Here’s a pretty picture for you to start off my blogpost. It relates to my story at the end of this missive. It's a bit of a long one.
This is another from our archives. We don't travel far anymore, so it is very nice for the both of us to look back on these daily journals that I used to write when we were traveling. I read it to himself yesterday (8-1-26) and we both said good job I wrote all this down as a lot was forgotten until we saw the photos and read the words, and remembered and laughed at a few things. Hopefully our son will get as much enjoyment as we did when he eventually starts reading them. I started my blog with this in mind, as a family history for him. I didn't know anything about privacy settings back in those days and was amazed when I started getting a few comments. Little did I know I would be meeting so many lovely people. I started my old blog, where I retrieved this, back in April 2008, so I have been blogging for just over 18 years. I can hardly believe it.
Today's post is from August 2013, after we left Yellowstone and ended the day up in The Grand Teton National Park. Gregg was now officially retired and this was the first time he didn't have to pull over anywhere there was cell phone service and join in a conference call. Everyone used to know he was on vacation, but not wanting to fall behind on the projects he had been working on, it was a good way to go for him. Have to say, it was a great feeling to not have to worry about such things anymore.
August 30th, 2013 and we have now traveled 5,119 miles.
At 8.24 a.m. we left West Yellowstone. It is to be a short drive to the Grand Teton National Park as it is only about 60 to 70 miles. We passed by a few of the hot springs we've become so accustomed to seeing. We said goodbye to Old Faithful until the next time. We passed its sign and drove on by, remembering the lovely time we had there. I am not sure when we will return but we will be back one day.
We also said goodbye to the now familiar 1936 touring buses from the Old Faithful Inn, which I read have been converted to run on ethanol. It still has its semaphore turn signal on the driver's side, a requirement for buses operating in Wyoming.
At 8.40 a.m. we took yet one more photo of a buffalo lumbering along at a very slow amble, to where I have no clue but I'm sure his instincts were his guide. You wouldn't know by looking at them how fast they can move if they need to. Later we saw one run across the road in front of a car. Both driver and beast looked startled as beautiful beast ran out of the wood at high speed. We were glad the car was following the rules of the road and was able to slow down enough for safe passage for both. They truly are magnificent animals.
9.00 a.m. we saw a Great Blue Heron. Not a very good photo, too far away, a dot in the middle of the photo more or less.
10.09 a.m. We are driving by Lewis Lake. We stopped to look and noticed shoes on a log. Where are those people? We saw no sign of a family, no sign of a car and it will have to be one of life's puzzles. Probably over the rise wading in a shallow part of the river but who would go for a walk on that rocky 'beach' without their sneakers and flip flops? (We saw a lot of parents and their kids at Yellowstone and here.) I found it interesting that three pairs faced in one direction and a grownup pair of flip-flops were in the other at the end. Yes, I notice these things.
10.22 a.m. and driving by Lewis River having just passed Lewis Falls. It looked really pretty but all the parking spots were taken and we had to be content looking at the Falls from the road.
We are out of Yellowstone and now in the Grand Teton National Park, and no it didn't seem to take that long.
10.30 a.m. We stopped at the first visitor center we came to in the park, at Flagg Ranch. It's a place you can rent cabins, go on horse rides and other things. We were going to have a late breakfast/early lunch, but it would be another half an hour before they opened the dining room. Himself didn't want to hang around that long. We bought ourselves a snack at a shop to tide us over until dinner time, or wherever we might find the next eatery. Now that Gregg is officially retired he bought a knife at the stopover. "Why on earth have you bought that thing?" said I. "Because I am retired now!" said he. It is one of those fold-up ones you can take on camping expeditions, not a pocketknife, much bigger. I think he thinks I am going to go camping and sing around a campfire, and he will need a knife to cut up wood. Not going to happen but he's smiling. He never gives up and I might add, thank goodness I put the first-aid kit in my emergency pile in the boot of the car. I don't like knives very much, but he is after all retired now, and he he thinks he should have a proper one. Maybe I should buy an even bigger knife and tell him, "A knife, you call that knife?" And pull my bigger knife out and say, "Now that's a knife!" Remember the scene from Crocodile Dundee when someone tried to mug him in New York with a tiddly little knife? Good old Mick brought one out the size of a machete and the muggers ran off in the opposite direction. It’s not going to happen, I don't like knives, plain and simple. But then I have knives in my kitchen so I can't say much, though having cut myself on occasion, that's why I am so wary of them (Gregg has his trusty Swiss pocketknife these days.)
We stopped off at a viewpoint overlooking the lake.....
and as we were standing there this chap on a motorbike rolled up.
We met Paul at 11.20 a.m. He is from Chipping Camden, England. We detected each other's accent and of course I had to ask where he was from. Friendly fellow with a big warm smile. He told us he is with a group of 36 people, all who have hired Harley's for their road trip over here. He was away on his own for a bit. Paul has a camera on his helmet and turns it on and off via a switch on the handlebars of his bike. I have seen several riders with helmet cameras on our trip. Paul was a very nice chap, Gregg said he's the kind of guy you would enjoy a beer with down at the local pub. Off he went to join his 36 mates and we wished him a great holiday.
We met a young German couple at another overlook but did not get their names this time. They must have been in their early 20's, from Bonn I thought he said. I found out later Bonn is about 15 miles (24 km) from Cologne. He said that was where their town was near. We took their photos and they took ours. The young man said it was his second visit to the States as he went to school a few years ago in Philadelphia. They also said the Grand Teton reminded them of the Alps. I asked them if they skied and they said in unison, "Of course!". I have met many people in Europe over the years, and they have all skied. It is a way of life.
At the same viewpoint Gregg was asked by a Chinese gentleman to take a photo of a large group from Beijing. Gregg joked that he wouldn't charge much at which they all laughed. They laughed at another joke of his but neither of us can remember what it was now. He is very happy that he made a group of Chinese tourists laugh at his jokes. These cheery meetings with nice people are a fun part of the trip.
We arrived at our accommodations, and we were able to check into our room early. All very rustic and it was lovely with a great view of the mountains. We noticed some trails we can take later on.
In the afternoon we took a ride to look at the area. This is one of the places we stopped, a pretty little church that we remembered from our last trip. It is called the Chapel of the Transfiguration and you can read more about it here. It has a gorgeous photograph of the church which will give you its true beauty, absolutely stunning. It is a favorite spot for photographers and sightseers alike. Couples get married here.
Originally built in 1925, it still functions as an Episcopal Church. Services are held at the Chapel from late May to early September each year. If you ever saw an old movie called "Spencer's Mountain", it was filmed in Jackson Hole in 1963, and this little church was featured in the movie. The stars were Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara.
Added note about the above movie: "Spencer's Mountain is a 1963 family drama starring Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara. The movie was directed and produced by Delmer Daves, and it is based on the 1962 novel by Earl Hamner Jr. It served as a forerunner to the famous TV show The Waltons.
Director Delmer Daves chose Jackson Hole because he fell in love with the area when making the 1956 film "Jubal." Local residents were hired as extras for various scenes, which included the high school graduation of the oldest son, Clayboy, played by James MacArthur, as the oldest son. The story originated from Earl Hamner Jr.'s autobiographical experiences growing up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. For this feature film, the setting was shifted to the dramatic Grand Teton landscape in Wyoming. The core dynamics of a loving, poor country family laid the groundwork for Hamner's later creation, The Walton's television series."
Even though I don't go to the movies anymore, I enjoy reading about their history of how they came about. I will try and find this one and watch it, just to pick out spots that may not have changed, like this old church.
There is a very pretty print on the wall that I remember from our last visit.
As you can see from where Gregg is sitting, the size of the congregation would be very small.
There is a large window behind the chapel where the beauty of the Teton Mountain Range can be seen.
I told Gregg he is getting very artsy as he took this photo of me standing in front of the window. I was reading something on the wall.
One of the stained-glass windows as you walk inside.
These yellow flowers grow everywhere. They are called Snowy Goldeneye, also known as Nevada Goldeneye and Sunsplash.
We left our little church in the hopes that we would also see it again one day.
On our way back we saw more buffalo, but these didn't seem to be wild like the ones we saw in Yellowstone. They were fenced in, except for one. This photo only shows a few of them.
On our return to our lodgings, we went up to the main building and into their bar. We ordered two ales and shared a sandwich. The young man who took care of us was called Javier and he told us he was from Spain. He was super nice and the three of us talked at some length as it was relatively quiet. Many of these young people who work in the parks are students who come over here to learn English and also to enjoy America.
The next morning I awoke at 5.30. The night before I told myself I was going to get up early and go out to the lanai, to wait for sunrise and to just stare at that view. The photo above was taken when we first arrived. I didn't think to take any on that misty morning. It was gorgeous and I was still half asleep but awake enough to get myself out of bed.
I wanted to sit in one of those chairs. With a hot drink I took myself outside, along with a blanket which I wrapped myself in like a cocoon. I was about to take a sip when my ears perked up. I couldn't quite understand what I was listening to at first. It had the most haunting quality to it. Dogs howling, I thought, how interesting. And then they just kept going and it was like a wave.
No, not dogs, the kind I am used to anyhow. The quietness and the mist over the valley in that half-light, it was one of those times I knew I was experiencing a once-in-a-lifetime moment. I realized I was hearing wolves howling. It had such a haunting quality and it almost made me cry with the beauty of it all. I stayed there listening to them for a long time and eventually everything was silent again. What a gift they gave me this morning.
Thank you for staying until the end if you've gotten this far. I hope you all have a very happy Sunday, and a great week ahead.
