Tetons and Yellowstone Day 2
Tetons and Yellowstone
Day 2 - September 7, 2005 - Lander, WY to Jackson, WY
We woke up at 7 AM without the alarm; old habits are hard to break even when we are on vacation. It was a beautiful morning in Lander, sunny with a few powder puff white clouds. Last night when we returned from dinner there were no parking spaces so I parked right out in front. The hotel was doing some construction so I went out early to move the car to the back so we could pack up more easily. After a simple continental breakfast we loaded the car and were off at 8:45. We topped off the tank and got back on US 287, the road to Yellowstone and Jackson.
We traveled through the Wind River Indian Reservation where we enjoyed the high, red, sandstone buttes and mesas. There were miles and miles of sage brush throughout this very dry and desolate area of Wyoming. We saw very few other cars, no ranches and only a few antelope. When we got to the Wind River valley there were more irrigation systems and agriculture on small ranches. We stopped to take a few pictures along the way and saw a large herd of antelope grazing in an irrigated field.
After passing through Dubois we entered the Teton National Wilderness where we saw more pine trees, aspens, and began to see rugged mountain peaks. This road is called the Wyoming Scenic Byway, a perfect name for this beautiful area. We passed through many areas of Open Range, where there no fences and stock, mainly cattle and horses, were free to graze. We stopped for several photo opportunities and at Togwattee Pass (9,658 feet) and crossed the Continental Divide one more time.
At the Grand Teton National Park overlook, we stopped to take a few more shots and to put the top down on the car. What a gorgeous way to drop into the Jackson Lake basin seeing the Grand Tetons in the background. We had just entered the Park when the Ranger advised us that the 7 Day Pass for both Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks was the best value. We had to pay only $20 for the pass and headed for Jackson Lake Junction. This is the Park's scenic route around the multiple lakes and the town of Moose.
Within 5 minutes of entering the Park we saw many cars and campers all congested on both sides of the road. We stopped to see what they were watching and they pointed out a bull moose (not TR) that was down by the lake. Gennie got out and followed the trail to the lake's edge to see her first moose in the wild. She actually got close enough to get some good photos.
We were back on the road again, twisting through the trails that are well marked and maintained. We stopped at Mountain View Turnout and had our picnic lunch of cheese, crackers, celery and carrots with plums for dessert. We visited the Jenny Lake Visitor's Center and took several shots of the 200 foot deep glacial lake formed when the ice melted millions of years ago. We continued on to the town of Moose where we spent time at the Visitor's Center on the wild Snake River. This was our last stop in the park for today.
At 2 PM we headed south on US 26 toward Jackson. There were now a lot of vehicles on the road and the speed was somewhat conservative. It gave us a chance to look at the scenery and get some sun. As we drove into Jackson, we began to look for the 49er Inn by Quality Inn and Suites. Jackson reminds us of Vail but without the spectacular mountains. We checked in, they gave us a suite with wi-fi for Gennie and I to do our computer work and pointed out some of the better restaurants. We unloaded and took our bags to our room and then went to gas the car and give it a wash. Gas here is much cheaper!
We returned to our room and took a long walk around the town. We looked at shops, checked menus and just watched people. Gennie bought a few t-shirts and we walked back to have dinner at the Chili Pepper Grill. She had the pork-loin special (Iowa girl) and I had the giant chili relleno and enchilada. After dinner we crossed the parking lot and walked up to our room to do the log and work on the pictures.
We drove a total of --- and after looking in the mirror noticed that my face was very sun-burned as I drove without a hat or any lotion today. Our day was full - we were able to see many red tailed hawks, antelope, buffalo, coyotes, and a moose!
| Miles Traveled | Gallons | Avg.Price | MPG |
| 131.2 | 4.51 | $3.189 | 29.09 |
| 184.4 | 6.175 | $2.979 | 27.32 |
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