Wednesday, November 25, 2020

A ROAD TRIP TO THE GRAND TETONS - AUGUST 2008

With more time at home I am enjoying going through our travel photos.  The following were from a trip we took to the Grand Teton National Park in August of 2007. We stayed at the Jackson Lake Lodge.  Since this trip we have been back a couple of times but not for quite a while now.  

One day we saw what only can be described as a buzz of activity from several people with cameras  on the overlook. We had been in the sitting area of the Lodge, where the windows reached from floor to ceiling. 

When we looked to see what was going on we saw Mother Moose and her calf not too far below. This was our fourth sighting on this vacation, and they were closer than the other three. It was very exciting and I just about fell out of my shoes when I saw them. Before this trip I had only seen these amazing animals in photos or on nature shows, and as I looked at them this wave of happiness came over me, I can't describe fully how I felt.

Mother, in the photo below, is doing what any mother would, waiting for her little one to catch up when he or she lagged behind.
Good Mum!
The following photos show another mother moose and calf from the previous day, when we were near a dam. We weren't as close here but it was our favorite moment as it was such an idyllic spot.  
I was already happy as a sandpiper having been in the company of two adorable chipmunks who had joined me as I sat next to the river enjoying my surroundings. We were obviously not going to get any closer as we didn't want to disturb them but also for our own safety.  I made the most of my new zoom lens, which we had invested in just for this vacation. 
Do you see the extra set of ears to the right of baby? Mum is keeping a watchful eye, come to think of it so is baby. We have been spotted and it wasn't long afterwards that they disappeared back into the brush. What a magical moment they shared with us.
On our way back to the Lodge more people on the side of the road and of course we had to join them. In this scene there is a standoff. On the left is another mother, in the middle is her calf and on the right is a very cantankerous bull moose. We watched him as he galloped up and down and stomped his feet, he was not a happy bull moose and this went on the whole time until after about half an hour we decided to move on. Mother was having none of him being very protective of her calf. Bull Moose was not a happy moose.
In the last two photos we were in the northern part of Idaho on our way here.  It was our first sighting ever of a very unexpected moose. Gregg had decided to follow his nose and get off the map that I was following, just to see where this road took us. Sweet Other Half is a 'follow your nose’ man, and I am a 'butter my bread from corner to corner' kind of girl.  I follow those directions to the ‘T’. We are a good balance he says and meet each other somewhere in the middle but I have to admit, I get a little fussy when I know we are off the beaten path because I don't like getting lost. "Are you sure you know where you're going." "Are you absolutely positive we're not going to get lost?" I always have visions of having to sleep in the car and we were in the wilderness. I know that wouldn't be so bad to sleep in the car, as believe me I have done it before (maybe when I was ten), but I really don't like getting lost, and we were also in bear country. With Gregg we always get off the beaten path, his sense of direction is excellent and I should know better by now, but I can't help myself. I really don't like getting lost! Have I mentioned that before?

Well, here we were lost! But it was the best thing that happened because this is what greeted us when we came around a bend. Our very first sighting of a moose ever. No, he wasn't close and these photos were the best I could get but oh my, I just about did a double flip and I looked at Gregg after the moose had disappeared into the woods and I hugged him and thanked him for getting off the beaten path. It always works out somehow, and it wasn't long after that we got back on track and were heading for the Grand Tetons.  I knew these gorgeous animals are big but he was huge!

With all the thanks I could muster to my Sweet Other Half, he really is the best 'get off the beaten path' husband who always ends up finding his way, and next time we go on a road trip I will zip my mouth because you just never know what is around the next bend. "Yeah, right!" I hear him say, and yes we are both smiling. 


Writing in August 2008, I wrote that Gregg is on his own trip right now. He just called me from the airport about ready to get on the plane for Kansas City. It's going to be a quick trip as he heads back tomorrow (this original blog post was before retirement when he used to travel quite a lot on business so no, Gregg is safe at home with me and we are following all the safety guidelines).  

Thanks for traveling back with me a few years ago, and I hope your day is a great one.





32 comments:

  1. Thank you so much.
    I can feel your excitement - and would have shared it.
    I am the one with the direction sense in our household. Himself has none. Nada. Zip.

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    1. You are very welcome EC and thank you :) The first time I found GPS, to me, it was the best thing since sliced bread :)))

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  2. Great Moose pictures, not many people have been able to experience this. You scared me for a second, thinking Gregg had travelled with Covid raging.

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    1. Thank you Ginny, sorry to scare you :) No, we're not going anywhere until we're looking at this thing in our rear view mirror.

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  3. Lovely post and interesting regarding the moose as I don't know about them at all, just heard of them.
    Take care.

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    1. Thanks Margaret, I am happy you enjoyed my post and found it so interesting. I would love to see many of the animals and birds you have over there :)

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  4. Hello,
    I love seeing the moose, the bull moose is awesome. Great collection of photos. I wish Gregg safe travels. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Take care, enjoy your day!

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    1. Hi Eileen and thank you! I can see I have confused several blogging friends about Gregg's traveling. He is not I quickly add. This was part of that old post back in 2007. I have added more info to make it clearer. Sorry about that!

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  5. Jestem zachwycona twoim postem i fotografiami. Wspaniała przygoda.

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    1. Bardzo się cieszę, że podobał Ci się ten post. To była rzeczywiście wspaniała przygoda :)

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  6. What a great story and great photos to go with it! I would get nervous about getting lost too lol.

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    1. Thank you Martha, I still get nervous when traveling. So thankful for the GPS but need my map with very large print for the times we are out of range :)

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  7. Ohhhh, he is traveling now!!!! Flying, with all those people, who are flying too!!!!!!!!! And might have the China/Covid virus. Or might be silent carriers.

    Hope he gets tested, as soon as he hits the ground. And not one of those quick tests. The kind you need a doc Rx for, and you drive through, and they swab your nose.

    -sigh-

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    1. No worries BB, this was when he was traveling back in 2007, before he retired. I put that in the very next sentence but realize it was still confusing so I have added more. We are staying put for the duration :)

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    2. Oh good!

      I am so happy you let me know, I was fully mistaken!

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    3. I very much appreciated your concern and will remember to be clearer on future archive posts :)

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  8. OH My! I LOVE those EARS.. I can feel your joy reading your post. i would LOVE to see one of these giants ... I only see them on Kb's post from Colorado... never seen one ever at all except in movies and photos. I am so NOT a get off the beaten path, i have RULES for everything and in our car it gets LOUD if the RULES are broken.

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    1. Thanks Sandra, when I looked at my original post, I felt the same joy, put myself right back to that very day we saw them. I married an adventurous spirit who loves taken the road not traveled :)))

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  9. Oh, how wonderful! Safe trip for Gregg.

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    1. Thanks Gigi but Gregg is not traveling. It was just for this trip in 2007. Sorry about the confusion.

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  10. Moose are a very majestic animal. My next door neighbor saw one in his yard a few nights ago.

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    1. I agree Red, they certainly are and how wonderful you get them visiting your neighborhood. I guess you have to be very careful though.

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  11. I think you asked about G/F Stuffing. Have never made it before since this is first year I found G/F Stuffing mix. So can't tell much, till tomorrow, when we eat it. -smile-

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    1. Thank you for getting back to me on that :). I am always on the look out for stuffing recipes.

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  12. Hi Denise,
    Another of your really interesting posts with some superb images, never having seen a moose I believe them to be very large and can be somewhat temperamental, mind the youngster appears cute,
    you both stay safe and well,
    John

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    1. Hi John, thank you :) I believe so. They can be quite dangerous if you get too close if they feel threatened, even more so when with their young. Perfectly understandable of course and they are not alone. You stay safe and well also.

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  13. Journals and photos are such wonderful memory joggers and boy these were wonderful ones! Brought back a few for me as well and I adored your pictures and words . You describe that special wildlife sighting burst of joy so beautifully). Also many smiles over you and Greg’s differences and compromises in travel and exploring styles. Yup. After over 60 years of going places together, I can relate! But somehow it all works beautifully doesn’t it!

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    1. Hi Sallie, so happy you enjoyed this. Yes it does :) couldn’t agree more.

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  14. Wonderful photos! I miss travelling.
    Amalia
    xo

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