RV Trip Part 2 – the Tetons

This post is about the second part of our RV vacation with friends in August. I wrote about the first eight days in Yellowstone National Park here. This all seems like ages ago now.

After leaving our campsite near West Yellowstone, we drove south to the Tetons for four nights. Two of the four couples in the group had a different itinerary and were on their own by then. Harvey and Glenda moved with us on Friday, August 22, to Gros Ventre Campground inside Grand Teton National Park. There is also a road, a wilderness area and a mountain range with the same name. It is French, so we were not sure whether the locals pronounce it the French way, or an Americanized way. Some people were saying it like “Grose Ventrey”. The camp host pronounced it the French way, sounding like “Grow Vont”.

This campground has electric hookup only, like the campground in West Yellowstone. We were only going to be there for four nights, so the amount of water in the fresh water tank was less of a worry. The campsites had cottonwood trees rather than pine trees, and varied in size. We both ended up in campsites that were smaller than we had hoped for that were a challenge to back into.

Harvey and Glenda arrived and got set up early enough to head into Jackson Hole for a night on the town. Being Friday evening, there were many people out and about. Glenda reported that the most common attire for women she saw was a skimpy outfit with cowboy boots and a cowboy hat. Apparently I did not bring the right clothes. We stayed at the campground, as we had arrived later and needed time to get settled.

After we had been there a couple of nights, we shook our heads as the biggest fifth wheel trailer ever arrived after dark, and tried to back into what seemed like a too small spot across from us. There were multiple people in their party outside directing, with many loud shouts of STOP. They made it into the space eventually. Wayne said they had an accessory called a “slider hitch” for right angle backing in, otherwise I do not think it would have been possible.

The Shoshone people had a name for this area that meant “many pinnacles”. In the early 1800’s French trappers noticed the three largest peaks, and what came to their mind was “Les trois tétons”, or in English, the three breasts. In the 1880’s white people settled in the area. Grand Teton National Park was formed in 1929, encompassing the major peaks of the Teton Range and the Jackson Hole valley.

Saturday, August 23

Now that the RV fresh water tank was full again, I was able to take a (short) shower. The cell service was even worse at this place, but the camp bathroom was nicer. It was very clean, and had actual flush toilets and a sink with running water. Harvey and Glenda and Wayne and I spent the day touring together.

Our first stop was a historic log style Episcopal church known as Chapel of the Transfiguration. With gorgeous views of the Teton mountains from inside and outside the building, it is popular for weddings and photography.

Next on the agenda was Menor’s Ferry and General Store, just across the way from the chapel. In the early 1900’s Bill Menor operated a store, and a ferry service across the Snake River. Bill’s store was painted with whitewash from his brother Holiday’s lime-kiln. Apparently Bill did not have a pleasant attitude. Holiday was known to say “My Partner’s Mean, but I’m Menor”.

On the way to Colter Bay Village, we had lunch at a lake shore picnic area. Colter Bay Village on Jackson Lake is a big complex with lodging, camping, a visitor center, hiking trails, stores, a marina, boating and more. We went on a boat ride on Jackson Lake. The views were beautiful despite some haze from a wildfire to the south. The naturalist on board shared a lot of interesting information about the lake and area. I did not write anything down, but I remember she said that because Wyoming does not have any food production, water from Jackson Lake provides irrigation to Idaho in exchange for food produced there. Depending on the weather conditions, the level of the lake can change drastically. We cruised fairly close to the highest peak of the Teton range, stopping for a photo opportunity. The naturalist talked about hiking trails on the mountain, and a current problem of a porcupine frightening hikers camping overnight. The porcupine has been stealing shoes from campers. As of the time of our boat cruise, at least 50 shoes had been reported missing.

After the boat ride we headed back to the campground, seeing some elk on the way. I took a photo of the pretty view, but it does not have any elk in it.

There was a ranger program in the evening by a NASA employee talking about the James Webb Space Telescope that was launched in December 2021, and the Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, including a slide show. She had a job working directly with the James Webb telescope and was super enthusiastic about the latest discoveries and shared many cool photos on a huge screen.

Sunday, August 24

We spent the day on our own. The first stop was Morman Row historic district, a Mormon settlement beginning in the late 1800’s. At one point there were 27 homesteads, with families working communally. Some of the houses and barns are still standing. As everywhere, the views were beautiful and I can understand why they wanted to settle there. In the end the conditions were too harsh.

There was a group of plein air painters there, or painting outside. My sister has been learning oil painting and spending a lot of time plein air painting, so I had to share the information on this group with her.

The next stop was Cunningham’s Cabin, an Appalachian style log cabin built in the 1880’s. After looking at the cabin, we walked over to check out some horses that were grazing nearby.

The next point of interest for the day was Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center, also known as “Moose Entrance”. We looked around at the displays and watched an educational movie. Later we saw an actual moose off the road. Any photos would have been a brown blob, so instead here is a photo from one of the displays inside the visitor center.

Dinner was eaten at the RV again, followed by another ranger talk. This one was about animals in the park, including beavers. Beavers are the second largest rodents weighing up to 110 pounds. Beaver dams contribute to the formation of necessary wetlands. They were almost extinct at the end of the 1800’s due to the popularity of the Top Hat. Top Hats worn by gentleman were made out of felted beaver pelts. The production process used mercury, resulting in many workers being poisoned, thus the term “mad as a hatter”.

The Wikipedia article about Top Hats had the following photo.

Monday, August 25

We spent the day with Harvey and Glenda. Wayne is a big fisherman, so at his request the first stop was the Jackson National Fish Hatchery. Inside there were tanks with native cutthroat trout at various stages of life, before being released into various Wyoming lakes and streams. I did not get any photos inside the building. The tour we had there was by a guy who is actually a bear expert. Harvey ended up telling him about the time he and Wayne helped with a rescue after a Grizzly Bear attack in Glacier National Park in the 1970’s. We have all heard this story too many times.

After the Fish Hatchery, Glenda requested that we stop at the National Museum of Wildlife Art that we had passed by a couple of times. The back of the outside of the building was very unique and cool.

There were many paintings, plus a display of fiber art. I liked this felted bison.

There was a display about Carl Rungius, an early plein air painter of wildlife, so I had to take photos for my sister.

The next destination was at my request, “Knit on Purl” yarn shop in Jackson Hole. The shop was originally on Purl street. It is on a different street now, but they kept the clever name. I bought some hand dyed sock yarn in colors inspired by the Tetons, and another skein in a plain pretty shade of gold.

After Glenda and I were done at the yarn shop, we all went to the Teton Village ski resort to look around, and go on the Tram ride to the top of the ski hill. There was a discussion about whether we would be able to see anything since the wildfire smoke had gotten progressively worse each day. There were many mountain bikers using the ski hills and the chair lift. There were special hooks on the chair lift to carry bikes up the hill. We decided to go for it. Despite the haze, the view was amazing from the top of the mountain.

There is a small restaurant at the top that specialized in waffles, of all things. We had to get a waffle and beverage.

After the tram ride it was time for an early dinner at Snake River Brewing in Jackson Hole.

Tuesday, August 26

We checked out of Gros Ventre campground at about 11:30 am, after waiting in line to use the dump station. We headed east through Wyoming. I brought sandwiches to eat lunch on the road.

Stopping for dinner while towing the RV requires finding a place with a big parking lot, or open space nearby. There are long stretches with no services in Wyoming, but we ended up finding the “Cowboy Bar & Grill” in a town called Buffalo. As we were leaving, I spotted a building across the way that caught my eye. It was a fiber mill! The “Mountain Meadow Mill” advertised 100% American made products from Wyoming grown wool, a giftshop, and tours of the mill. I would have loved to see the place but it was closed for the day.

The weather was conducive to sleeping in the RV for the night, but we had a stressful time searching online trying to find a camping place that seemed right. Finally we located a place called Bighorn View RV Campground that was off of Interstate 90 east of Buffalo, Wyoming. It was starting to get dark out, and we were not sure we were going the right way as there were no signs, and we were directed down a side road in the middle of nowhere. We arrived to a big parking lot with campsites marked off with full hookups stations, just in time for a beautiful sunset. There were not many other trailers there, so we picked a spot off to the side and had plenty of space. We connected to electricity, but kept the truck attached to the RV and did not open the slides. There were two very nice portable bathrooms with showers across the parking lot. The price was only $50 including tax, so we will make note of this place for future reference.

Wednesday, August 27

We pulled out first thing in the morning for the last leg of this RV trip, driving all day across the rest of Wyoming, South Dakota, and into Minnesota. After stopping to get a few groceries in Fergus Falls, we made it home late in the evening. It was a successful and memorable trip. It was also good to sleep in our own bed after two weeks.

There are no more big vacations scheduled at this time, but after a week home we went down to the Twin Cities for a few days to help out with the grandchildren. Kelsey went back to work full time after being on maternity leave all summer. James began six weeks of full time parenting right after Labor Day. One day after starting work, Kelsey had to go on a short work trip. At the same time. James had agreed to do some work tasks that that were easier for him to do himself than to train someone else. We were happy to do grandparenting duty. Now we are back home and summer is over. Although we are having a stretch of warm days, it feels like fall. I am looking forward to having time at home to crank more socks, and weave on my floor loom again. First I have to finish a couple of projects I started in the middle of summer.