Grand Teton National Park, WY

Day #59 (September 28, 2022): If the kids could transport their forts and the woods adjacent to our campsite to every campground from this day forth, they would. Even after 7 nights, they were not ready to leave the woods of this marvelous campground. Since we had a shorter drive today, we let the kids spend the morning playing in the woods and videoing their forts, so they could better remember this amazing campground. And…our lone bull bison was still grazing among the campsites when we left. Seriously, this place is so cool!

We drove to Yellowstone’s neighboring national park to the south, Grand Tetons National Park, and parked in Colter Bay RV Park. Afterward, we went to Colter Bay Visitor Center to watch the movie and gather maps and information from the ranger. Next, we drove through the park to some overlooks, identified Grand Teton and Mount Moran, drove some side roads (Gros Ventre Road and Moose-Wilson Road) on a hunt for moose, and learned the differences between grizzly and black bears at a roadside exhibit. Although we didn’t see any moose, we did see a mule deer hiding in the tall grass.

We drove into Jackson Hole to try out a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives local restaurant, Pica’s Mexican Taqueria. We tried the tinga chicken soper, chicken fajita burrito, and carne asada. Our review would be…umm…it was okay. The wait was long and the food was just okay. We wouldn’t recommend it, and later we learned from some of the locals that we should have tried a different Mexican restaurant. Oh well. Bucket list. We ran to Albertsons after dinner to restock groceries and then headed back to the camper for bedtime. A full day!

Day #60 (September 29, 2022): Another uninterrupted workday for Chris means another day of exploration for Emily and the kids. First adventure for the day: take the shuttle boat on Jenny Lake to the other side of the lake to hike 2.2 miles to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. Next, we went to the Thomas Craig Discovery & Visitor Center. Then, we drove to Jackson Hole for some shopping. On the way back, we drove Gros Ventre Road at dusk where again we had been advised was the best place and time to see moose. But alas, no moose.

Day #61 (September 30, 2022): After a virtual music lesson and some morning schoolwork, we rented 2 e-bikes from Dornan’s inside the national park. Chris and Neil rode about 20 miles on the bike path adjacent to the main road, while Emily and the girls rode 6-7 miles. Joanna’s bike chain fell off after about 3 miles, so we had to wait for the boys to turn around and come fix the chain; then we all rode back to Dornan’s. Afterward, we drove into Jackson Hole to take a family picture under the iconic elk antlers arches, do some shopping, and eat at Teton’s Pizza.

By this time, it was within an hour or so of sunset, and we really wanted to see some moose, so we headed back to Gros Ventre Road, where every ranger we talked to told us to go when we asked about seeing moose. Third times a charm, right?! We drove along the Gros Ventre River, got out and waited, hoping a moose would come to the river. No, but… we saw our first river otter crossing the river and then swim into his den. Pretty cool! We drove further down the road and saw a lot of cars pulled off the side of the road. Yes!! That’s a sure sign of wildlife!! We got out and joined the group of on-lookers. Sure enough, there were 2 moose behind some trees. We watched and waited and snapped photos when we got glimpses of the moose. The bull moose stayed behind the trees, but we got a good view of the female. Yes! We had now seen 2 moose! So cool! Content and ready to head home since it was almost dark outside, we started driving back to the campground when we saw more cars slowed. Yes!! Turns out, just a few yards from the road, there were 3 moose—2 females and a…baby! And they were closer and in plain view! So, so cool! We were excited and thankful to spot 2 animals today that we hadn’t seen yet on our journey—the river otter and not one, but 5 moose! YES!!

Day #62 (October 1, 2022): After four very full days of exploration, we were exhausted and in need of some rest. Thankfully, we no longer felt compelled to go on a moose hunt after yesterday’s success; we were happy staying at the campground all day. We caught up on some schoolwork and computer work. The kids rode their bikes around the campground and in some of the woods and trails. Chris and Joanna learned the game Cribbage, which they had purchased the day before at a shop in Jackson Hole.

Day #63 (October 2, 2022): Another rest day. Yay! We stayed home all day. The kids mountain-biked through the woods for a change of scenery. Chris and Joanna continued to play Cribbage and teach Bethany the game as well. Turns out, Cribbage is a fantastic game to teach addition math facts. Emily went through all the clothes, closets, and cabinets to pre-pack for our upcoming returning trip to Nashville. Anything we don’t need or haven’t used can be returned to Nashville to put in storage. Nice! What a blessing it has been to stay home for 2 days!