Jackson and Grand Teton

Day 21:  Happy 4th of July!  We knew this was going to be one if the toughest driving days of the summer.....the 510 mile drive out of Rocky Mountain and up into Jackson, WY because we did it 3 years ago towing out Casita 1.0.  That drive almost killed us because we went from RMNP all the way into Canyon Village Campground in Yellowstone....15 hours of driving?!?!?!  Ugh!  When we started planning with the Biscamps we knew RMNP to YNP wasn’t a good idea, so we found a nice RV Park in Jackson that made the drive 150 miles shorter, and allowed for a few nights in this fun town.  We were up at 4:00am, hitched, and pulling out by 5:00am.....11 hours later, we made it to Jackson and the Virginian RV Park, just in time for 4th of July Happy Hour with the perfect holiday meal of hot dogs on the grill and s’mores!

We took a short “evening” nap so we could stay up for fireworks The were brilliantly displayed over the town of Jackson.  We have a perfect viewing spot right from our campers!

Happy 4th of July!!!!

Day 21:  We we’re all whipped after our excursions in Rocky and the long drive the day before, so we decided a relaxing morning at the campsite would do a body good.  Melissa and I started with a 3 mile run in Jackson while the boys slept.

When we returned most everyone was stirring, so we decided to fix a big Rocky Mountain Breakfast!  Yum!!!!

After the breakfast was cooked and cleaned up we decided to split for the day and meet up back up at dinner because this was the Biscamps first visit to GTNP, and they had a lot to see in one day!  They drove the back road past Teton Village, up through Moose Junction, stopped for a hike to Taggart Lake, and drove the main loop up to Jackson Lake Lodge.  Beautiful!!!!  Hopefully I’ll be able to add some pictures when they upload their nice camera!  Curtis had another idea of how he wanted to spend his one day in GTNP.  This was our 4th visit to Grand Teton, and absolutely up theee as one of our favorite parks.  The Teton mountains just pop out of the earth like God pulled them up with his majestic hands and said....”I think this would be a nice touch!”

Our favorite memory of GTNP was 5 years ago, and our first visit!  We made the drive in our minivan, loaded up with Cole (then 5) and Carson (then 2) and very rescentky potty trained?!?!  Yes, we were crazy!!!!  We managed a little side road and pulled off into the String Lake Picnic Area for lunch.  It was the most beautiful area we had ever seen!  We hung out at the shore of the lake all afternoon while the boys played in the water.  Curtis was so excited to revisit this area and replicate that wonderful memory, so we loaded up the inflatable kayak and set off for the Canoe Launch on String Lake!

There they go!!!!

These natural glacier melt lakes are crystal clear!  (Very different from the nasty Texas lakes)

We even found the exact spot from 5 years ago to relax in the shade!!!!

4 hours of relaxing, sitting, and kayaking later, the clouds were building overhead and it was time to meet the Biscamps.  We strapped the kayak to the truck bead, dried off, and headed north to Jackson Lake Lodge for a fancy dinner reservation at the Mural Room.

I think we need a red flag hanging off the back!  😂. We pulled up just in time to watch a small afternoon rainstorm develop over the Tetons.

Pictures do not do it justice!!!  The clouds were swirling and so many different shades of gray!  Wow!!!!

We had our amazing feast in the Mural Room, complete with Bourbon Cream Corn smoked trout chowder, Bison Rib Eye, and Huckleberry Pound Cake with Cinnamon Ice Cream!!!!  Yum!!!!!!  After dinner was over we hit the road and drive the Biscamps back through Jenny/String/Leigh Lake Area, since it was too full for them to see earlier.  They absolutely loved it, and we arrived just as the sun was setting behind the Tetons.

Again, all you can say is....Wow!!!!

We took the dirt road back through Moose Junction and Teton Village in hopes to see wildlife out at sunset....fingers crossed....

Hi Dad!!!  I’ve never asked my Mom and sisters how Dad speaks to them, but I know how he speaks to me!  He speaks to me through sun rays.  Sometimes it will be out on a morning run, sometimes it will be at sunset, sometimes through a rain storm, but I always know it’s him saying “Hi” and “you think that’s beautiful, we’ll check this out!”  Yes, this was more foreshadowing from Dad because what do we see not 5 minutes later?!  A GRIZZLY BEAR!!!!!

I spotted it first, and then Cole!  It was running alongside of our truck 15 feet next to us in the brush!  

Crazy Chris jumped out of his truck and started running down the road to get a picture as it headed off into the forest!  Yes, his new name is Crazy Chris!  

15 minutes later, we made it back to the Casita 2.0 for evening showers, trumpet practice, and reading.  What an incredible day!!!!  Tomorrow we hitch up and head north for 4 glorious days in Yellowstone!  Good night, Tetons, Good night.