In early July we packed 2 adults, 5 kids, 2 tents, 7 sleeping bags, tons of clothes for all seasons, food, and lots more into the minivan and embarked on a 2 week, 4500 mile journey.
Our first stop was Colorado.
We stayed one night in Denver with friends. We arrived in time to have a nice meal and for Jim to play the ukelele with Kathryn's sister Maureen. Kathryn and Keith were so gracious to host the 7 of us in their home!
We left early the next morning and drove straight to Jackson Hole, WY. We arrived in time to get dinner at Melvin Brewing.
I woke the kids at 5:45 the next morning to drive to Colter Bay in Grand
Teton National Park for a breakfast cruise to Elk Island. Jim had to go to a conference and was unable to join us.
We met up with my cousin and her family, as well as another family.
When we got to Elk Island, we sat around a campfire at first while they told us the plan. We were given cowboy coffee or hot cocoa.
Then, we made our way through the big buffet and ate our breakfast looking out at Jackson Lake.
After breakfast, we had time for a short hike before we had to board the boat back to Colter Bay.
We saw a mama fox and her 3 kits playing down below us. We were warned not to get near them and not to feed them. We were told that if the foxes ate human food, they would be put down.
The scenic boat ride back from Elk Island:
When the conference ended, Jim was able to join us and explore the park with us. We went to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve and hiked to Phelps Lake.
I asked Jack to take a picture of Jim and me in front of Phelps Lake. He did.
Before we started our hike, we were told that a mama bear was seen with her cubs at the lake. We did not see them.
We visited the Chapel of the Transfiguration. What a view!
This is Jack standing outside the chapel.
The binoculars came in handy when viewing the glaciers in the distance.
The next morning I took the kids on a 3 mile hike to Taggart Lake while Jim was at the conference.
We hiked through an area that had been burned in a wildfire over 30 years ago.
We enjoyed a rest and a snack at Taggart Lake before we hiked back.
In the afternoon, we went on a 13-mile scenic float down the Snake River.
We did not go through many rapids. The picture below is about as dangerous as the water got on our float.
We learned we could ride the gondola for free after 5 pm, so we waited until the evening to take the kids up the mountain on the gondola at the ski resort. Colleen, Mike, Amy, Steve, and their kids joined us.
With everyone stuck in a gondola car with me, they couldn't escape my camera!
We let the older kids hike up the mountain. We didn't realize how far they would go! You can see the parents looking through binoculars to locate the kids. They did find some snow to play in on the mountain.
The next day, our last full day in Grand Teton NP, we went to Jenny Lake.
We took a boat across Jenny Lake and then did a hike.
We saw Hidden Falls.
The hike to Inspiration Point was steep at times.
We had a snack at Inspiration Point. There were chipmunks who came very close to us hoping we would share, but we knew not to share with wildlife!
Our happy hikers:
We had to wait in a long line to take the boat back across Jenny Lake.
That evening we went into Jackson Hole and went to the Jackson Hole Rodeo.
Everyone took a turn wearing Jim's cowboy hat.
At one point in the rodeo, they called kids down. All five of our kids went. They had the kids do push ups in the yucky dirt, told them to put some dirt in their pockets for their parents, and then the kids chased baby sheep. It was something!
The next morning, we stopped for a few pictures on our way out of the park.
So long, Grand Teton NP! Next stop, Yellowstone NP!
This is a poster I made for our living room:
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