Monday July 25, 2016
Woke up to a smoky surrounding but the campground was quiet
and the bathrooms (and apparently the showers) were clean. We had eggs, bacon,
and hash browns on tortillas for breakfast with tea and coffee. On the road by
9:30, which was earlier than we imagined. We stopped in Dubois again for gas
and a snack before the hour-ish drive into Grand Teton National Park. We found the forest
fires north of Dubois and actually saw a single tree shooting fire out of the
top! Immediately past the fire tree, the air cleared and blue skies were all
around!
We drove into Grand Teton and hit up the Visitor's Center, which was
right next to a huge gift shop, shower and laundry, and a ridiculously
over-priced grocery store. I was explaining that we had stopped at a site
similar to this two years ago when on our first NPS Tour trip and then
realized that this was the place! I hadn't known that I was actually in the
Grand Tetons on that trip. Both cars in our group left without two people as we went south
to find a a campsite by the Jackson Lodge but they were full. Our cars got split up
and my car with barely two seats was left to pick up the other two from the
gift shop while the other car found a campsite in the Lizard Creek Campground.
The choice between a pull-in site and a walk-in site found us with a nice site
close to the bathrooms and quiet neighbors.
We set up camp, enjoyed sandwiches followed by wine and some quiet time
planning hikes and travel beyond today. Chuck Roast attempted to nap but cried
for grandpa before having to use the bathroom and then forgetting all about the
nap.
We chose to go for a mile-ish hike around the lake shore but when we got to
the Visitor Center, we didn't know where to go and when I went in to ask, the
man in front of me was telling the Ranger that he had seen a bear on a hike
from the center. I figured out which trail he was on and we were off. We were
probably way too loud, because we didn't see anything except an elk from across
the bay. But it was a beautiful hike with amazing views of the Tetons beyond
the lake.
Once back, and after plenty of complaints from Chuck Roast about
being tired and needing to use the bathroom and feeling sick, we headed back to
camp and enjoyed hot dogs with mashed potatoes. Pumpkin spent dinner prep time
setting up a wood teepee for a fire.
Chuck Roast fell asleep on the way back to
camp, so Pumpkin and I attended the Elk/Moose Ranger Program at the Lizard
Creek Fire Circle. The walk back took us past a beautiful view of the lake and
mountains in the background in a lovely blanket of pastel pink and blue.
Back
at camp, Pumpkin started the fire and s'mores ensued. Chuck Roast slept through
the whole thing. Camp clean up was fairly easy with the bear box in our
campsite.
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