Tetons and Wind River, Wyoming - September '24

Grand Teton National Park is mere minutes away from Yellowstone NP and thus initially, feels as if it is part of the same park. But make no mistake, it is quite distinct. Like its geologic brethren the European Alps, New Zealand’s Milford Sound or the Chilean Andes, they rise up jagged, dramatic and majestic into the sky, taking your breath away. The grandeur of the Teton range rivals Glacier NP, also not far up the road, but what makes it so unique compared to all of these other mountain havens, is the access. Numerous points from the road provide jaw dropping views. Cottonwood and Aspen leaves glow yellow now, especially as dusk settles on us each day. We saw a moose and a couple of brown black bears.

The crowds have thinned a bit from her sister parks to the north, but as there, a fraction of people ventured with us very far from the car. In between Yellowstone and the Tetons we boondocked (free disbursed camping) at an epic site for two nights above windy (directionally) Pole Cat Creek with unimpeded views of the Tetons that was just incredible. Our long time friend from the Peace Corps joined us for a few days of biking and hiking. Then Josh and he met up with 3 other Peace Corps friends who flew into Jackson and headed to the Wind River Range for their annual (more than 30 year tradition) 5-day backpacking trip. The "Winds" were gorgeous with many jeweled lakes, and the Titcomb basin at 10,000 feet, is a barren landscape in a glacially cut U-shaped valley, surrounded by stunning granite peaks.

One taste of wildlife Stace could do without, is that mice managed to spend a few nights inside the toasty van with us. One made an audible appearance, left its mark in our shoes and disappeared by morning. We thought the severe wind and thunderstorm outside must have encouraged the intrusion. Then another, several days later, appeared to have hitched a ride on PB for 48 hours, though has now moved on (he didn’t get to taste the organic peanut butter slathered on the trap set, and luckily avoided its intended purpose to live another day and pester some other travelers).

As we approach 8 weeks on the road and over 2,800 miles, we are excited to move south and begin to experience a vastly different landscape and hopefully warmer climate as the chill of fall sets in. Onwards to Utah!