Day 12

Gardiner, Montana to Jackson, Wyoming

163 miles, 5 hours (going at most 45 mph through park roads!)

Today was another travel day, but we did not have too far to go. We did, however, officially put 3000 miles on our camper as of today. That's a milestone!

We got on our way and through Yellowstone without any traffic jams due to bison or any other animal-it was the first time going through the park that we did not get stuck behind people who stopped in the middle of the road for every animal that we passed!

We drove across the Western Continental Divide (actually crossed it 3 times) and south past Lewis Lake. There were several turnouts along the lake, and since it was lunch time, we pulled off at one to have lunch. It was a beautiful spot to have lunch-the lake was only yards away, and the view of the mountains in the distance was unobstructed. We took a little walk along the shoreline (it was windy and cold) and then sat in the RV to eat lunch, looking out the window at the views, with the breeze blowing in the screen.

We drove the rest of the way into the Grand Teton Park and stopped to find out about a campground-Colter Bay-run by the parks. Even though the sign said the campground was full, we decided to do a drive through to check it out. It was nice enough, and we found out that they had one spot open if we wanted it. However, the price was $12 more per night than another place we had found down in Jackson, and you also had to pay $4 per shower per person! That would add up very quickly with our family, so we decided against it. We drove along the National Park boundary through the valley called Jackson Hole. The views of the Grand Tetons were spectacular. One word I would use to describe those mountains is “majestic” in every way. There are several glaciers up in the peaks-the highest peak (Grand Teton) is 13,770 feet high. We arrived at our campground (Fireside Resort and Campground) and set up. It is very nice and very near the town of Jackson, Wyoming. Several ski resorts are minutes away, most notably Jackson Hole. You can see the slopes and the ski lifts from the road.  I would love to be here in the winter and skiing, but that is another kind of trip!

After dinner of chili made with fresh buffalo sausage (purchased in Montana) and corn bread, we decided to take a drive into town. We found a park with a playground and some rock climbing boulders (like genuine rock walls). The little kids burned off some steam and Eric and Dennis and I through the Frisbee for awhile. Then we headed into the town square and perused the shops, got some ice-cream at Moos, and then headed home for bed.

 The boys all wore their matching Sturgis shirts today

 Best lunch stop ever!

 We took a little walk down to the Lewis Lake shore. 

 Approaching the Grand Tetons. you can see the glacier up in the mountain

 Nice campsites-close together, but good for the area. Campgrounds in the Grand Teton area were very hard to find for a good price. This was one of the best priced in the area. We are happy enough-pretty much we only sleep here anyways!

 Views of the mountains from our site-pretty nice!

 The boys at the park with the genuine rock walls

 They are such typical kids! Give them a playground and that is all they care about!

 The playground is at the base of Snow King Ski Mountain. This chairlift will take you and your mountain bike to the top, and you can bike down. We were considering doing this, but there is a wildfire currently in the area and all trails are closed on this mountain. Hopefully they'll have it contained enough that we can do it before we leave.

 Downtown Jackson-antler arches on the town square

 Shops with furs and antlers and everything western you can imagine!

And of course a friendly grizzly bear