Roadwarners

We’ve been camping on the Gros Ventre River down by the southern entrance of the park. The valley here is known for moose and boy have we been seeing moose. This morning we were going to go for a hike in cascade canyon but it was ugly outside. We were going to go anyway, but as we started driving towards the park it was especially gray and gloomy so we turned around and went back to camp. I’m happy we did because right inside camp about 4 RVs away were a group of people with cameras so I went to go check it out. MOOSE, MOOSE, MOOSE, and another MOOSE. There were 3 bulls and 1 female. no pics just enjoyed.

There was a bull moose in the trees with a female. Another bull started approaching from the right and when it got to about 30 feet away it bedded down. Assuming it was a submissive move. As the bull on the right bedded down another bull moose started approaching from the left. The middle bull moose now bedded down. Now the female who was with the male in the middle started approaching the bull on the left. When the bull on the left and the female were about 30 feet away from each other the middle bull moose got up and started following the female and then the male on the left retreated. The female then went back into the trees with the middle bull moose in the trees. This all happened as we were only about 40 yards away. Real life nature show.

We decided to check out the visitor center in the southern entrance waiting for it to stop snowing. The visitor center was beautiful. There were floor to ceiling windows, a giant indoor fireplace, and fantastic displays. Here’s my daily knowledge bit…

Grand Teton National became a National Park in 1929. The Grand Tetons have some of the oldest rocks dating back to 2.5 – 2.7 billion years old and the granite and gneiss rocks compose the “core” of the range.

The Grand Tetons were formed primarily from Earthquakes and Glaciers. There is a large fault (the Teton Fault) running north and south along the Tetons. The west block rose to form the Teton Range while the east block went under the west block to creat the valley called Jackson Hole. Then glaciers came and formed the valleys between the Teton mountain range to see what we see today. One of the reasons the Tetons are so spectacular and dramatic is because they jut upward seemingly almost out of nowhere and reach peaks up to 13,775 feet. Because the fault lies directly to the East of the mountain range, there are no foothills or smaller mountains to take away from the grandeur of the Grand Teton mountain range. The Grand Tetons are the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. The Shoshone people called the whole range Teewinot meaning “many pinnacles” and the French renamed them the Grand Tetons.

When we were ready to go for our hike, it was still snowing and so we changed course and decided to drive into the the town of Jackson for a late lunch and shopping. Jackson feels like an Aspen. Everything is very expensive, the conversations you hear people having are annoying, but its a fun a place to spend an afternoon. For how beautiful the Tetons are I could move to this area, but I don’t know if I could handle Jackson year round. I did find this amazing store and had fun spending $20,000 worth of hand made furniture in my head that I easily could’ve bought within an hour 😉

Their town square has 4 giant Elk Antler Arches that have served as entrances since 1960. The local Boy Scouts collect the antlers from the nearby National Elk Refuge nearby where 7,500 elk spend their winter. The bulls shed their antlers in March, are collected by the local Boy Scouts, and the arches are built by the Jackson Hole Rotary Club. The antlers are then sold by public auction each year in May. Looks like troop 6 is in need of a field trip #Ed Guzman & Roger Storm 🙂

We had a tasty Asian fusion lunch at Tiger Teton followed by a bit more touristy window shopping. We then drove to the Jackson Hole Ski Resort to check it out. Seemed cool, very big, I’d like to go skiing there, but I have to say my first thought was, it looks like fun, but if its this cold in the beginning of October, what is it like to ski here???

We got back to camp early enough to go enjoy a bike ride and watch the sunset behind the Tetons. And surprise…another moose in the field. We watched him for awhile as he crossed the field and ended up walking right through the campground not even 40 feet from us. Now after seeing 4 more bull moose’s since yesterday I’m realizing just how big that sucker was yesterday. Anyway, good way to end the evening and now its time for bed because tomorrow is supposed to be sunny 🌞 so we plan to do the Cascade Canyon hike tomorrow before we take my mom to Salt Lake City to fly home. Goodnight 😴

Although we are on our own schedule I feel like we haven’t stopped moving. Part of it is there is so much to do and see and part of it is the weather. We have to fit some of this in before the weather really changes. We got back from our walk and went straight to the visitor center in Colter Bay to get the girls started on their junior ranger badges for Teton. Its interesting seeing the difference in all the rangers within the various parks.

This visitor center up near Colter Bay has a big focus on Native American culture and features different artists each week. Edwin bought the girls obsidian arrow point necklaces from Willy a member of the Shoshone / Blackfoot tribes. His wife Debbie, also a member of the Shoshone tribe makes jewelry from beads and porcupine quills. She explained that porcupines do NOT “shoot” their quills. In fact, you can catch porcupines safely if you grab from under their tail. She removes less than 25% of its quills so they still have some for defense. Within 6 weeks the quills grow back. I asked how has my dog, well old dog Dozer, has been “attacked” three times by porcupines. She explained that porcupines only slam their tail upwards in defense if something gets close. While the girls are spending time doing their homework in the visitor center it gave us time to hang out and talk to the artists and one the rangers who is also from a local tribe. Willy, the artist who specializes in obsidian and arrow heads appreciated the time and ended up giving the girls a piece of obsidian before its in its final form. He then demonstrated how he works with the obsidian. Not with hammers and screwdrivers…but he uses elk antler, deer antler, and buffalo skin to protect his hand and thigh. Edwin then decided to go out and grab our Hungarian bows to show him and it was pretty cool how excited he was to see a similar style of bow just with a different type of artistry.

Oh yeah, and no big deal…but the Debbie’s great great grandfather was Sacajawea’s brother.

The ranger, Laine Thom, who was working this morning was also featured in the exhibit. Here’s some other Native American information we read.

Indians used the brains of the bison to preserve the hides of the buffalo. Brains contain oils which lubricate the hide fibers and allow them to be softened by pulling and stretching. The hides were then smoked to complete the tanning process. Tanned hides were cleaned by rubbing with a pumice stone or clay ball because washing them would remove the tanning oils. These brain-tanned hides can remain soft and pliable for centuries.

Indian women’s most valuable item was their sewing pouch. With their sewing pouch they could prepare and sew their family’s tipi, make moccasins, and other clothing.

We decided to change campgrounds so we could check out the southern part of the park where you have a better chance of spotting moose. We called ahead, and there was only 1 spot left. We high-tailed it down there and yes we got it. Edwin and I have been having good luck with our camping spot mojo. On top of that we heard there was a moose in the campground near the amphitheater so we followed the people with their giant cameras. Not only was their one moose but 3. Two females and one giant bull moose. How lucky are we. They were bedded down and just hanging out. We were pretty close, and stuck next to a bunch of trees just in case.

The sun was out. We got a camping spot. We just saw moose. It was only lunchtime and the day was already feeling complete. Actually we saw 3 moose. A bull and 2 females. They were right at the edge of the campground in the meadow near the road. Its easy to see a moose because really you spot about 10-20 people with 2 foot long cameras in bunches. This bull moose was impressive. He was huge! The rangers said it was the biggest bull moose they have seen in a while. We felt lucky. And we were close. About 30 feet away. With 2 females nearby. All 3 were bedded down so we just hung out behind a tree and watched for awhile.

We finished our afternoon with a hike to Taggart Lake and the aspens are really starting the change color. It was a beautiful trail and just felt good to feel the sun on us for a change. It was still cold, but at least we were able to take off our down jackets for a change.

Quick tidbit on the science behind fall colors…During the spring and summer, leaves use sunlight to generate food for the plant. Chlorophyll harnesses the sun’s energy to covert carbon dioxide CO2 and water into carbohydrates or food. This gives leaves their green color. In the fall, with less daylight hours and lower temperatures, the leaves stop generating food. The chlorophyll breaks down and the green color disappears allowing other pigments to become visible. The yellow/orange colors are from carotenoids (easy to remember – carrot – orange/yellow). The leaves that generate red pigments, anthocyanins are due to excess water and sugars. Temperature and moisture control the intensity and duration of the colors.

We made it back to camp at a reasonable hour after a quick stop at Mormon Row and Edwin made the most delicious salmon alfredo pasta. Feeling especially grateful this evening. Goodnight.