Cross-Country Vacation
Day 8: Grand Teton
Sunday, September 10, 2006
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We had to be up and ready to go early this morning because we had booked a float trip down the Snake River. We wanted to do at least one thing a little different and adventuresome, and this sounded like something our speed. There was no white water involved. It was just supposed to be a gentle trip down calm, slow-moving water on large rubber rafts. Hopefully it would be peaceful and relaxing with a chance for some wildlife viewing.
There were 10 of us in the raft plus our guide. We had a nice conversation and the guide told us some interesting things. The trip lasted a little over 3 hours and we did 5 or 6 bald eagles along the way, but no big game.
On the van ride back to the lodge, though, we did spot a pronghorn antelope.
After having lunch at the Signal Mountain Lodge we drove south, cutting across a several mile stretch of dirt road at one point, to Jackson to take the Aerial Tramway. That is just what they call a ski lift in the summertime. It took us to the top of the Jackson Hole ski area.
The view was nice, but not as good as the time we took the tramway in Palm Springs.
On the way back on that well-traveled dirt road, though, we came across a spot where several vehicles were stopped with people out looking at something in the brush. It was hard to spot at first, and sometimes the camera wanted to focus on the tree branches and leaves in the foreground, but it was moving around and finally came into sight. It was our first moose sighting.
Back on the paved road we got these views of the mountains.
We drove up Signal Mountain Road and got a nice overview from the top (elevation 7593).
I do not recall why but for some reason instead of continuing north we went over to the Oxbow Bend Turnout, which we had passed on the way in. The detour was worth it, though, as we got a look at a bull moose and an elk heard.
We made our way out the north entrance, headed toward Yellowstone.
Grand Teton and Yellowstone almost border each other. They are only separated by this 10-mile wide swath of land called the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. There is a gas station on that parkway, though. Those guys asked me if we should get gas, but I still had over 1/4 of a tank left. Where we had reservations to stay by Old Faithful Geyser was still a ways away, but in between there was Grant Village.
Well, we got to Grant Village and the gas station was closed down. It only had the old-old style dial readout pumps! I knew I had enough gas to get to the geyser, but I still had to listen to my passengers erupt all of the way there.
We made it to the Old Faithful Lodge like I knew we would checked into our cabin and went and had a later dinner. It was hard to believe that vacation was already over half over, but the best part was still ahead.
Grand Teton National Park: Website, Map
Day 8 Summary:
Start: Moran, WY
End: Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Route: US-89/US-191/US-287/US-20
Approximate Driving Distance:
This Day: 100 miles
Total: 2160 miles
Next: Day 9: Yellowstone: Geyser Country