July 20, 2006

July 20,2006

This morning we plan to leave Yellowstone. I think four nights atop the world’s largest active volcano is pushing our luck. Besides we have seen enough hot springs, fumaroles, mudpots, and geysers, (there are thousands) even if many of them are spectacular. Our propane supply is low and we stop at the nearby service station to make our first fill of this tank. A student from Massachusetts assists us. $21, hmmm, not bad for two weeks of cooking, hot water and refrigeration.

We head south out of the park and into Grand Teton National Park. They touch at this point. For some reason we don’t pass through a fee booth. I guess the Yellowstone fee must cover both. Either way it doesn’t matter to us as we bought a National Park annual pass at the Badlands and it has already paid for itself.

Grand Teton Park was formed some years ago by the merger of Grand Teton reserve and the Jackson Hole monument. Geologic forces that uplifted the Teton Mountain range while at the same time dropping the Jackson Hole valley floor formed this region. Because of this, the Tetons rise dramatically from a broad flat valley. The Tetons are considered the jewels in the Rocky Mountain crown. They are stunning. The Snake River runs along the Tetons in the Jackson Hole valley. A dam was built on the Snake here forming Jackson Lake. The juxtaposition between lake and mountains make the Tetons even more dramatic. Our first stop is for a picnic lunch on the lakeshore with both of us facing the Tetons.

Our next stop is the Colter Bay visitor’s center. John Colter discovered this area after he finished with Lewis and Clark’s expedition. They have a small Indian Arts Museum. Aimee likes it more than I. Much of their clothing was decorated with tiny glass beads. Nothing unusual until you learn that all the beads the Indians used only came from Italy. The beads were some of the trade goods the Indians wanted in exchange for pelts and hides. Even back then Italian imports were all the rage.

Colter Bay marina rents boats, so we decide to get a tandem kayak and skate around the lake for better views. I also think this would be good exercise. However, shortly after we get in the water, I am mesmerized by the view and we just sit facing the Tetons soaking up the view. It doesn’t hurt that the lake water keeps the air around us comfortably cool. This sure beats working in an office.

Tonight we stay at a private campground on the western side of Jackson. Jackson must be a hopping place, as we have to endure a traffic jam all the way thru town.