Sunday morning waking up in the Tetons. Although we both felt a little pressure to get up and go enjoy the mountains, we let her self stay in bed a little bit late and then got up and had quite a leisurely breakfast time.
We went to soak in the mountains, and sometimes just need not pushing yourself too hard.
The first stop was at a beautiful Episcopal chapel that faces the Teton Range. This is one of Dick's most favorite views of the Tetons and we arrived just as the Sunday morning service was getting out. We reverently walked into the chapel and had a chance to gaze at the amazing view at the front of the chapel. Rather than a traditional altarpiece or painting, the architect had put in an enormous picture window knowing the mountains were as beautiful as any art could be. Exquisite!
The Tetons rise like spires. One particular perspective of the Grand Teton and surrounding peaks has been called the “Cathedral Group.” This is another stop that Dick has traditionally made to appreciate this view and take a few photos
Then we drove to an area that was not quite as crowded as much of the Tetons will be this week. We drove to String Lake and Leigh Lake area. We first stopped to appreciate another view of the Cathedral Group, this time over String Lake.
Then we had a little picnic lunch enjoying our sandwiches in the fresh mountain air, getting us fortified for what we thought would be a shorter along these to the two lakes. However we got carried away with how beautiful it was and in the end, by the time we were back, we had walked nearly 8 miles. But what beautiful miles they were.
There were breathtaking views of the mountains, rising beyond the beautiful lakes. We were in no rush, walking and strolling and just soaking it in. The trail wound through the woods and up and over numerous ridges.
Of course, we found more lovely flowers. Everyone who we talked to who live in the valley has told us that, due to the heavy snowfall this past winter, that has resulted in a huge bloom this summer. Oh, the power of water.
The lakes were gorgeous. The weather was in the mid to upper 70s and sunny with a blue, blue sky. We took so many photos.
We had a little excitement when a woman named Heather, who had passed us and soon turned around and came back in and out she had run into what she thought was a grizzly bear on the path ahead. Because she was walking by herself, she decided to turn around and come back. We agreed that that was a smart idea but decided we would go forward to see if we could get a glimpse of the bear. Another couple decided to join us and Heather said she'd come back with us, power in a group. So the five of us watch together for quite some ways. Chatting in the camaraderie way of people in the woods. Get a chance to talk about other bear sightings, of ourselves, and where we all were from. Then the couple finally decided they had enough and headed back, but Heather decided to come along with us. So, we walked quite a ways together, just the three of us. We had a chance to hear about Heather's life as a ski instructor over the past seven years here in Jackson Wyoming. She answered a lot of interesting questions about how skiing in the winter was in this area. It was very fun talking with her and we all learned a lot. She wanted to continue on, scouting for some campsites, and we decided we had had enough so we turned around. A third of the way back, we saw a cinnamon colored black bear running away from the path. We knew enough to know this was not a grizzly. This was a cinnamon colored black bear. Maybe about a yearling, not so large. It was far enough away that we felt quite safe but we definitely got a chance to see another bear. Wildlife luck is holding up!
By the time we got back to the car we were both agreeing maybe 8 miles was a couple miles too far for us and we were tired! But, we needed to make one more stop for the day. We were only a short distance along a scenic road from Jenny Lake. It was along the shores of this lake that Dick's family had camped 60 years ago. That trip was Dick's first encounter with the Grand Tetons and these mountains have been his blood ever since. He has returned to the Tetons every 3-6 years since that first visit. In many ways, it is his spiritual home.
We decided rather than cooking dinner, we would go into the town of Jackson and have somebody cook for us. We ended up having a nice meal at Bubba's barbecue. Lots of barbecued meat, enough to have dinner tomorrow night too. But we were glad to have somebody else cook and clean-up for us.
We went back to our hotel, or Patti lay down for a little nap. Dick headed up to do some exploring. We had heard that there were was a gondola that went up 3/4 of the way up the mountain where some of the finest skiing in the world takes place. During the winter this may be used for skiing, but in the summer it was for sightseeing and, after 5:00, the gondola runs for free. Dick scouted out and came back and urged Patti to put some shoes on and let's go explore. She did and we both had a great time.
The gondola took a few minutes going up the mountain about 3000 feet up to the 9000-foot level. We had a really nice view of the whole valley that is surrounded by mountains and is called Jackson Hole. We took a lot of pictures and looked out over the area. A whole different viewpoint on the valley in the mountains. It was interesting to watch the shadows of the mountain peaks move over the valley.
While we were looking at a sign that showed the gondola path and that the summer hiking trails, we had a chance to have a delightful conversation with a local couple, Chuck and Kim. They've lived in the area for 20 and 30 years and were able to give us a lot of interesting background about what it's like to live there. In the winter Chuck works a couple of days a week as a volunteer ski host on this ski resort, helping people find their way on the mountain. He gets to ski the mountain and receives free ski lift pass for the year. They were also talking about all of the preparations in this area for the total eclipse of the sun which is happening on August 21. The totality will pass right over Jackson and the town is abuzz with preparations. They have several family members who were driving or flying in to be with them for the eclipse. Darn, it would've been great to have our trip coincide with a total eclipse. But we would've had trouble finding a room.
So at least the sun was starting to go down and it was time to go off the mountain. So down, down, down on the gondola, we went. Very satisfying and a free trip. We like the value.
Walking back to the hostel we did some window shopping and bought some ice cream. All that gondola riding made us hungry. then back to the room to work on some photos and the blog. When the days are so full we need to take some time to write about them and prepare photos for inclusion. We hear that some people are frustrated when we get behind. We try to our best to keep up, not only for you but also for us to reflect on our experiences. We try to catch up when we can. Thank you for your understanding.
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