Places Visited: Wyoming: Images from a week in Teton National Park

Aug 7-17, 2007.

While in the Tetons we stayed at two of the National Park Campgrounds: Colter Bay and Gros Ventre. Both are dry camping sites and are rarely full. Both are $17 per-night to "dry camp" with central water and dump site of course if you have the "geezer-pass" the rate will be half that. There are several hundred sites in each of the campgrounds. We spent most of our time in Gros Ventre because it is located only 10-miles north of Jackson and we love Jackson and all it has to offer.

The matted fir on this buffalo caught our attention. It is now mid-to-late August and some of the past winters coat is still on this buffalo.

Can you believe the size of this bull eating aquatic plants.

Eagles like this one can be seen throughout the Tetons especially along the Snake River.

This spotted sandpiper is something you might not see unless you are looking for them. They can be spotted along the Snake River and in the Elk Refuge near Jackson.

This is the Gros Ventre Slide. What you see is the scar left behind by one of the largest earth movements in the world.

On June 23, 1925, earth, rock and debris moved rapidly from an altitude of 9,000 feet, down to the valley bottom, across the Gros Ventre River and up the slope on the other side.

The action lasted only minutes (possibly 2-minutes) but in that time it dammed the Gros Ventre River and changed the landscape forever.

Some 50-million cubic yards of sandstone, limestone and shale filled the valley creating a dam about one mile long, 2,000-feet wide and several hundred feet deep. This dam across the Gros Ventre River created a lake above the dam.

For almost two years this earth dam held; then on may 18, 1927, part of the dam gave way and a wall of water, mud, and rock flowed down the canyon destroying everything in its path including the town of Kelly, located three and one-half miles downstream. Six persons in Kelly were drowned.

This picture was taken from somewhere on Antelope Flat, probably near Mormon Row. Those are buffalo grazing and the Tetons in the background.

If you are lucky a bull moose like this one will be visible.

How about this nice buck wandering through our campground at Gros Ventre.

Buffalo and the Tetons.

Now this is a nice bull moose.

This moose was hanging out in the Gros Ventre River not far from the campground.

Bald eagles like this one can be spotted near the water.

This baby buffalo is not very old. They are this light brown color when they are born but turn darker within a few months. Many of this years young already have a darker coat.

Look closely, there are two large bucks in this picture.

Another bald eagle.

Buffalo and the Tetons. Buffalo are not located everywhere in the Tetons. This year they seem to be hanging around Gros Ventre Road and Antelope Flats.

This is the fire fighting helicopter that was fighting a wildfire near Thermopolis about 40-miles east of here. The helicopter returned to the Jackson airport to refuel every couple of hours. In this picture the helicopter is probably heading back to the airport for the night.

I like this big boy!

There were four of these large bucks hanging out at the campground. Unfortunately, this picture only captured three of them.

We liked this house in downtown Jackson decorated with an arch of elk and moose antlers.

This purple flower is lupine and can be seen throughout Teton National Park.

The white birds are trumpeter swans that were nesting on the Elk Refuge. Actually, several pair of trumpeter swans were nesting on the Elk Refuge this year. This pair had set up house keeping on the back side of the Elk Refuge.

Another pair was visible every day near the Tourist Information Center.

It gets cold in Jackson Hole during the winter. This fellow obviously knows how cold it gets and is preparing for it. Now that is what I call serious fire wood. I am impressed.

This is that fire fighting helicopter on another day as he is returning to the Jackson airport for fuel.

Buffalo and the Tetons are silhouetted against the setting sun.

This is a nice buck pronghorn antelope. You can usually spot pronghorn antelope along Antelope Flats Road or along the Gros Ventre Road.

This large buck was grazing in the amphitheater at the Gros Ventre Campground when we returned after taking Jeff and Stephen to the airport. Our motorhome was parked in the amphitheater parking area at Gros Ventre and he was visible from our window.

I liked this buffalo with the grass stuck on his nose. He looked so cute with that grass but he was trying to be a mean looking bull. He was snorting at our Saturn from about 5-feet away. He had a girl friend that he was trying to impress. If only he could see what we were seeing. VBG

One night there was a spectacular sunset and Joyce caught it.

Just another bald eagle.

Just another bull moose, I should say another HUGE bull moose.

This is a nice buck pronghorn antelope.

I think this is a sage grouse. Hopefully, one of the hunters will be able to identify it and let me know.

Until next time remember how good life is.

Mike & Joyce Hendrix