeur.

Spring comes late to this high elevation, and these wildflowers were competing with the peaks for attention.

Stopping along the southeastern edge of Jackson Lake gave us a whole new perspective on these famous peaks.

Across the lake:

And north toward Coulter Bay:

At 6,772 feet elevation, Jackson Lake freezes in the winter, but is spectacular in the summer.

Just south, Jenny Lake is almost hidden, like a blue gem tucked into a glacial fold.

The glaciers on Mt Moran are receding due to a warming climate. They have lost a significant amount of mass in the last fifty years, but are still a magnificent sight, if even from a distance.

The water in Jenny Lake is just about as clear and cold as you could find anywhere!

It was getting on toward time to eat lunch, so we bailed off the highway onto a gravel road that led to Lupine Meadow, looking for a nice picnic spot.  Unfortunately, this is what we found at the end of a two mile road:

So we backtracked onto the highway and went a little bit south to Teton Glacier turnout, where we slurped smoked clams, lightly salted parmesan crackers, nuts and fresh cherries while looking out the windshield at this:

I tell you what....this has got to be one of our favorite places. Each and every state in the Union has its appeal and its attractions, and they are all memorable. But this is somehow special.

Ashton. ID to Victor, ID 78 miles (and we took the long way)

We spent a nice week with Roger and Mary in Aspen Acres RV Park just outside of Ashton, Idaho, but on Sunday it was time to venture out again. Check out time was at noon, and check in at our next destination was at one, so we took the long way around the barn to get to Victor, Idaho. Victor is home to the Teton Valley Resort. This "resort" isn't....but it's certainly nice enough. It's a work in progress, with out site 14 being in the newest expansion, and therefor not much more than a paved street and a lot of gravel.

We are, unfortunately, on the west side of the park, with nothing to block the howling wind from taking us away! It appears that concrete pads and windbreaks will eventually be added, but for now, the $65 nightly rate is about a third high. But it's all about location. We didn't want to stay in the tourist areas of nearby Grand Teton National Park, so this rv park fits the bill.

Monday morning we decided that a day trip into GTNP was in order, so we started east on ID 22 over Teton Pass into Jackson. Along the way we crossed into Wyoming.

And, indeed, the yellow sign turned out to be more than accurate! This route is the preferred escape route for us as we're going south toward Colorado, but after driving it in the car, we decided to find an alternate route!

Our first glimpse of Jackson Hole (the name of the valley that that town of Jackson is in) came as we were about half way down the east side of the mountain range.

We passed through the hamlet of Wilson and on into Jackson. I didn't take a photo of anything in Jackson because the traffic was very heavy and the sidewalks were shoulder to shoulder with unmasked tourists. Not willing to risk our health, we continued on to US Highways 189/191/26/89 north where we stopped at the National Elk Refuge turnout. It's easy to see why the animals love this place! Miles of meadow and abundant water must be Elk Heaven!

We scanned the area with binoculars, but didn't see any critters, so on we went north to the entrance to Grand Teton National Park. The three major peaks are over Donna's right shoulder. Mount Moran, Grand Teton, and Mount Bannon.

The mountain range from the east side is spectacular, and we snapped photos wherever we could.

We bailed off the highway at Moose (the town, not the critter), and began a southward loop on the Moose Wilson Road. Just as we turned, we noticed that a weather front was creeping over the valley.

A bit farther along this one lane road, we came across a "Moose Meadow". Didn't see any Moose (Meese?), but it was a beautiful meadow.

A quick look at the summer slopes of Teton Village imagines what this area must be like in the middle of winter. The Village is mostly acres and acres of condos, restaurants, and parking lots, so no photos here...

The nearby airport is suitable for small jet aircraft, and there were a dozen or more parked there. We saw yet another one about to land. See that tiny silver spot in the center at the base of the mountain?

We pulled off the road for a light lunch in an area with thousands of wildflowers.

After a pleasant drive, we climbed back over Teton Pass, 10% grades on both sides, and cruised back into Victor with memories of awesome mountain peaks dancing in our heads.

Yellowstone National Park, West Entrance

Feeling a bit adventurous, and having a day to play with, we headed north on US 20 toward the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park on Thursday, July 9th. It's a little under a hundred miles to the West Entrance, but the terrain gradually changes from rolling farmland to Lodgepole Pine covered mountains. It's a nice leisurely drive and the traffic wasn't too bad. but it's not the weekend.

We had planned to cruise around the small town of West Yellowstone, and perhaps take a walk on the main street, but after seeing yet another hundred or so T-Shirt shops, restaurants that didn't seem to be able to manage social distancing, and a thousand or so tourists crowding the sidewalk, we decided against it and drove on east into the park.

In Yellowstone's heart beats a supervolcano that last erupted 631,000 years ago. When the excitement subsided, the collapsed caldera measured 30 by 45 miles. That is roughly the area of Yellowstone Park today. The heat that powered that ancient eruption still fuels the parks geysers, fumaroles, hot springs and mud pots. At the West Entrance, we immediately left Idaho and crossed into Montana where we stopped  along the Madison River to admire the view (and try to find some bears).

After a picnic lunch and a stroll with the dogs, we continued east. We soon found ourselves following the Gibbon River (don't know what happened to the Madison!), and pulled into the parking lot near the Artists Paintpots. Unfortunately, large crowds, minimal parking, and a hot day prevented us from taking the trail to the mud pots. There was absolutely no way to social distance, and face masks wee few and far between. Our mistake to think that the crowds would be smaller this year.

Realizing that dinner was in the crock pot and the shadows were getting a bit long, we u-turned and headed toward home. On the way, we stopped at Beryl Spring because there was no one there. Of course, as soon as we stopped, eight more carloads of people stopped! Nonetheless, the spring was impressive, and gave us a sense of the fire that is chuckling to itself under our feet.

Beryl Springs is so named because in the right light the 190 degree water resembles the blue-green gemstone. It is one of the hottest springs in Yellowstone.

Somewhere in here we had gone into Wyoming, so it became a three-state day! Another nice, relaxing day that ended with Mississippi Pot Roast, mashed potatoes, and salad!

Upper and Lower Mesa Falls

Took another short drive today. Just about 15 miles from our rv park, Henry's Fork river spills over two magnificent sets of waterfalls. Henry's Fork originates in Island Park Reservoir at the northern edge of the Caribou-Targhee National Forest and joins the Snake River near Interstate 15 north of Idaho Falls. Using our handy dandy guide to scenic day trips book, we stumbled upon the drive to the falls and decided to check it out.

Highway 47, the Mesa Falls Scenic Byway, leaves Ashton toward the east through miles and miles of rolling farmland. eventually it rises into the National Forest near Warm River.

This community dates back to 1896 when settlers arrived from Europe establishing farms and ranches. Years later, Warm River was the stopping point for travelers on a slow journey on a narrow muddy road to West Yellowstone, Montana. The road was eventually improved and became a major thoroughfare to Yellowstone Park. In 1947, Fred Lewis and his wife Bertha incorporated the Town of Warm River and Bertha became it's first mayor. The Rendezvous Dance Hall provided hamburgers, laughter, music, and fun on a Saturday night. When US 20 bypassed Warm River, the town faded into the shadows. The Rendezvous is gone, but they say that on a quiet evening, you may hear faint sounds of music.

Just a few miles further east is the first of our objectives. Falling 65 feet, Lower Mesa Falls can be viewed from an observation platform built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the '30's.

Over a million years ago, a super-eruption of a volcano obliterated life in this part of Idaho and spread ash over much of the current US. In this area, the ash solidified into "Tuff", and the river has been patiently carving through it since.

Just a mile east, Upper Mesa Falls is a bit more spectacular!

Upper Mesa Falls cascades 114 feet over tuff that has been dated to 1.3 million years old. The river continues to slowly carve its way through the rock.

We don't usually go in for selfies, but this was such a nice day, and the river was gorgeous! And as long as one of us can go incognito.....

A nice drive on a beautiful day!

Arco, Idaho to Ashton, Idaho 120 miles

US Highway 20 leaves Arco heading west toward the INL, the Idaho National Laboratory, where electricity was first generated by atomic power almost 70 years ago. IDL devotes much of its effort to finding "Fuels for the Future". Sounds like an admirable goal to me. US 20 is one of those long, high desert roads that seems to go forever.

US 20 also goes into Idaho Falls, and then northeast toward West Yellowstone. On the way it passes through the hamlet of Ashton. About 8 miles east of town lies the Aspen Acres RV Park and Yellowstone Golf Course. We've booked a week here to relax, play a little golf, and get reacquainted with Roger and Mary, our long-time friends from Texas, who are spending the summer here.

Site 8 is one of the few able to accommodate a large motorhome. It's very near the golf course but is out of level. The front of the motorhome is just off the ground, and Donna needs a boost to reach the first step! After an afternoon of conversation and cold drinks (it was 82 and sunny the afternoon we arrived), we enjoyed Mary's famous meatball sandwiches for dinner!

On Monday, RnM had an appointment in the nearest large town, Rexburg, so Donna and I took a short 110 mile day trip south into the Teton Valley. We didn't want to go all the way to the Teton's, so we bailed off of ID 33 onto ID 32 and returned home, but not before we got close enough to take a few photos.

We've noticed a huge acreage of crops out here in eastern Idaho, many acres of potatoes, of course, but also wheat and hay, with some canola thrown in for good measure.

With Roger having a bit of difficulty walking due to an old injury, the four of us and three dogs decided to do a day trip on Tuesday. Our objective was the highest mountain in the Beaverhead range, Scott Peak, at 11,378 feet above sea level. So off we went: US 20 to Rexburg, ID 33 west to ID 28 through Sage Junction and Mud Lake, then north through Lone Pine toward National Park Road 190. OK, we're about a hundred and thirty miles into the trip and cannot find NP 190! North and south we went, searching for any old road that went east into the Beaverhead range and the border between Idaho and Montana. No luck.

Along the way, though, we stopped at historical markers and learned that ID 28 through the valley is called the Sacajawea Historic Byway. More than 10,000 years ago, humans occupied this valley and eventually became the forerunners of the modern northern Shoshoni Indians. A French Canadian trapper found this valley in 1818 while trapping beaver. The valley became known as Cote's Defile in his honor.

Near Lone Pine, we discovered an abandoned log cabin. It's easy to see why this valley, with it's abundant water and fertile soil would attract an early farming family.

While Roger crawled under a barbed wire fence to get a closer look, The girls stayed outside!

While we found several dirt roads leading east into the Beaverheads, we never did find NP 190, so we decided to have a picnic along Birch Creek. What a beautiful spot!

So, with some feeling of disappointment, we headed home. Taking a different route through Dubois got us to Resburg again, and then back to the rv park near Ashton. Two hundred fifty eight miles later we arrived home, within sight of the Teton Mountains.