Short Stories: Schwieterman Summer Adventure Series - 2023 (Part 4.2 – Grand Tetons)
The majesty of the Rocky Mountains was calling, and we were all eager to see the Grand Tetons but when we finally arrived, the mountains were shy. They were hiding behind the dense cloud cover from all the recent rain. Our travels out West had witnessed rain every evening except for one. The day we left Dubois to make camp at Headwaters Flagg Ranch Campground, the pouring rain from the evening continued throughout the entire morning. The Wind River in Dubois, which flowed with crystal clear mountain water, was now a raging river of red water.
Our drive through the Togwotee Pass didn’t offer the spectacular views we were expecting, but we were hopeful that after setting up the travel trailer at the campground, the skies would clear for us to see the magnificent mountain views. The weather didn’t cooperate with that, so the itinerary was tossed, and we spent the day checking out the campground lodge and watching movies, including a family favorite to watch in the camper, The Great Outdoors.
The following day was dry, yet the clouds continued. We decided to venture out anyways, after all, any view of the mountains is better than looking at the walls of the camper! We had planned on driving the loop around the Grand Tetons in two days, but with the weather forecast, we opted to make it a long day, a really long day!
Here we go! We took US-191 along Jackson Lake, where pull offs are plentiful, but we didn’t stop at any. The views from the road were no different and none of the sights had yet called us to pullover as we meandered along the Snake River. The peaks were still hiding in the clouds with a light haze hovering in the air. We made our way to Morman Row to check out the famous barn. Being from farm country may have lessened the awe of this sight; we weren’t impressed. Had the mountains been visible in the backdrop, I imagine our opinions would be changed.
We had a tailgate lunch with peak-a-boo views of the mountains as the cloud cover was beginning to show signs of relenting. We opted to burn some time by heading south fifteen miles to Jackson Hole in hopes of better views when we returned for the remainder of the Teton loop. Jackson is definitely a haven for tourists, and we partook in some of the shops as we walked around the crowded downtown. After an hour we had seen our fill, so we headed back to Teton Park Road. Again, there are numerous pull offs to satisfy the need to gaze adoringly at the landscape. The cloud cover had improved, but it was far from a brilliant blue sky, so my pictures failed to capture anything spectacular.
We did make an amazing memory at a pull off along Jenny Lake, where we scrambled down an embankment to dip our toes in the cool waters of the lake. The girls played on the large rocks for quite a while before we loaded back in the truck to head toward Signal Mountain Summit. The winding road was a steep incline straight up the mountain to Jackson Point Overlook, an elevation gain of about 1000 feet. The views at the top were spectacular but the narrow road made Mommy close her eyes several times as we hugged the curb to avoid oncoming traffic.
After that wild adventure, we decided to rest for supper with a view. We ate on the patio of Trapper Grill, which offered a grand view of the Tetons, and a surprise treat as a bald eagle flew directly over us and perched for a while on a nearby pine tree.
As we made our way back to the campground, we pulled in at Lakeview picnic area off John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Parkway to let the girls play on the banks of Jackson Lake. My momma-bear eyes were constantly on the lookout for an actual bear. It seemed like the kind of place a grizzly would come at dusk. Thankfully we only saw other travelers.
Since our views weren’t the greatest, we have no doubt that we want to return to the Grand Tetons and noted that Jenny Lake Trail would be on the itinerary. We didn’t get to hike on this adventure, but our driving tour of the Tetons was still very enjoyable. (All the activities of this day took nine hours.)
Next stop: Yellowstone National Park
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