Monday, September 5, 2016

Sunday, September 4, 2016 Gros Ventre



Sunday, September 4, 2016

Me-owt!  Me-owt!  Why aren't my humans letting me out?  My paternal human has put some paper on my perch and he is staring at it.  I will go sit on it in front of him and turn on my purr box.  Loud.  I will strut back and forth and put my tail in his face.  He has to know I want out.  He is so easily manipulated...

After our morning exercise, we headed out to explore.  We stopped to check out the 'moose' zone from the other day.  No moose, but we saw three a) beavers, b)otters, c)muskrats.  We couldn't tell but they were frolicking in the pond.  For some reason, my spouse seems to think that once an animal is in a place, we will always see it at that place.  So, we saw moose there once, therefore they will always be there... As if!


Next was the Signal Mountain Summit.  Here are sweeping views of the Tetons and Jackson Lake, as well as the valley east of Jackson.  Look on the horizon...  those are dark clouds.  It is raining over there.  As we head down the hill, we are pelted with sleet.  It is deafeningly loud.  Spouse is deaf and can't hear under normal circumstances, at this point, I am yelling at the top of my lungs.  'Jack' is going to get a good washing with this.  Five minutes after it started, the sleet stopped.  As we pass by Jenny Lake, the rain starts pelting.  Is Rolf getting wet?  Another 3 minutes later, the rain stops, and the sun pokes through the clouds.  It is warmish in the sun, and cold in the shade.  It is windy, and that is cold.  After a lunch in Jackson, we head to explore the Gros Ventre area.




Gros Ventre is technically in the GT National Park, but it is not behind the gates.  It is in the southeast area along the antelope flats.  It is arid with lots of cottonwood trees along the Gros Ventre River.  Passing the antelope flats, we head into a valley.  Desert scrub is surrounded by stands of aspens and pines.  We stopped at the Gros Ventre slide area.  In 1925, a major slide occurred creating a dam and major floods, basically changing the landscape of the canyon.  We hiked about 1/2 mile to the debris field to look at the lake that was formed.  Oddly, it is called Slide Lake.  Rolling hills surround the lake, and there are a few horse farms.




Continuing on the road, we pass a primitive campground with killer views of the lake.  At that point the road goes from pavement to gravel.  We are no longer in the national park, but in the national forest.  It keeps getting prettier as we go on.  Layers upon layers of mountains overlap the river.  As we make more turns, the mountains turn red, like in the Arizona desert.  It is a stunning contrast to the green of the trees.  After a few miles, we get to another primitive campground with killer views, and turn around to head home.


The clouds are threatening but it doesn't rain.  Nothing in the moose pond, but we had our own wildlife waiting for us when we got home.

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