HORSEBACK RIDE

Paul wanted to go horseback riding, something he hadn't done since Wendy and Laura were in middle school in the 80's. The reservation was made and we headed to the corrals at Colter Bay the following day.  Ann went along as the official photographer.

When we arrived and walked up to the corral office, this was the view we saw of the horses all saddled and tied to the fence. 

The view from the front is more impressive than the rear view of the line of horses.  We were surprised at how docile the horses appeared while waiting for their afternoon riders.

Paul is checking out the corral. There are over 60 head of horses kept at the Colter Bay Corral for the summer season; all of which are leased.

After some general instructions, it was time for our group to mount our assigned horses. Here Paul is mounting Elizabeth with the help of one of the wranglers. When mounting the horse, Paul was told to grab the horse's mane and not the saddle horn. One would have thought this would hurt the horse with 200 pounds pulling hair.

Yes, we were given a step to help us get up onto the horse. After mounting Elizabeth, it was time to go back over to the hitching post while the remainder of the guests mounted their horses.

Our wranglers, Austin in the yellow shirt and Katherine in the blue shirt, are giving us last minute instructions.One of our tasks was to never, repeat never, let go of the reins. We were told to hold the knot in the reins like an ice cream cone.

We headed off down the trail to Heron Pond and then to the Jackson Lake overlook before our one hour ride returned to the corral. We have hiked parts of this trail previously.  But this time, Paul was about 3 feet higher, which caused him to have to duck under some of the tree branches as we went along the trail. It was amazing in that the horses followed each other and were able to step so gracefully over the rocky path without falling.  

Austin told us many facts about the Tetons during our ride. Did you know how the Teton Range got it's name?  Upon viewing the Teton Range from the west, the early French trappers dubbed the South, Middle, and Grand Teton peaks "les Trois Tétons" (the three breasts). 

On the way back to the corral, we were treated to the sight of an elk cow just enjoying some fresh vegetation off to the side of the trail.  Unfortunately, the camera didn't go along on the ride.

It was an amazing ride, as the horses are so well trained to just "follow the leader". The only direction I had to give Elizabeth was sometimes to slow down or stop if she got too close to the horse in front of us. 

JENNY LAKE HIKE TO HIDDEN FALLS

We spent the morning of our day off hiking around Jenny Lake and up to Hidden Falls, a hike of a little over five miles. This is my favorite hike in Grand Teton National Park. 

The hike to Hidden Falls was uneventful with the only wildlife being a chipmunk or two. However, the views across the lake to Cascade Canyon ...

and of Mount Teewinot are priceless. Teewinot is 12,325 ft. above sea level.

The Teton Range was formed by glaciers millions of years ago. The lakes in the Tetons are a result of glacial moraine damming. When the glaciers receded from the last ice age, they left these lakes for our enjoyment.

Many of the rocks that tumbled downward as the glaciers melted were deposited into the soil. As trees grew, the roots sometimes had to grow around these large rock, as evidenced from the picture below.  These strange intertwining of rocks and tree roots are found all over the Teton landscape, in all shapes and sizes.

Part of the side of this trail showed evidence of an avalanche years ago. Notice how the rocks appear to have just tumbled down from above.

Hidden Falls was as spectacular as ever, even though this picture doesn't do it justice. There is a loud roar as the snow melt cascades down the mountain.

But, on the way back to the trail head, we were treated to some glimpses of Teton wildlife.  First, we saw several yellow bellied marmots. These are from the same family as wolverines and opossums.

And, a couple of hikers who had passed us were all of a sudden coming back towards us. They said there was a moose on the trail coming our way,  So we immediately turned around, because the trail was only about 2-3 feet wide at that point - no place to let Miss Moose pass us. After retreating about 500 yards, we found a fallen tree to use as a shield in case the moose decided to attack us.  All of a sudden the moose cow came running down the trail and then headed off towards the lake.

Further back towards the trail head, the trail goes up a rather steep embankment.

And, at other times is very level as it passes right along the lake shore.

We also saw flowers growing on top of rocks. Apparently, flowers in Wyoming need minimal soil to grow.  It is like they are fighting to bring something beautiful to this rugged terrain during a very short growing season.

The hike around Jenny Lake has been a tradition going back to the first time we visited this area as tourists about 15 years ago. Each time we take this trail we see something different. In 2012, Miss Moose gave us a little more excitement than we usually encounter on this beautiful hike. The one thing you don't want to do is find yourself between a large animal and where it wants to go.    

BREAKFAST WAGON RIDE

We were fortunate to be able to go on the first breakfast wagon ride of the summer - for employees, as we were guinea pigs for a new cook to try his skills. This journey began at the Colter Bay Corrals at 7 a.m. in chilly temperatures. Some of us boarded the meal wagon, and others choose to ride on horseback. Our trip took us about 6 miles south to an area known as Willow Flats. As you can see from the photo below, the wagons are authentic, with one exception. Yes, rubber tires are used instead of the wooden wheels from yesteryear

Upon arriving at the meal site, we were given cowboy coffee before we gathered around the campfire to get warm. Mount Moran is in the background.  

After warming up a bit, Paul decided to get on a saddle to try it out for size.

Our meal consisted of traditional breakfast fare including eggs, potatoes, ham, pancakes, muffins, prepared fresh for us at the meal site by the cook and his two Russian assistants. Our company hires a lot of foreign college students to work during the summer. It seemed strange to see college girls in cowboy attire and then hear them asking us if we wanted ham and potatoes, with a distinct Russian accent.

Below, Parrin, our wagon driver, is unhitching the horses after we returned to the Corrals. Parrin is the wife of the CEO of our company and handled the team of horses with ease. She narrated the wagon ride, giving us all kinds of historical information about the area of the park we traveled, part of which was the original road from Jackson to Yellowstone.

This was a terrific  way to spend our 43rd wedding anniversary.         

BAR J CHUCKWAGON

After our Teton Village to Wilson bike ride, we found a little more energy to enjoy one of Jackson Hole's long-time traditions, when we joined our friends, Ron and Karen for an evening at the Bar J Ranch, a kind of dinner show cowboy style .  This was our second time coming to the Bar J, so we will add some new details regarding our evening there.

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Here are the four of us just before the dinner bell rang.

Paul was contemplating strumming a tune on the big bass but the watchful eye of the wooden cook discouraged him.

Adorning the walls of the huge dinning area, with seating for over 750, are many artifacts of the old western days in the Jackson area.

The meal was as close to an authentic meal served on cattle drives when the cattle had to be "driven" to the nearest rail head to be shipped east to market.

After our delicious cowboy style meal, we were treated to a musical performance by the Bar J Wranglers. These singing cowboys told the story of the old West with traditional songs, some yodeling and humor.  Many of the songs were sung without musical accompaniment, and the harmony was much appreciated by the crowd.  

There was also some outstanding fiddling and banjo playing--not because we are judges of music but because the accomplishments and awards of the individual musicians were noted during the introductions.

We had a birds eye view of the show, as we were seated in the second row of tables.  We enjoyed this visit back to the days of Western musical tradition.

BIKE RIDE TO WILSON

The Jackson Hole valley has nearly 100 miles of multi-purpose paths which are mostly used for biking in the warmer months. For something different and challenging to our not so young bodies, we decided to bike from Teton Village to the town of Wilson, about an 18 mile round trip ride. We chose this route because it is totally level in both directions. The bike path went the entire distance except for the last 4 blocks so traffic was not an issue even though we did cross several streets where we had to obey a "yield" sign.

This sign shows the various uses for the multi-purpose trails in the Jackson Hole valley. Skiing?  Rollerblading?  Not on your life!  Biking was strenuous enough!

Here is Paul at the beginning of our ride with the southern edge of the Teton range in the background. The scenery along the ride was spectacular.  However, the strong wind in our faces the whole way to Wilson was stressing our muscles not used to bike riding, and we got a good workout on the outbound portion of the trip.

Several friends had told us about Nora's Fish Creek Inn, a local restaurant in Wilson, so we took their advice for lunch. 

Nora's is log cabin construction, as are many of the local buildings.  Nora's had a unique interior decor as well  Not a decor we would put in a house but very appropriate for a restaurant in Wilson. 

Paul is getting ready to bite into a fish taco, the lunch special of the day. The fish was trout, a product of the local waters. The tacos were very tasty with just the right amount of "hot".
 

Here is the view during the ride back to Teton Village. The Grand Teton Peak acted as a homing device leading us back to our starting point. The Grand, the more snow covered peak just to the right of center, is the highest Teton peak at 13,775 feet.

We finished our afternoon on the outdoor patio of the Mangy Moose sipping a cold Snake River Lager. What a fitting way to end a great day off.

TETON VILLAGE AND RENDEVOUS MOUNTAIN

We decided to enjoy an aerial tram ride to the top of Rendezvous Mountain in Teton Village. We have taken this ride every year we have come to the Tetons but never tire of the wonderful view at the top of the mountain.  Here is the tram car coming into the station at the base of the mountain.

 
It was considerably colder at the top of the mountain after gaining 4,139 feet in altitude.

Corbet's Cabin is a warming hut during ski season, serving waffles and hot beverages. We passed on the yummy treats this trip.

In the three years we have been coming to the summit, we have never seen the bare ground in June.  The region received much less snow than most years.

There was still enough snow to make and throw a snowball.

Fifty percent of the ski slopes here at Teton Village are rated "expert". According to our tram operator, skiers come from all over the world to ski here. The beginning of one of the advanced ski runs is shown below. I know I wouldn't going down this trail!

Here is a view of the valley floor as we pass the other tram car on our way down the mountain. The Snake River is flowing left to right. Notice the windsock at a 45 degree angle on the tower in front of our tram. It was very windy the day we visited. 

Later in the summer, the Couloir Restaurant offers a great happy hour on the outdoor deck and fine dining at 9000 feet. In the view below, you can still see snow all around the restaurant.

We hope to revisit Teton Village later in the summer to take advantage of the happy hour at the Deck and to dine at the Mangy Moose Restaurant at the base of the mountain.

CLEAR SKIES OVER JACKSON LAKE

Finally, the winter weather has gone and spring has returned to the Tetons. After snowing 4 of the 5 days of the Memorial Day weekend, the sun decided to shine on the Tetons. The following photos were taken on May 31 at the Colter Bay Marina, which is about a half mile from our RV spot in the employee village. Mount Moran, the crown jewel of the Colter Bay area, is in the center background of the first photo.

Here is a close-up of Mount Moran.

The two larger boats with the barrels on top are our two 35 passenger cruise boats.

This is the view to the southwest as you head out of the marina towards Elk Island. Look at the reflection of the mountains in the calm marina water.  

Did you notice how few clouds were in the sky the morning these photos were taken?  This view is one of the reasons why we come to the Grand Tetons again and again.