We have been camped at Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park for several days. This campground is every bit as nice as I remembered it being from when we were here in '08. Once again, however, there is very limited cell service and WiFi, so this blog post will have to happen later.
On the Fourth of July we journeyed down to Jackson, Wyoming and Teton Village (the ski area) for the day. First, we saw the parade in Jackson which was good, not quite as funky and interesting as Talkeetna, Alaska, last year, but pretty good.
We wandered around Jackson for awhile. To say that Jackson is an "upscale" town would be an understatement. Houses are very pricey in the area, particularly in the outlying valleys (called the "hole", hence the area is known as Jackson Hole). The retail area downtown includes many high-end sporting goods shops, art galleries, restaurants, clothing stores, and much else, all with a distinctly Western flavor.
We drove on to Teton Village for the remainder of the day. This is the ski area just to the northwest of the town of Jackson, also very upscale. They run a very diverse music festival there which includes music on the green, which we enjoyed for awhile. It was hot, so we were happy to have the shade of the overhead canopy. Musical offerings included jazz, pop, local groups, and then, on into the evening, there were some featured artists which we didn't hear.
We then really enjoyed the Music in the Hole 4th of July Concert at the Walk Festival Hall which is right in the middle of Teton Village. The hall is not huge, but it is a wonderful venue with very lively acoustics. Donald Runnicles conducted an orchestra of very talented musicians apparently drawn from orchestras all over the United States. We immediately recognized Charles Ullery who is bassoonist from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. I was able to take a photo where Chuck is in the very center. Perhaps some Twin Citians will recognize him. Not a great photo. We spoke to Chuck after the concert and he indicated that he has been coming here every summer for this music series for just shy of 30 years! His wife is also here, but is not playing. She, too, is an SPCO musician.
Donald Runnicles was the principal San Francisco Opera conductor for many years, and we really enjoyed the operas when we lived in the Bay Area. He is now conducting several other orchestras and is in demand around the world. The soloist was Donnie Ray Albert, baritone. We had never even heard of this WONDERFUL singer whose deep, rich tones were perfect for the Gershwin, Kern and Copland offerings of the evening.
We drove back to Colter Bay after dinner in Teton Village. It was dusk and we took a back road, hoping to see some wildlife, but no luck.
Our next day we kayaked on Jackson Lake in some bays that poke off from the main lake. It was beautiful and interesting. We saw one eagle and several blue herons. The views of the Tetons from the lake are wonderful.
Yesterday we were up early to drive to South Jenny Lake. Right near the visitor center is the boat launch which takes people across the lake to a major Tetons Park trailhead.
One can also hike around the lake to this trail head, which we had previously done. After you disembark the boat, you can then hike up to Inspiration Point overlooking Jenny Lake, and to Hidden Falls, which is probably THE most popular hike in the park. Thousands of people do this every year. Then just past those points is another trail head, also extremely popular - the Cascade Canyon trailhead. You can hike this trail for miles! Most people do what we did - hike the 4.5 miles out to the fork and back. Another very popular extension of this hike is up to Lake Solitude. We had strongly considered including this portion, but the weather turned on us just as we reached the fork with thunder rumbling. It then started to rain, first a light drizzle, and then it really rained. We had rain the entire way back. We were prepared with raincoats, but another fleece layer would have been welcomed, especially because the boats going back to the other side of the lake were delayed due to the lightning in the area. We had to wait about 45 minutes on the dock, waiting for the go-ahead. Not fun. It cooled down at least 25 degrees from the lovely morning temperatures.
All this being said, it is a fantastic hike. We saw a bull moose in the woods, both coming and going. We also saw two yellow-bellied marmots. Here is the moose. Can you see him?
Cascade Canyon
We heard that a ranger was stationed at Paintbrush Divide, turning people back due to snowy and icy conditions at the pass. There is so much water this year. Everything is very green and the wildflowers are spectacular, as they have been everywhere we've been in Wyoming.
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