Road Trip 2020: Teton National Park

Before heading out on our road trip, we were blessed to be given some of the BEST recommendations from my friend from college, Bailey, of what to do for this leg of our trip. She grew up in the Jackson, Wyoming area and I now understand why she talked about it so much! We would love to return and stay for a week!

On the first day we drove about four and a half hours from Stanley, ID to Driggs, ID where we stayed at an Airbnb for two nights. It was a beautiful drive full of picturesque mountain ranges. Since we had just camped for four nights (with the final night in snow), we were so excited for a cozy house, with a shower, washer and dryer. Once we arrived, we actually just spent the rest of the day getting ourselves, our clothes, and our camping gear clean and in order. I appreciated sleeping in a comfy bed SO much that night.

The mountains on the drive

Unfortunately the next morning was still rainy and cloudy, but we still had a full and fun day. On Bailey's recommendation, we went to Jenny Lake and then hiked to Hidden Falls (and beyond). This excursion was a fun way to experience a ferry across the lake, a waterfall and the mountains. We ended up hiking a lot more than we expected (over 5 miles) and saw 3 moose. It was so amazing!

On the ferry ride across Jenny Lake

 Only half a mile up the trail is Hidden Falls

I love a good waterfall

We decided to continue on the trail and get to the overlook

We kept saying, "I can only imagine how pretty this is when there isn't clouds on the mountains!"

Then we decided to continue on the trail to see if we could get to where the valley floor opened up

We made it and it was so beautiful! 

 This view was so worth the hike!

 Then, someone on the trail told us that there was a moose up ahead, so we kept going

 There's our first moose! 

 Then someone else on the trail told us that there were two more moose a few minutes walk away, so we continued on. These moose were feeding, so we saw them standing up!

All in all, it was a very satisfying, but much longer than expected hike. That evening, again on Bailey's recommendation, we went to dinner and a show at the Bar J Chuckwagon. It was good food and the best show! Josh laughed so hard during it that people were turning around to look at us. Not only was the show funny, but the musicians were very talented. In fact, the fiddler was a world champion twice over! 

Family style meal

 Such a great show! 

 We woke up to sunshine the next morning and we were so thankful. We hustled to pack up our cars as we would be traveling through Jackson, Teton National Park and through to west Yellowstone that day. 

We stopped briefly in Jackson to do some souvenir shopping. We'd love to return in non-Covid times and eat in restaurants and shop around more. 

 Our first full glimpse of the Tetons! So beautiful! (Check out the jet coming in just above the mountains on the right)

The boys and I 

The whole fam (not sure what Josh is doing with his arm?)

We had the best lunch in Dannon with this view

 Then we went to some more viewpoints of the Tetons

 These are some of the most photographed barns in the world

 The cloudy day made the mountains super cool

 More barn pics

How do you narrow it down?

Last one

Jeff and Diane following us in their camper...what a rearview mirror view! 

I loved this viewpoint with Salmon river below

A close up of the Grand Teton

Our final stop to see the Tetons before heading into Yellowstone

 Checking out antelope and taking pictures

 Our boys! Such great travelers! 

Road Trip 2020: Stanley, Idaho

 I'm so thankful that Ben had the idea of extending the original four nights in Stanley, ID into exploring Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. What started out as a scouting trip for fall hunting turned into an eleven night road trip. Thankfully (for my sake), only four of the nights we were camping. 

We decided to leave Wednesday afternoon to drive to La Grande; not only would this cut down on our drive time the next day, but it would also increase the chances that we would get to the Stanley area in time to get a decent campsite, i.e. one with a bathroom for me. (Let me clarify: I was not asking for a four-star hotel bathroom...I was only hoping for at least a toilet, a pit latrine was sufficient...I just didn't want to have to go in the woods.)

 First road trip in the new truck

We saw a black bear and elk on the way over...a good omen of all the animals we would see! 

We stayed at a farmhouse our first night and the kids loved petting all the animals

After at least seven hours driving, we arrived in the Stanley area and started the rounds of first come, first serve campsites. Our first three choices were full, but we snagged the last campsite at Alturas Lake. The camp host said, "Well, it's a double site and right across from the bathrooms, but it's available." It was just what we needed! 

What a beautiful campsite! 

The kids were very determined to fish, unfortunately for them, their parents aren't great fishers. 

Their fishing looked a lot of lots of tangled line and no fish. 

Ben has all the boys chop wood and I just have to look away. 

One of the prettiest viewpoints ever

Great background, family in full camping attire

After stopping at the viewpoint, we went for a hike to Elk Meadows for which Ben has caught quite a bit of flack from me about. My understanding was that it was a hike by a creek and that we would mosey up for a bit, turning back if we got hot or hungry. However, almost two hot miles later (going one way into the hike), when we saw two bikers and asked how much further to the meadow and they replied, "Not far...maybe 3/4 a mile," I about lost it. I was hot and thirsty (we didn't bring much water or snacks) and I did not want to press on, only to have to return the same way that we had just came (which consequently had very little shade). We pressed on, though, and made it to a very beautiful meadow and then slogged back the way we came. Poor Ben will always be persecuted by me for the "4.5 miles in the heat of the day hike." 

Elk Meadows; we did see some antelope bedded down in the distance.

Nate and Holly arrived that evening and the next morning the men all headed out to scout various areas around Stanley. Holly, Diane and I took the three youngest to Red Fish Lake. It was a beautiful place to hang out at for the morning. 

Super clear water

Ben thinks this is one the prettiest vistas he's ever seen

Josh, Ellie and Hailey

Josh and Ellie braved the cold water on the tube; poor Ellie later face-planted in the water and never really warmed up again

The kids enjoyed playing in the nice, soft sand

That afternoon we just chilled around camp. Our kids took all the bottles they could find and spent hours making various "food and drinks" for us adults. They're so fun and creative.

Asking what Grandma would like from the menu

The kids also set up and played this game all by themselves

That evening, the boys were itching to go fishing again, so Ben, Nate and I took the kids to fish the Salmon River. It turned into a sunset watching party. 

Josh and Ellie (aka Bonnie and Clyde)

Enjoying the sunset together

The sunset is starting

The colors were across the river first, but no beautiful mountains there

Seth watching the view

It's getting better

And better

And better! 

The next day, the weather started to get cold. We all headed out on an all day adventure together. We drove a road up that I'd never like to drive on again and saw a bunch of silver mining country and miles and miles of dredged up river.

We brought guns so that the kids could do some shooting

Seth (I think...it's hard to tell from a distance with a hat on)

We found the perfect picnic and fishing spot for the afternoon

What a view! 

They all want to be fly fishermen like their uncle Nate

Deedo got some fishing in too

Nate even caught a couple 

Me and my Hailey girl 

We spent the afternoon/evening driving around to the various lakes we wanted to see. Most the campgrounds were cleared out (we figured it was because it was Sunday night, but later surmised it was because the Idahoans believed the forecast when it said snow...as we later learned, we should we have too).

Stanley Lake

The boys still trying to fish 

Another great background for a family picture

Petite Lake

The kids had a blast here making dams and waterways

Grandma and Grandpa

Gone was the sunshine around our campground (and all the campers)

After dinner the temperature dropped and the rain really started coming down. We tried to place both shelters in spots where we could warm up around the fire and not get soaked. It wasn't the most comfortable evening. And then, right as we were getting the kids ready for bed, the rain turned to snow. It ended up snowing most of the night: wet, heavy. snow. Right before coming into the tent for bed, Ben put out the guy lines for our tent, thus saving us from a caving-in (like what happened to Nate and Holly at 1 am). We heard no less than four trees crack under the weight of the snow during the night and I spent hours tensely listening to snow fall off our tent and pool around the sides (Ben, like always, was unstressed and slept). Fortunately, we were warm enough and stayed dried and besides a rather miserable pack out that next morning, it wasn't all that horrible (don't get me wrong: I wouldn't sign up for it again, but we did survive just fine). 

Our cozy campsite the next morning

Nate and Holly's left-leaning tent after the cave-in

However, their cave-in did save our shelter (on the left), because Nate brushed the snow off our shelter after fixing his tent. Deedo's shelter did not share its good fate. 

Ben getting ready to start the morning fire in the snow

BUT, we made it: with smiles still on our faces and a good story to tell. My smile may have been because after four nights of camping I was finally headed to a house with a shower and warm bed.