Whoever said that line the mountains are calling must have had the Teton Range in Grand Teton National Park in mind. They are so mesmerizing, it is impossible to stop staring at them in awe. Pictures do not do it justice. They follow your gaze as you drive around the park. It is like one of those pictures with eyes staring at you no matter where you move, but in reverse.
We weren’t prepared for how breathtakingly beautiful this park would be. It was so exciting to be in another national park and also on the verge of traipsing through quite a few of the biggies. But, Teton was our first stop and we fell in love instantly. We spent hours finding different spots to take more pictures of the mountains and the many mirror-like lakes. Not sure what we will do with all of those pictures, but we could not stop!
This is the kind of place that woos you with its serenity and convinces you that should be living there. We wanted to figure out how we could do that! So, we decided to check out the nearest real town Jackson, WY. Umm, way busier than the OC in a two mile radius and probably just as expensive! Fun for a visit, but not for a home for recent SoCal escapees that are still a bit traumatized by the traffic and congestion in the matrix.
Although going through all of these pictures and memories for this post, Gary wondered aloud why aren’t we moving here? Looking at this sunset it is hard to answer that question.
We did stop gawking at the mountains for long enough to go hiking and explore the park looking for animals. Lots of mamas and babies were out and about in all of their cuteness. Cue the oohs and ahhs.
We had plenty of time to get our bison fix too.
Our favorite hike was around a glacial lake, named Phelps Lake. It was crystal clear, but it was as cold as ice, ice baby. Glacial ice, ice baby. Yes, I do realize how bad that was and I am sorry you will have that song in your head all day.
When we pulled into the trailhead parking, we were told by a ranger there was a bear on the right side of the lake. That put the kibosh on us hiking all the way around because bears be scary (more detail in our “what we learned” section below). So, we decided to stay on the trail on the left side of the lake and got lucky enough to see another moose and her baby up close!
Best thing we did?
Canoeing on Jackson Lake. GTNP is all about those mountains, but how you view them makes it even better. In our case we had a spectacular view from the water.
Although, the canoeing itself was a love/hate thing. I loved it, but Gary hated that I didn’t know how to row.
I wanted to power through it, but there is actually some skill involved, so we went in a lot of circles. We would have made some great reality show footage. Maybe individual kayaks next time?
Speaking of it is how you view it, canoeing might have been the best thing we did, but the best way to view the Tetons is at the outdoor bar at Jackson Lodge. Order a margarita and settle in for the evening.
Best thing we ate?
This is the second time morels have been the best thing we ate. But they deserve it! Orsetto Bar and Italian Eatery in downtown Jackson served us the most perfect starter. These morels were cooked in a creamy and savory sauce and tossed with English peas. If us gushing about these mushrooms twice should make it clear. When they are on the menu, you must order them!
What we learned?
Bears be scary!
They look so cute from afar. Just a big brown or black blob (yes since we don’t have a super good zoom lens like the rest of the people in Grand Teton, they look like a bear shaped blob). But, they are the only animal park rangers warn you about where you need to carry a weapon just in case. Bear spray, scary!
Bison, elk…those guys are massive too. But, there is no weaponized spray with their name on it! No, bears own that. Bear spray moved to the top of the shopping list!
We have read that you could wear bells or talk really loud so the bears know you are there and will run away. Really? We aren’t comfortable having faith in our yelling out “hey bear” that it is going to keep a 600 pound animal from attacking us. That being said I don’t know that we believe the bear spray will be effective for us either. We have to be calm enough in the situation to allow a bear to charge us, get 40 feet from us, and then spray. Gary that is all you.
That being said, even the scary bears wouldn’t keep us away. Seeing these mountains must be on your bucket list!
Next Stop: The world’s first national park