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Elk Island Colter Bay Breakfast Cruise
The second morning we woke up in the Tetons, we scooted out the door for an adventure out of Colter Bay, titled “Jackson Lake Scenic Breakfast Cruise“, Dee Dee’s treat. I shot the picture below as we waited for the group to gather. I love the contrast of the warm color of the sea kayaks against the cool water and an mountains. There were two boats to transport our small crowd. Captain Ron took us on his boat “Rondezvous” to Elk Island where there were picnic tables, a large bonfire, grill station for pancakes, hash browns, scrambled eggs and trout, continental breakfast buffet, cowboy coffee and drink station. On the…
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Death Canyon Hike and the Mangy Moose
After the horseback ride, we waffled back and forth over which hike we should do. A friend had told Joe that Death Canyon Patrol Cabin hike was beautiful, but it was close to 8 miles with a lot of elevation change. So he had found a “meh” trail. I don’t even remember the name of it, but it was south of the park and looked easy. (Side note: Joe is a hiker. He’s like a frigging mountain goat when he hits a trail. Yet take him to a shopping mall and he’s a sloth unless you start him off with a Dr. Pepper.) I felt so bad he was settling…
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Horseback Riding Along Pacific Creek in the Tetons
The first morning in the Tetons we drove out to Swift Creek Outfitters along Pacific Creek just east of Jackson Lake Lodge. Because they maintain over 100 horses, reservations were not required and we were able to drive up and have no wait to register and hit the trail. We did the 1 Hour Cowboy Creek Crossing Riding, and we all ended up a little wet, some more than others. Dee Dee’s horse stopped at the final crossing to splash its belly and stomped around in the water for a few moments. I would have loved a two hour ride, but since our boys had never been on a horse…
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Sunsets at Jackson Lake Lodge and Lunch Tree Hill
From Schwabacher Landing, Jackson Lake Lodge wasn’t too far a drive. I believe we stopped for a quick Bison viewing around Moran before finally making a left turn onto the grounds. The main lodge and lobby were stunning if only for the huge window facing the mountain range. Once checked in and unpacked, we headed back the main lodge to look into dinner. Side note, most of these hotels and lodges are not air-conditioned. The warm season is so brief with chilly night temps, it just isn’t sensible to have AC. However, the rooms did get hot during the day even in mid-June, so lying around in the room wasn’t…
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Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton National Park
Part of the excitement of this trip out west was not having every hour of every day planned out. There were several spots we wanted to make time to hit, but there was enough flexibility on our drives for impromptu stops. I’m fairly certain you could make an entire trip composed of nothing but impromtu stops in the Tetons and Yellowstone. We pulled over several times in Idaho for wildlife and Oregon Trail historic landmarks. Schwabacher Landing was a spot that grabbed our interest when we initially sketched out a loose itinerary. On the drive into the Tetons, we spotted the sign for a pull-off and, at the end of…
