Ally flew home from Denver this morning and we hit the road early. I had planned to drive about 350 miles today on our way to Grand Teton National Park, our summer home. We stopped a little after noon for a lunch break and noticed the storms building to the north and west. We pulled up the weather report and it was calling for stormy conditions north of us in the direction I had planned to head for tonight's stopover. We decided to stay south of the storms and head west on Route 80across Wyoming. We kept thinking we would stop but it seemed the Tetons were pulling. The closer we got, the more we wanted to be there so I just kept driving. After a 12 hour trip with a few stops built in along the way we pulled into Gros Ventre campground in the park. We had dodged storms the whole way. The clouds were low over the mountains but we could see plenty of snow on the peaks. It's great to come home. Doris and Steve, the hosts from last year, welcomed us back. We settled into our favorite site and had a great night of slumber...well deserved...and much needed.
The next morning we were awake at daybreak and decided to head out in the early light to see what was going on in our favorite place. We passed a moose on the way out of the campground and then passed two pronghorn nuzzling as we drove around Antelope Flat. They are amazingly fast and it's unusual to be able to catch them up close in a photo.
In 2009 we had come here with Ally the first week in June. The weather was a bit gloomy and cold but the wildflowers and wildlife made up for that. This year there has been a record amount of snow on the Tetons - over 700" - and the flowers that normally bloom in early June are just now blooming. My favorite, the arrowleaf balsomroot, are just starting to show off their color. As we continued around Antelope Flat we could see the wonderful fields of flowers against the snow covered Tetons. Breathtaking!
The purple lupine are in among the arrowleaf balsomroot.
I wish they would last all year but they'll be gone before we know it. Our friends from AZ, newbie RVers (don't you love it), will be here soon and I'm hoping the flower show will stay till they arrive.
The last few mornings we've been getting up at daybreak as well and heading north a few miles into the park. I think folks still believe the weather is bad. Don't tell them that it changed the day we arrived. It's been gorgeous. The campground is as empty as we've ever seen it and the park, early in the morning, is ours, and ours alone. Fabulous. String Lake connects the big Jenny Lake with Leigh Lake. It's a wonderful place to photograph reflections if you get there before there's a ripple on the water.
There's not a soul in sight.
There's not a sound to be heard other than the "Good Mornings" of the birds.
What a great way to start our day...
...and what a great way to end our day. Every year when we arrive I check to see how the beaver lodge, on the Gros Ventre River that runs by our campground, has survived the winter. It amazes me that it is still here year after year. It's taking a pounding from the heavy snow runoff in the river but it will survive. I saw two beavers, a bald eagle, and a coyote here tonight. My nightly routine always includes a walk to the beaver lodge.
It's easy to see why we love it here so much. I can bike ride 24 miles round trip without ever having to worry about cars. The scenery is magnificent. The fishing is great when the runoff ceases. The animals abound. In the week we've been here now I've seen the bald eagle, the badger, the bison and babies, the beavers, the bear (on my bike ride today), the pronghorn, the mountain bluebird, and the moose. It's going to be a great year.
Tonight we reconnected with some Lazy Daze folks whom we met at Death Valley last year, Bob and Frances. Tomorrow, John and Linda, our Lazy Daze Southwest friends, and our newbie SOB (that's "some other brand" folks) friends, Phyllis and Noel, will arrive. Can there be any doubt we're havin' fun?
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