We started our morning in Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park. We drove about 45 minutes to Moose, Montana to take a raft ride down the Snake River. This was about a 2 hour excursion. So we donned our life-vests and boarded the raft with 7 other people. The view was spectacular to say the least. Our guide was very knowledgeable; he has been guiding these raft rides for about 5 years, so he knew where to look for the animals and could tell us many stories about the Tetons. We saw a bald eagle and one of its offspring, and we saw 2 bull moose eating by the river. We were so excited, I think we would have ridden again. It was quite chilly this morning (about 60 degrees), so some of us had jackets on during the ride, quite the temperature difference from Athens, Alabama.
Now during the ride our guide of course was educating us about the mountains. We had noticed that there was a lot of snow still on top. The guide said that they normally receive 450 inches of snow a year, but this past year, they received 732 inches, so the snow is still quite thick on the mountains. This also explains why the Snake River was so cloudy. Typically, by this time of the year, you can see the bottom of the river. So, the river is still receiving runoff. The water is moving so swiftly, that we could hear the popping of the stones underneath us. The stones were actually be moved by the current.
After the raft ride, we found a picnic area and ate our usual lunch of PB&J sandwiches and then headed toward the Jenny Lake Visitor's Center to get our books stamped. The lake was very pretty and so clear that you could see the bottom of the water. This was the happening spot today. There were hikers getting ready to hike the Tetons, people taking boat rides out onto the lake and us others who were just wondering around taking in the view.
We left the the visitor's center and traveled to Jackson Hole, Wyoming to stay for the night. We walked all over the town and had a great burger at a little bitty hole in the wall diner. It is amazing the people you meet and how they end up where they are. Our waitress was from Russia. Now how does a Russian girl end up in Wyoming?
During our "walk-about" we came to the town park. What is so famous about the park is the antler arches that you walk through to enter. We knew that there was a web-cam there, so we emailed a couple of people that we were there, and we started getting texts and emails about them seeing us. Again technology is amazing!
The story about the antler arches is that elk loose their antlers every winter, so the Boy Scout Troops go out into the fields and collect the them and sell them. There are so many, that they use them for decorations. It is a $750 fine for removing an antler from the arches.
Next to the park at 6 pm this evening, there was a mock gunfight. I thought that the kids would love this; boy was I wrong. Once those guns started firing, you'd thought that my kids had been shot. Elizabeth Ann started balling, Samuel was curled up in a ball with his hands over his ears, and Jacob just wasn't looking. I did not get "Mom of the Year" for that activity. Gunfight--not good!
We have finally retreated to our hotel and are going to turn in early tonight. Tomorrow is a long driving day to Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
Until then . . .
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