We stopped by the ranch for breakfast which was really nice. I enjoy Luke’s grandparents and Rock made some awesome omelettes. It was a feast.
We got on the road a little after 11 o’clock and drove for roughly six hours to the Jackson area. We made a few stops throughout the day and we even passed through Rock Springs. Long time no see.
We found a National Forest area just south of town and that made a good campsite for the night. We heard some animals extremely close to the van just after settling in. They might have been a group of elk or deer – it was really difficult to make it out. And I wasn’t going out there to check least I frighten them and have a bigger issue on my hands.
The next morning we got settled into town and I went with my parents into Teton Village while Amanda worked. Dad was really excited to get on the tram to the top of the Jackson Hole ski resort. The ride was really awesome to the top. I’m excited to go back in the winter and get some skiing done up there.
We probably spent an hour or so up there and then we made our way back to town for lunch. We ate, picked up Amanda when she was done with work, and then we moved toward the national park.
Then we drove the scenic loop road through the park, which is about a 40-mile trip back to the visitors center in Moose Junction. Made a few stops along the way at some scenic overlooks, got caught in a bison-induced traffic jam, and we saw a bull elk with a fantastic rack on it.
The visibility of the mountains wasn’t so great, unfortunately. It’s amazing that the smoke and haze from the forest fires in California can affect the visibility here. We still had a good time though.
The next day Mom and Dad left for Yellowstone earlier in the day. We got a start in the afternoon and tried to make it into the park for a hike. But the weather was total garbage at around 4 o’clock. By the time we made it to Jackson Lake, it was thunderstorming pretty hard.
It’s all good. I mean I was a little frustrated at the moment but you can’t control the weather. I’ll be back eventually for some more hiking here.