A Picnic in the Tetons

It was such a nice day that we decided to take a ride to the Tetons. It’s about sixty miles away and so one hour later we were at the park headquarters getting Renita’s Senor Access pass. We spent a little time talking with the rangers only to find out that the road we wanted to check out was closed due to snow. Hiking was also prohibited along another access road due to the presence of a grizzly bear, (It’s a lot easier when you are in Alaska where they don’t close roads as the bears are everywhere).

So we made our usual stops at Teton Point and Glacier view, before heading up Pacific Creek Road. Renita spotted some fresh scat and while we were not sure if it was bear or wolf it was full of hair and a few berries so we are guessing it was bear. Noting the bear closure signs we looked for tracks but only found sign of elk that had crossed the road, (a friend of ours shows pictures of food in her blog but we show scats)..

Next we drove to one of our favorite birding spots, the Oxbow Bend Turnoff just below the Jackson Lake dam. Setting out a blanket we sat down for a picnic with the binoculars ever ready, (after seeing the blog of our friends Jim and Nancy we definitely need a much better camera). Cars and buses came and went and if only the people would take a little more time they might have seen more wildlife.

A river otter entertained us by diving and then returning to the surface with a fresh cutthroat trout and a little later an osprey hovered before crashing into the water and then lifting away with another unfortunate fish. A busy beaver swam back and forth being of course busy.

Several flocks of common mergansers flew by and two western grebes dove and resurfaced as they fed in front of us. A little further up the oxbow two trumpeter swans bobbed for vegetation as a pair of blue teal tried to get to the same food.  Renita asked if I remembered the coyote we had seen hunting for mice on the far bank and while we didn’t see any coyotes today we did find some scat on our side of the river.

Next we drove toward Signal Mountain but the road was also closed, so we stopped for images of Mount Moran and then the Cathedral Group, (the Grand, Teewinot, and Mount Owens). At Jenny Lake the ferry dock was being set up on the far shore and we decided not to hike along the shore to Cascade Canyon.

We did find out about kayaking in the park and now besides having a Wyoming Game and Fish Inspection and ten dollar sticker,(thirty dollars for a nonresident), the park charges an additional ten dollars for their own sticker, (If you drive twenty eight miles further you must pay an additional ten dollars for a Yellowstone Park boat sticker).

Too soon it was time to head back home but now we have a bunch of info for when we return for another day in the park. Maybe next time we will buy all the stickers as we really want to kayak the Oxbow Bend area. Regardless it was a nice day full of wildlife moments which is the reason we are here for the summer. Clear skies