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Into the Grand Tetons Nat Park (GTNP)

Posted by on July 12, 2013

G again.  We departed Flaming Gorge campground at 8:30 am and quickly got on Highway 191.  A beautiful scenic drive that took us from Northern Utah into Wyoming.  The road becomes known as the Centennial Scenic Byway- and is truly breathtaking.  Around 3 pm, we entered the Jackson Hole area just south of GTNP. The mountains are a striking range since they have no foothills and they seem to jut up straight toward the sky.  L is already saying that she may like

Sunset on the Tetons

Sunset on the Tetons

these better than the mountains at RMNP- balderdash! After a quick trip through Jackson Hole and to the Park’s southern end visitor center,we headed for our campsite at Colter Bay campground.  This is one of the first times we have been able to stay and camp in a National Park campground.  Colter Bay is located on Jackson Lake, by far the largest lake in GTNP. We are excited as this is the first park where we have a good chance to see bear-  I am readying my CounterAssault Bear spray for any angry bears!  After getting camp set up (we get quicker with it each day), we head off for dinner at the John Colter Cafe- we lingered longer over our casual dinner since this is one of the only places we can find with cell service and WIFI.  After dinner, we did a short easy walk down to Colter Bay for a partial hike on the Lakeshore Trail-  I say partial since the first “Be Bear Aware” sign we saw made L do a 180 degree turn and we were headed back to the safety of the car- (next time I will have the bear spray with me at all times, even in the restaurants for those pesky inside bears!) We set off in the car to look for wildlife in the remaining 90 minutes or so of daylight.  Earlier that day, we had seen a small herd of bison very far

The Grizzly...from a safe distance.

The Grizzly…from a safe distance.

in the distance and I had seen a fleeting glimpse of a moose near the visitor center.  At several different stops, all we could spot were mule deer.  We headed over to the Jackson Lake dam to check it out since we were now dam experts!  While no match for the size or scope of Flaming Gorge dam, the water from this dam was spewing out and was a powerful site.  We snapped a few quick pictures before being nearly carried off by a zillion mosquitoes.  Leaving the dam, we saw a group of about 12 vehicles stopped along the road right at dusk.  We were excited to see our first grizzly bear.  Even at 200-300 yards in the distance, the bear was an imposing site to behold.  Hopefully, we will get to see more up closer- (L hopes not too close:)  We are looking forward to our full day of adventure tomorrow in GTNP!

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