Sept 17, Thu - day 42
West Yellowstone, Montana
Weather - low 35 (2C) to mid 80s (30C) sunny
We traveled to the Tetons in search of the elusive moose today, so it was an early 4:00am start (these early mornings may catch up with us). We would have been happy just to see Bullwinkle. :O) There was a nice crescent moon in the pre-dawn and beautiful sunrise over Yellowstone Lake; a lovely start to the day.
As we crossed over the continental divide (third time this morning) and down into the Lewis River valley and canyon, the fall colors were just outstanding. Fall seemed much more present to the south of the park, probably due to the prevalence of Aspen and other deciduous plants. After we passed through the South Entrance to Yellowstone and into Grand Teton National Park we were greeted with eight miles of major road repair…we’d braced ourselves for the worst after hearing stories from other travelers. Surprisingly it wasn’t too bad. We arrived when the road crew were starting their work day and they had just finished watering the road as we pulled up, reducing a lot of the dust issues we’d been warned about. Our line was on the move and we didn’t experience the 30 minute waits that had been advertised.
Just beyond the road work we got our first glimpse of Jackson Lake. The lake is up to 15 miles (25 km) long, 7 miles (11.25 km) wide and 438 feet (134 m) deep. The water of the lake averages below 60 degrees (15 c) even during the hottest summer months and can freeze to more than 6 feet (1.8 m) thick in the winter. The lake is natural, but the top 33 feet (10 m) was added in 1911 for irrigation needed in Idaho.
The first animals we saw in Teton National Park were two antelope, about 300 yd away, then saw two more, but this time very close to the road. The temperature was about 90F or 32C and we noticed that the heat waves created from the high temps were affecting our photos. Beautiful scenery, lots of traffic, quite a few horseback riders, several hawks, more antelope (48 in one group), and hundreds of bison gave way to many photo ops.
Because we’d entered the Teton area early in the morning the light was optimal for photographing the mountain range. It was mid-day by the time we arrived at the ‘moose’ hang-out areas and most moose migrate to the cool bushy areas and were not visible. It was a hard choice, whether to stop and shoot the mountains or rush to get to the moose…the Tetons won out hands down this time.
After spending a good part of the day in the Tetons, we turned for home and the road repair. Again, we hit it just right and moved almost straight on through the construction. We made a much needed stop at Grant Village and learned that a large bull elk had been killed in the campground the previous night, due to injuries acquired during a contest with another bull over the possession of his harem of cows.
One more stop on the way home. When we approached the turn-off to Firehole Lake Drive there was a coyote near the road and Racine got some shots. There were lots of elk on the Madison, but all were a good distance away and we just drove on by. There was still a lot of traffic in the park today, but less than last week.
Only 12 ˝ hours today, not exhausted but definitely tired, we climbed into Gus and rested. The adventure continues…
To see more of 'The Great Adventure 2009' images click HERE
