The Grand Tetons--Ahhhhh

After driving through northcentral and eastern Idaho along US 12 (a beautiful drive!), we arrived in Jackson, Wyoming, on Sept. 8 and stayed until Friday, Sept. 10. This was our home base for touring the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone national parks. Rooms are usually in the $200+ range, but we called the morning we were due to arrive and got a room for only $115 including tax at the Angler's Inn on Millward.

Check out the room--with a real woolen blanket on the bed! (Good thing, because it snowed in the nearby mountains the second night we were there. Brrrr.)

We quickly unloaded the car, then got back in and headed for the Tetons and Jenny Lake. The majestic Tetons spoke to my heart. I felt as if I'd been here before--perhaps in another lifetime. All I know for certain is that I will be back one day. (I want to see the peaks with much more snow on them!)

Jenny Lake was so serene. The sun was low on the horizon and I thought it was beautiful how it was shining between these mountains. The northern slopes of the one mountain still had a lot of snow caps.  

In the morning, we headed back to the Tetons, then on to Yellowstone. (More about the latter in another blog entry.) The clouds were casting shadows on the mountains.

This time, we drove up to the Moran Junction (also the road to Yellowstone). Here's my attempt at a mirror-image photograph. Still not perfectly still and the ducks (mergansers) were determined to swim across the reflection multiple times, but I did manage to et this shot before they disturbed the water again. The cloud makes Mt. Moran look like a volcano spewing its steam.

Driving back to Jackson from Yellowstone that night we were in a driving rain. I thought, surely that is coming down as snow up in the high elevations. When I got back to town and checked weather.com, I was right. Was I going to get my wish to see snow on the peaks of the Tetons this very trip?

Well, half and half. Here was the view Friday morning. Heavy clouds obstructed the view of the upper peaks, but I did get to see that snow had indeed fallen overnight.

Likewise, Mt. Moran's peak was lost in the clouds.

Our last stop in  the Tetons was at the Jackson Lake picnic area. The cloud cover got even heavier. You'd think this photo was taken in monochrome or grayscale.

I cried as I said goodbye to the Tetons, which isn't my normal reaction when leaving a place, no matter how beautiful. My soul was having a visceral reaction to the Tetons and I can't wait to return again and again.