Tag: Grand Teton

Girls Grand Expotition 2012… Day Three, An Unforgettably Gorgeous Day!

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Refreshed after a much needed night of sleep, we started our third day bright and early. The fire near Jackson seemed to be creating allergy issues for me, but I certainly wasn’t going to let that stop me. We got up, packed the car, enjoyed our breakfast and then hit the road. Well, sort of…
once in the car we stopped moments later for pictures with the famous antler arches.
then we stopped for gas.
we were then caught in a construction stop for about 15 minutes.
finally, we were moving along…
Mommy and the Girls underneath the famous Jackson  antler arches.

once we were moving we crossed into Grand Teton National Park.
we stopped for pictures in front of the sign.
we stopped for a lot of pictures on our way to Moose Junction.
from Moose Junction we took the road in towards Jenny Lake.
Mommy and the girls about to enter Grand Teton National Park

Auntie Kelli and the girls about to enter Grand Teton National Park.

the road towards Jenny Lake gave us spectacular views. 
you couldn’t tell there were fires nearby.
it also gave us a lot of places to stop and take some great pictures.
the day was perfect. the skies were blue with the perfect wisps of clouds.

The Tetons approaching Jenny Lake

The Tetons are growing as we get closer to Jenny Lake.

we decided to take the Jenny Lake Loop Drive.
we made a stop at Jenny Lake for some pictures. 
the girls were cranky so Kelli was the only one to get out for pictures. it was a beautiful view though.
by the time we reached Hoback Junction, the girls were growing restless.
we quickly drove to Oxbow Bend, which looked beautiful with the willows starting to change color.
after our photo op, we hit the road and began the quick trip to Yellowstone.
It almost doesnt look real. The willows are starting to turn at Oxbow Bend.

on the road out of Teton and through the John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway we hit construction.
two construction stops along the way slowed us a bit.
after the last construction stop, we decided to take a break at Colter Bay.
we stopped to shop and I found two replacements for my favorite key chain.
after a potty break, lunch and souvenirs we were back on the road and only 20 miles from Yellowstone.

The girls at the South Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. This would be Kelli’s first time entering this wonderful National Park. I did not get a picture of her at the sign on my camera, so I will have to get one from Kelli.

after a quick drive we arrived at the South Entrance of Yellowstone National Park.
this would be Kelli’s first time in Yellowstone, so we had to stop for pictures.
we took pictures of Kelli, the girls, the girls and I and more.
we also watched several men from back East fish the Yellowstone. they caught a few too!
after taking it all in, we got back into the car and crossed the boundary into Yellowstone.
Kelli crossing the Continental Divide over Craig’s Pass. Another first for Kelli!

our first stop was Lewis Falls. one of my favorites.
we then drove to Grants Village and around Yellowstone Lake to Fishing Bridge.
on our way we stopped to see the Lake Hotel. Such a pretty place and not well known either.
from Fishing Bridge we drove a few miles out towards the East Entrance.
we didn’t see Wolves or Bear as we hoped, but we saw a lot of Bison.
from there we turned around and headed back the way we came, diverting our travel towards Old Faithful.
on our way over Craig’s Pass, we stopped at one of the two markers for the Continental Divide.
this was another first for Auntie Kelli, so we had to stop and document it.

One of many beautiful thermal pools along Firehole Lake Drive.

we reached the junction at Old Faithful and headed towards the West Entrance.
we had a bit of extra time so we decided to explore the Firehole Lake Drive loop.
the thermal pools were gorgeous in the afternoon sun.
fall means that water levels are low but Firehole Lake and its surrounding pools were spectacular.
A lone Coyote out for an afternoon hunt. Our first non-hoofed animal sighting of the trip.

after finishing our drive around Firehole Lake, we headed towards the West Entrance.
along the way we saw our first animal that didn’t have hooves, a lone Coyote hunting rodents in a meadow.
we cut off at Madison Junction and headed towards West Yellowstone.
along the way, we saw a Bald Eagle perched at the top of a pine tree.
from this point we drove and didn’t stop. our destination was my parents house in Bozeman.ft
The drive through Gallatin Canyon and the outer borders of the park was beautiful, especially at the time of the afternoon that we did it in. Within an hour and a half we had arrived at my parents house and boy were we happy to see them. I have to say I was a little sad, because it meant the big road trip portion of our trip was over but we still have a long weekend in Yellowstone and some down time in Bozeman to enjoy. What a great day! I certainly hope Kelli felt the same way!

Girls Grand Expotition 2012… Day Two and the Journey Continues!

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If Day One was great, then I can easily call Day Two amazing. I have done the trip from Porter Ranch to Salt Lake City many times in my life. Probably more then I can count actually, so it isn’t always as impressive to me. The being said, I enjoyed it more then normal because Kelli has never been through most of that route before. However, the trip from Salt Lake City to Jackson Hole is one of many favorites and a trip that brings back a lot of childhood memories, so I was really looking forward to it and to sharing it with Kelli.
Today was definitely filled with a lot of pictures. Unfortunately I had a few issues with my camera, one of which was improper settings that I didn’t bother to check. So a lot of my pictures turned out grainy and dark. Oh well, that’s life! Anyway, this is how the first part of our day went…
woke up excited and ready to hit the road, breakfast was pretty yummy too! 
stopped in Ogden for some gas, ice, snacks and of course, coffee!
once we reached Brigham City, it was time to cut off towards Logan Canyon. I think I was a bit giddy.
drove through Logan and found that a few of the places we used to stop at for picnic items as a kid.
started up Logan Canyon, the trees were beginning to turn and a storm was looming in the distance. 🙂
stopped at Ricks Springs, a spot my family always visited when I was a kid. Ah, memories.
reached the top of the canyon and the Bear Lake overlook. Perfection.
stopped in Garden City for a famous Raspberry shake and some lunch. Yummy.
drove along Bear Lake on our way to Jackson. On a partially cloudy day, the lake was amazingly blue.
Ricks Springs

Another generation enjoying a beautiful day  and a stop at Ricks Springs.

Kelli and the girls at the Bear Lake Overlook

Mommy and the Girls at Bear Lake… such a gorgeous day.

After the drive around Bear Lake, we headed back into the canyons and I was in heaven. The sky was perfectly blue, the air was crisp and the leaves were starting to change. I have never been through this area near the beginning of Fall, so I felt as though I was seeing some of this for the very first time. It was beautiful, relaxing, cathartic even and I was so thrilled to be sharing it with such a dear friend. The only thing that could make this even more perfect would be having Shaun here. One day soon.
Once we passed through Afton and hit our junction in Alpine we began our trip through Snake River Canyon. We were almost to Jackson and there was plenty of fun ahead of us!

after a few stops in the Snake River Canyon, we made it to Hoback Junction. Jackson here we come!
on the road to Jackson we noticed several brush fires up in the canyons near Jackson, bummer.
we checked in to our hotel, after a near meltdown moment.
           side note: the meltdown…the hotel didn’t have our reservation. it was found and all was right.
after a few moments of unpacking and taking a breather we were back in the car.
soon we were in Teton National Park. i think the first sight of the peaks took Kelli’s breath away.
we drove, stopping whenever we could, but as the sun set we were forced to head back to Jackson.
to end the night we stopped to do a little shopping and grab some pizza for dinner before bedtime.

Snake River Canyon… Perfection

Kelli and the girls at the Snake Overlook in Teton

A little sneak peak before our day in Teton tomorrow.

After a long day its now time for the adults to head to bed  The girls, after only a bit of fight, are passed out cold. What an amazing day. I tried my best to soak it all in and enjoy every moment. I think Kelli really enjoyed the day and all that she has seen so far. That is the icing on the cake for me. I cannot wait until tomorrow.