ANOTHER CHALLENGING DAY DUE TO WEATHER

We were scheduled to take the dinner cruise on Jackson Lake on Monday evening.  We had a strong afternoon thunderstorm complete with hail but we called the Colter Bay Marina and were told the cruise was still "on".  On the way up to Colter Bay we were delayed by a herd of over 100 bison who decided it was time to cross the road and get a drink from the Gros Ventre River.  Some of the bison noticed there was rain water in puddles on the road so they stopped to take an early drink before crossing the road to the river.  Another bison traffic jam.  When a big one stops on the road, like the bison on the left, no traffic moves.

When we arrived at the Colter Bay marina we were informed that the cruise was cancelled due to weather.  So we headed about 5 miles north to Leek's Marina Restaurant, which is famous for its pizza.  We took a table on the deck overlooking the marina and Jackson Lake.  The sun was out but the air was a little cool as we sipped our beer waiting for the pizza.  Jackson Lake is visible through the trees, and we could see the weather coming across the lake.
     

The storm rolled in quickly (notice, we haven't had but a sip or two from the beer) before our pizza arrived so we moved inside and took a table in front of the fireplace.  The rain came as the pizza was delivered to our table.  It was a great decision to move inside. 

Leek's Marina began as a hunting camp in the late 1800's, set up by Stephen Leek.  Leek came to Jackson Hole in 1889 from Nebraska with the intent to make a living from trapping.  George Eastman, inventor of the Kodak camera in 1888, was so impressed with Leek's interest in the wildlife that he presented Leek with a camera.  Leek took many photos documenting the struggles of the elk herds during the hard winter of 1909, when many elk starved to death.  Leek's writings and photos were published nationally, bringing attention to the struggles of the elk for food.  This awareness led to the eventual founding of the National Elk Refuge in Jackson.  Leek became known as the "father of the elk."  

By the time we had finished our pizza, the storm had passed through. This photo of the marina and Mount Moran (on the left) shows a still cloudy evening, with blue sky trying to break through.

On the way back to the campground, the bison herd was still out and about.  This photo shows about a dozen bison along the ridge with the sun setting behind them.  The optical allusion makes it look like we are right down at the bottom of the ridge but we nearly 100 yards away on the road.  

When we stopped the car and rolled the windows down to take the silhouette picture, we could hear the bison emitting constant low growls.  It is mating season, the "rut", for bison in GTNP during August and September, and the growls accompany the bison mating ritual.