View from the top

Another day, more fun (altitude sickness aside). We spent our last day in the Teton Mountains area, and everyone was a bit sad to leave. It was great getting to spend a couple of nights with my cousin Merle and his wife Jeana in Driggs, Idaho. Awesome to be able to wake up and look off the deck to see the Tetons. 

Today we spent some time in Teton Village, near Jackson. We rode the tram to Rendezvous Summit, which goes up to nearly 10,500 feet (base camp of Teton Village is a bit more than 6,000 feet). At the top, you can get waffles at Corbet's Cabin and see the entire valley for miles. Well, that is, when it's not cloudy. Shortly after we arrived at the summit it started raining and visibility dropped to nothing. And the temperature went from 52 to 37. After waiting out the rain for 60 minutes in Corbet's Cabin, we went back down the tram and walked around Teton Valley. It then started to clear off a bit. So Chloe asked (nicely) at the customer service desk if we could ride up again (the ticket was good for just 1 ride). They said yes. Kudos to Jackson Hole Tram for doing something they didn't HAVE to do for us. 

Once we got to the summit for the second time, the view was spectacular (check out the panoramic view from the top of this post). And here are a few others as well.

If you do go to the top, be sure to eat a waffle at Corbet's Cabin. Ellie can testify to their goodness. 

The "Trad" waffle is Ellie's favorite.

Back to the altitude sickness. On the second trip up the tram, my lungs felt on fire the entire time and it was hard to breath. Other than that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln? Extra credit points to those who can reference the quote.

The Great Moose Adventure of 2015

Family vacations are never perfect. Whether you're a kid being carted thousands of miles by your parents, or a parent trying to just have some fun with your family, you know what I'm talking about. But we got to experience something today that the everyone in our family will remember for the rest of our lives. 

We spent the night in Colter Bay, and woke up this morning to do some hiking in the Colter Bay area before proceeding to Jenny Lake, a popular hiking location between Colter Bay and Jackson, Wyoming. We started on our hike around Jenny Lake a bit after 1 p.m. The hike across to the West Boat entrance was 2.5 miles, and we expected to go from the West Boat entrance on some other hikes. About a mile into our hike, we met two people coming off the Moose Loop Trail spur, who said there was a moose and her calf a bit down that part of the trail. We went down to take a look. All proceeded well as we saw the calf grazing near the water and the mother moose down in the lake. The calf was maybe 20-25 yards off the trail and the mother another 25 yards 15-20 yards past the calf in the water. We took pictures, thought ourselves lucky and moved on the trail. Problem was with the rain and wet the last few weeks, the Moose Loop trail was overgrown and unpassable, so we had to turn back and walk back past the mother moose and calf. Only now the moose was just a few yards above the trail and the calf down in the water, separated by just 15-20 yards.

Being between a moose and her calf isn't an ideal place to be. The moose looked to be in no hurry to move on, just chewing on plants and taking her time. The calf also didn't seem to want to move, just moving around in the water. By this time, several hikers had gathered on the trail, no one being quite sure what to do. So, of course,  an 80-year old woman sauntered right between the moose and her calf on the trail, before telling us, "I have moose walk through my yard all the time. If they keep their ears pointing forward, you're fine. If they have them laid back, that's trouble."

Feeling emboldened by the old lady (or just hungry), we wandered past the moose and her calf. A lot went through my head with a moose just a few yards away. "What does a moose do when it attacks?" "Could I outrun it?" "Does my life insurance cover death by moose?" The trek past the moose turned out to be uneventful. The moose looked at us as we sauntered by, but seemed not too bothered as long as we moved slowly. 

Here the moose is above us on the trail. This doesn't look too imposing, but we have to walk up right past it. I didn't have my camera out as I walked just a few yards away from it on the trail.

The view along the hike at Colter Bay in the morning

Ellie and I happy to be past the moose.

The view at Hidden Falls. Well worth getting past the moose to see. 

Buffalo and the Tetons

The Yoder adventure has continued the last couple of days. Intermittent Internet access, so will post more when I have more time. In the last couple of days, we have:

• went whitewhater rafting in the Snake River (awesome time). We managed to stay in the raft. This was a stretch for me as water/boats aren't my favorite. 
• Stayed with my cousin Merle and his wife Jeanie just outside of Driggs, Idaho. They have a great view of the Tetons from their back porch. Great to be able to see Merle. I played on his city league basketball team back in 1993 when living in northern Indiana. 
• Drove into Yellowstone. Among the highlights were a herd of buffalo crossing the road, Old Faithful, as well as other geysers in the park. 
• We are now in Colter Bay area. The kids swam in the cold and clear Jackson Lake. Today brings hiking and more time in the Colter Bay area.

Buffalo in  Yellowstone

Colter Bay Marina

View from Colter Bay

Jackson Lake sunset

Old Faithful

Swimming in the lake

George and the Mountain Goat

Today (July 6) marked the second day of the Yoder trek west. Sunday was a travel day to get into position for today.

We managed to get out of Mitchell, S.D., a bit before 8 a.m. In our 14 hours in Mitchell, we managed to make 2 trips to Wal-Mart. Well, I managed to make 2 trips to Wal-Mart, mostly due to getting the wrong size t-shirts the first time I went. The people in Mitchell were as friendly as you would ever meet.

By 10:30 or so, we had entered the Badlands. We stopped at the entrance to the Door, Window and Notch Trails. Before you even get on a trail, the view is spectacular.

We decided were were up for the "strenuous" Notch Trail hike, which covers a bit over 1.5 miles and features a vertical hanging ladder to scale. The below greets you as you start out on the trail (we didn't see rattler on our hike).

The team was pumped about getting started.

The hike itself was terrific. We were blessed with temps in the upper 60s and a mix of clouds and sun. Perfect for hiking. We traversed the ladder without incident, and made it to the scenic overlook at the end of the trail. Quite a view.

Leaving the Badlands, we saw a couple of big horn sheep, along with a baby (sorry, wasn't quick enough on the camera).
Oh and here's the family at the same Notch Trail sign after the trek.

Mt. Rushmore

From the Badlands, we trekked further on I-90 west (after NOT stopping at Wall Drug) to Mt. Rushmore. If you've been to Mt. Rushmore, you know what it's all about. If you haven't gone, you need to go. I was last at Mt. Rushmore in 1987. Much has changed since then. But George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln are all still there. Take the time to go to the museum and read about how the creator of the sculptures (Gutzon Borglum) considered what he was creating and how he wanted future generations to view it. After Rushmore, we trekked into Wyoming and ended up in Casper for the night. Tomorrow, Grand Tetons.