Grand Tetons Update

Sunday Aug 27 & Monday Aug 28, 2011

Sunday was “moving day”, traveled to Grand Teton NP.  Big rainstorm today fortunately after we got settled.  Checked out visitor center and booked some activities.

Today we traveled the park north to south down to Jackson, Wy.  OK, class in session, geologically the Teton mountain range was formed by two tectonic plates shifting 10 million years back.  The plate shifting up is the mountains, the plate shifting down created a valley.  The unique thing on this side of the mountain range is no foothills, like typical mountains.  That makes them unique. The land itself was acquired in the Louisiana Purchase.  After the Homestead Act, development threatened to destroy the wilderness aspect.  Rockefeller quietly bought up large quantities of land then donated it to the NPS, combining with other land to form the current national park.

This is a morning park.  After about 2PM the mountains get hazy, and the sun starts to make them hard to really see.  Some pictures follow of things we saw today.  This evening we took a Jackson Lake Cruise with dinner on Elk Island.  Only bummer was the sun blocking out the mountains.

Tuesday August 30, 2011

Originally this was going to be a hiking day, but on our drive back yesterday we discovered some things we wanted to see, so we decided to do them first, then hike later if time permits, which it didn’t.  Did not really matter as most hikes either went around lakes, or climbed to overlooks of the lakes.  Hiking here is not as neat as in Yellowstone.

The first couple of pictures are again of the Teton range.  The first is at Oxbow bend of the Snake River, a popular photo spot.  The second is overlooking the Snake River, which we will be taking a rubber boat ride on tomorrow.  No rapids I hope, as I tend to fall out of the boat.

The next is the Cunningham homestead cabin.  The only building remaining of the ranch he built on property obtained under the Homestead Act.  I doubt if my house will be standing in 150 years!

This is the McCoultrie barn, also a popular picture of the area.  McCoultrie was part of a Mormon settlement from the late 1890s.  It was a vibrant community, abandoned now.  I’m not clear on why they left or moved.

The last stop of the day was the National Wildlife Museum in Jackson Hole.  Lots of paintings and sculptures including Borglum’s Mares of Diomedes, which we learned about in the museum in Keystone.  No pictures, photography not allowed.  Well, except for this goofy sculpture of a rabbit.

More tomorrow, if I don’t drown!