GRAND Tetons

Gros Ventre Campground, Grand Tetons National Park, WY – July 17 thru July 23, 2013

When we had visited the campground earlier, we were told it is best to check in between 11:00 and noon, So we packed up and headed out. The drive was even better sitting up high in BG.

After getting settled at our site we took off for Jackson or as it’s also known,  Jackson Hole. Traffic was heavy and lots of people, so much for our theory that mid week things aren’t as busy. We found the Snake River Brewing Company and had lunch.

Thus fortified we’re off to check out the town. EJ did some browsing and Frank sat in the town park to avoid the crowds. They had these great arches made from Elk antlers at all four corners of the park. Nice place with lots of Galleries, but nothing in our price range.  

Frank was ready to be done with town, so we headed back. We did stop at the Visitors Center and enjoyed the dioramas and displays. We learned that the male Elks shed their antlers every year, so that is why there are so many to create all of the arches and other art. The center was located overlooking the Elk Refuge and from up top we could see all of the traffic coming back into Jackson.

We had heard about the town of Kelly near our campground that had a deli/coffee shop so we checked it out on our way back. The town has maybe two dirt roads with houses and several Yurts. Kind of a cloudy sunset, but the view from the RV can’t be beat.

What a nice cool night and lazy morning. Frank was outside and told me to look out the front window. This herd of Bison were slowly grazing by.

We headed out for some of the roads less traveled that we had not done yet. We drove out Gros Ventre Road and made a stop at the coffee/deli in Kelly. Uh oh – they make a great Mocha Latte. We came upon the Gros Ventre Slide area. Interesting  event that caused the damning of a river, creation of a lake and dramatically changed landscape.

We had to check out the Kelly Warm Springs. It turned out not to be so warm, but it was a spring none the less. We got out feet wet, but the rocks were too slippery to go very far. We later talked to the coffee shop manager and she said the locals don’t go in because of all of the Bison using it. Maybe that’s why they call it a Warm Spring.

Off to Signal Mountain and more great Teton Views along the way.

It was a really nice drive up to the top and we were rewarded with spectacular views of the northeast corner of the park. Including an area they call the potholes. Back at the bottom of the drive we had a peek at Jackson Lake.

Traffic wasn’t too bad, so we decided to check out Teton Village to get some information on the Tram ride up the mountain. Turns out it had stopped running at 6pm, but the 8 passenger gondola that went up 3/4 of the way to a restaurant and overlook was still running AND since it was after 4:30, it was free. Can’t pass that up, so off we went. Great views on the way up and at the top.

As usual for us, we paid for two nights thinking that would be enough, but we felt there was more to do and enjoy so we upped another night and hung around camp. Later in the day we took a break and a drive to the coffee shop. It is very bad that it is only a mile from camp. Went to explore a dirt road we hadn’t been on yet and came across a herd of Bison enjoying the afternoon. This time we could see some young ones.

Still not sure where to next and we are getting sooo good at this linger longer stuff, we upped another day. Went to our(getting to be personal) coffee shop for lunch and local wildlife.

Also on Monday Frank’s theory concerning crowd sizes and idiots was proven again. (Let’s use the term Bozo’s instead of Idiots. It’s a little less harsh). Monday morning we went to the camp entrance to pay up for one more day. It seems as though a lot of folks decided to stay over Sunday night and leave on Monday. You can already sense that a crowd is in the making.

At the entrance there is a loop that contains 2 dump stations and one fresh water station. The loop is one way, with signs, and there is room for one RV at each station. Well, all the stations were full and there was a line of RV’s waiting their turn. That makes a crowd, right? Well, sure enough, one Bozo decides he doesn’t want to go the direction the one way sign indicates. So he backs up and runs right into another RV. Sigh, you just can’t fix stupid!!

We have really enjoyed our time at the Grand Tetons. We did take time to go into Jackson again for groceries, Pizza fix, a movie and to take care of some paperwork. We also got to have a campfire one evening and soak up the full moon. Not a bad way to end our stay.

Unfortunately the additional inverter that Frank installed to help conserve our battery usage shot craps one day, so our next stop will be in Salt Lake City, Utah where we will pick up a new one.