DINNER CRUISE ON JACKSON LAKE

Last Monday evening we finally got to go on the dinner cruise on Jackson Lake from the Colter Bay Marina.  The weather was "iffy" but the boat captain said let's cruise to Elk Island for steak and trout.  Our co-worker friends, Dick and Sheri, from Rock Springs, Wyoming, joined us for the cruise.

The clouds parted and there appeared to be blue sky behind Mt. Moran as we cruised to Elk Island.  About halfway along our 20 minute ride, rain drops begin falling on the roof of the boat.  The rain was letting up as the boat docked on the island, so we were hopeful for a good picnic dinner. 

However, our nice picnic was not to be.  About halfway through our dinner, we were treated to not only heavy rain but HAIL.  Boy, was the weatherman wrong on this one!  All we could do was laugh as we tried to finish our meal in the midst of hailstones, hoping that the downpour would finally stop. 

Do I look like I am enjoying this weather ?!?  Here I am waiting under a tree for dessert, an apple or peach cobbler which employees were trying to cook on an open stove while being drowned by the pouring rain..

When the rain did not let up, we went back to the boat with the promise that cobbler would be served on the boat.  About 10 minutes later, we got the word from the boat captain that the rain had prevented the cobbler from getting warm, so dessert to end the picnic was not possible.    Nevertheless, we were all smiles as we waited for Capt. Jim to take us back to Colter Bay Marina.  One of the other passengers took this picture of us on the stern of the boat with Mt. Moran partially hidden by my big head. 

And yes, the reason it is called Elk Island.  Here is a picture of a bull elk coming down to the shore for a drink as dusk settles in.  Look at those antlers!

AN EASY HIKE WITH GREAT VIEWS

On our 2nd day off last week we took a short 3-mile hike to the land where the Geraldine Lucas Homestead once stood.  This was the first hike we have taken that didn't have some "ups and downs" enroute.  Usually we hike along rocky paths that challenge arthritic knees and ankles.  This hike was over flat land on a mostly narrow dirt path which was muddy in spots from a rain storm the previous evening.   

Geraldine Lucas was a feisty, independent pioneer woman who began her homestead on Cottonwood Creek in 1913.  She filed a homestead claim for her 160 acre parcel in 1918 and lived alone there.  Later in 1924 at the age of 58, she became the first Jackson Hole woman to reach the peak of The Grand (the local name for Grand Teton Peak, of which these mountains are named). 


Most of the hike was along Cottonwood Creek which is mainly fed by snow melt from The Grand.  The sounds of the running water added to the stillness of the morning.
  

Once we crossed this log bridge, the path wandered away from the creek through areas of spruce trees, so the Christmas tree lot smell was with us again.

This picture was taken in a meadow about a quarter mile before we reached the place where Lucas' homestead once stood.  The Grand is the peak in the center and is flanked by Mt. Teewinot on the left and Mt. Moran on the right.  We would think these views of the Tetons were the primary inspiration for Lucas to homestead this area.  Notice all the spruce trees in the background.  The dead trees are the result of an infestation of pine bark beetles that is plaguing the western U. S. mountains. 

This picture shows just how clear the water in Cottonwood Creek really is.  This photo was taken from the path towards the edge of the creek.  The water is about a foot deep and appears almost invisible.  
  

This other view from the bridge to the parking area shows rapids along the left side of the creek and a small rock bar on the right.  Even with a depth between 2 and 3 feet deep, the water remains crystal clear.  

DINNER WITH CO-WORKERS, VIOLENT WEATHER AND MORE WILDLIFE (updated 8/17)

On Friday of last week, we met two other couples we work with for dinner in Teton Village, the ski resort about 10 miles west of Jackson.  Ron and Karen Royer are our bosses and are from Southern California.  They have the campsite next to us at the Gros Ventre Campground.  Dick and Sheri DeBernardi are from Rock Springs, Wyoming, a town about 175 miles south of Jackson.  Dick and Sheri are the couple who took us on the boat tour of Jackson Lake a few weeks ago.  
Heading towards Teton Village, we were about 2 miles from our campground when we saw this coyote about 40 yards from the road.  At first we thought it might be a gray wolf, but wolves travel in packs, and there were no other animals in sight.  Not a great photo, but the coyote was  over 50 yards away in the meadow.

On the way to Teton Village from town, we encountered a violent thunderstorm.  This picture was taken from the road near Teton Village.  We think this double rainbow has more vibrant colors than the one we photographed about a month ago.

Here we are at the Mangy Moose in Teton Village.  Karen took this photo.  Dick has his back to the camera, Sheri is sitting next to him and Ron is on Sheri's right.  Great people, good coversation and a full stomach resulted in a fantastic evening.

We have moved around the table and had another guest take the 2nd picture.  Karen is the lady in the blue dress at the end of the table. 

Dinner was good so we will need to add the Mangy Moose to our list of restaurants to re-visit before our summer ends.

   

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.

EXPLORING JACKSON LAKE

We spent our first day off last week visiting some co-workers, Dick and Sheri, at Colter Bay in the afternoon and evening.  They have a 24 ft. motorboat and were nice to offer us a custom tour.  We cruised Jackson Lake for over 2 hours with them, enjoying the scenery up close and personal.  Dick and Sheri live in Rock Springs, which is about 3 hours south of Jackson, and they have vacationed in GTNP and surrounding areas quite often.  Sheri said she learned to water ski on Jackson Lake wearing a wet suit, as the water was about 50 degrees. 

After touring the lake, we went to the Buffalo Cafe for dinner.  The Buffalo Cafe is located just off the road from Moran to Dubois heading east from GTNP.  The Buffalo Cafe is a small "hole-in-the-wall" place we would have never found on our own.  We enjoyed our dinner on an enclosed porch with great views of Buffalo Creek, the horse training area in the meadow and mountains.  After dinner we took a ride to other areas of the forest where they snowmobile in the winter time.  Dick did say the temps can get down to minus 20 or more in these remote areas.  

We regret there are no photos of this great day due to technical difficulties with the camera.

The weather was rainy during our 2nd day off so we spent the afternoon in town catching up with e-mail, writing the blog, and grocery shopping.  You don't realize how much you miss high-speed internet until you have to do without.  The Sprint Aircard works most of the time in the RV but sometimes very very very (3-"verys" for emphasis) slowly.  Like the satellite dish, it is dependent on atmospheric conditions. 

MORE WILDLIFE AT THE CAMPSITE

Early Sunday morning, we were leaving the small campsite area where our RV is situated  to open the store.  In front of us as we began to leave was this adult female moose.  The light at 6:55 am was not very good so these pictures are a bit dark.  You can see various RV's in the background which are located in one of the public camping loops near the campground entrance.  We were able to get within about 30 yards of the moose.  The moose was more interested in eating than posing for pictures.

Food was in the form of the tall grasses and shrubs that thrive between the campsites.

The brush the moose is munching on is several feet tall, the sage is about 15 inches high.  The moose was about the size of a large horse.

As the moose continuted to eat, she began moving away.  How can you tell the moose is a female?  Remember, this is now August (antlers are shed in the spring) and this moose has no antlers.

PHELPS LAKE WILDFLOWERS

As promised, here are the variety of flowers we saw while on our hike around Phelps Lake last week.  First, the Indian paintbrush, the Wyoming state flower.  How many of you know the state flower where you live?

Since we are not naturalists, botonists or biologists, we will not attempt to identify any of the remaining pictures.  We will say that the variety of flowers along the trail around Phelps Lake was spectacular.  The views were almost like having an artist's palette in front of us.
   

 These daisies are actually lavendar, but the lavendar doesn't show in the photo - who knows why?

I called these bluebells although the hue in the photo is not as rich as in real life.

These purple flowers were brighter in person as well.

These white bells that almost form a perfect geometric shape.

These yellow flowers looked like they were about to strike, similar to a poisonous snake.

Last but not least, the famous huckelberries, one of a bear's favorite foods.