Showing all posts tagged Grand Tetons

Breakfast on Elk Island

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Hubby and I had planned an epic 1st day of school for the kids. Beginning with waking up early, getting on a boat, and having breakfast on Elk Island. That would have made for an awesome 1st day of school picture right? Homeschooling for the win yo…Do people still say that? If not, I’m bringing it back.

So we got the kids up early, bundled up as best we could. (We southerners were so not prepared for August in Wyoming) What?! It’s not 110 degrees at 8 am? It’s not by the way. Made it to the boat launch in record time for this family and we could hear some thunder off in the distance. The boat captain came out a few minutes later to say that they had to cancel due to the weather, so bummer on the epic back to school pic and breakfast I didn’t have to cook.

We did however go to the restaurant at Colter Bay for a yummy hot breakfast and made it back to the camper as the rain was starting to fall.

The rain made it easy to start school, because we couldn’t go outside anyway.

We rescheduled for the Elk Island trip and I’m so glad we did! It was about a 30 minute boat ride to the island and from there, we were greeted with piping hot cowboy coffee cooked on a campfire and a hearty breakfast including grilled trout, sausage, bacon, blueberry pancakes, eggs, yogurt and fruit.

There were tables set up on a flat section of the island with a unique view of Mt. Moran. We ate our hot breakfast and it was so good despite that it was pretty dern chilly. After we ate, everyone was invited to go on a short hike to the top of the hill for an incredible view. It was about a 10 minute hike but man, was it steep! I think we were all huffing and puffing by the time we reached the top and my thighs were on fire. View was totally worth it though!

~Enjoy the journey!

A Hiking We Will Go..

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We spent much of our time (that it didn’t rain) outdoors. As you totally should when you are in Wyoming the climate is loverly. I grew up in Louisiana. And while I love the nostalgia of my “home” state (and the food. Because seriously, Louisiana has the best food arguably in the country) this flat lander gal from a hot an humid state loves the complete opposite of said state.

Give me some mountains and cool weather and I am in my happy place. Ideally, my perfect place would stay shy of 77 degrees on a normal day and the winter down to about 10 degrees. Add a sweet small town where I can own a bakery or coffee shop and solve all the towns mysteries I’m there. My husband says I watch too much Hallmark channel…I don’t know what he means by that.

Whatever. But I LOVE cool weather. Hot and humid just makes me cranky. And life is too short for that. So go to the mountains I say! So we did. Actually, going to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons was my middle’s idea. He requested it and we thought, sure! Where else do we have to go?! So we went. No middle child syndrome there. If he ever mentions he isn’t being heard, we can say, “We did an entire summer trip based on your idea! Bam! Alleviated years of therapy.

But I digress. Or do I? So Grand Teton National Park is truly a must see. I know it doesn’t get as much attention as its neighbor 30 minutes north, *whispers* Yellowstone. shhhhh But it is a lot of beauty packed into a smaller area for sure. We didn’t even touch half of the hiking trails they have and we did a good amount. Obviously with kiddo’s and being we are pretty new to this whole outdoorsy hiking stuff, we kept it off the strenuous trails.

Its amazing how being a parent can make you way more aware of your (dangerous) surroundings. Especially when your #3 bebops down the trails and you’re constantly saying, “watch where you’re going!” “Actually LOOK where you’re going!” “Oh crap! A bear!” (Yeah that really happened) Luckily, I completely managed to do it without giving him a complex.

We got to see beautiful wildlife on our hikes, a momma moose and her baby, a HUGE bull moose, various birds, a hamster or gerbil. I didn’t even know they were in the wild, whaaat??? Oh and a bear. That walked right by and in front of us. That was awesome. Actually it wasn’t while it happened. But now it’s like…yeah, we totally survived a bear encounter.

  • The halfway point
  • Yes..she made a throne of rocks so only her feet would get wet

~Enjoy the journey!

Grand Tetons Here We Come!

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We finally made it! We are SO happy to be at our destination for the next 2 1/2 weeks and it is absolutely gorgeous!

The drive up western Wyoming went without issue. Loved driving through the small communities and towns in the valley’s up until Jackson Hole. I had never been to Jackson Hole before, and was not prepared for the cuteness factor of the town! From the mountain town feel storefronts and big trees in the square, to huge hanging baskets of colorful flowers lining the storefronts and streets. It was a feast for the eyes for sure. What I could not get over though, was the amount of people in that place! Tourists everywhere and to top it off, we came in the weekend of a banker convention of some sort. It was a little nerve-racking driving our giant box on wheels through the city streets to get out the other side.

After that fun, we were on the home stretch to our destination. Driving on Hwy. 191 alongside the Grand Teton mountain range was beautiful! We could not stop staring at the mountains. Pulling into Colter Bay on Jackson Lake was equally amazing. Staying so close to the mountains and the views from the lake were so pretty.

After we set up our campsite, we drove down to the lake for sunset and to see the views. The mountain view was a little hazy due to the smoke from the fires, but I think it added to the beauty of the sunset and the light that time of day.

What do you think?

~Enjoy the journey!