While Ally is attending the Teton Science School this week the adults are taking a little time to do their favorite things. That means we're doing a bit of photography, a bit of hiking, and a bit of fishing. Even with all the rain we're having this is still a wonderful place to see, play, and explore.
The sagebrush meadows are full of wildflowers and the hills are green. The bison herd that usually hangs out across from the Gros Ventre campground, where we're staying, is just around the bend at...
...the Morman Flat area of the park. Morman Flat was settled in the 1800's and then was purchased in the 1900's to be included in the park. The early morning light is beautiful there and you will always see photographers from around the world just waiting for sunrise to shine on the buildings and the mountains. We try for sunrise but somehow it just doesn't happen all the time so we just have to settle for a less than perfect photo. Ah, compromise!
This is another early morning photography location with fabulous views of the Tetons. Not today. Those clouds are hanging low at Schwabacher's Landing.
A drive past the Gros Ventre Slide, where one of the world's largest movements of earth occurred in 1925, took us to Slide Lake...
...with the beautiful red bluffs changing color with the changes in cloud cover and sun.
We discovered a beautiful National Forest campground on the lake and the lake looks like it would be perfect for Ron's float tube. Of course, we didn't bring it this year. Next year it will be back onboard for the western tour.
Last August these hills across from our campground were gold. It will be interesting to see if that's the way they will be this August when we return to the Tetons.
Gil, Nancy, and I toured the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve and hiked to Phelps Lake. It was wonderful. You can't take an RV to the Preserve so I had never been there before. This week, while Ally is at the science school, we have a rental car and we want to go to the places that we can't visit in our RVs. As I drove down the road to the Preserve I wondered why no RVs were allowed on the road. It was better than many roads I've driven in the RV. After speaking with the Ranger at the Preserve we understood the answer to that question. When the Rockefeller ranch was donated to Grand Teton National Park to create the Preserve it was specified that the parking lot for visitors to the Preserve was to be of a certain size (small) and never changed. The forethought was that if there is little parking there will be fewer people enjoying the Preserve at any given moment. It works beautifully I might add. It makes for a quiet environment in which to enjoy the beauty of the place. The Ranger said that Alan Greenspan had been there last year and dutifully waited for a spot to open. No RVs and no special favors.
Phelps Lake at the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve
Nancy and Gil at Phelps Lake
As we were leaving the Preserve Gil spotted a cow moose and her baby near the road. We both have the same camera and lens so he was able to grab my camera and quickly capture their picture. Timing is everything when you photograph animals in their natural environment.
Sometimes you just get lucky!
The Grand Teton - get out that French dictionary and you'll see how she got her name from the French trappers who traveled this area.
No comments:
Post a Comment