Mid May to Mid June

6/16/2021

The 18^th of May we took a drive up to Signal Mountain peak. The morning was calm and we were able to get a photo of the reflection of the Tetons in Jackson Lake as we drove to the junction.

 Along the road up to the peak we came across the bull elk in velvet.

The 21^st brought a storm into the park. Before we left the park we saw a very young buck mule deer in the bushes

As we drove into the park we saw a beautiful rainbow in front of the mountains.

That night we had a snow storm that restored some of the snow to the mountains. We wish it would happen every week. The next day the mountains had a new coating of snow.

Along the highway, east of the snake river is an 1800’s log cabin that was owned by one of the first people in favor of designating the area a national park.

 On the 24^th we drove up to Colter Bay and saw a lone grizzly bear.

On our way back through the park we saw a moose near the Taggart Lake trailhead.

The next day we saw the same moose again in the same area.

On May 31^st we decided to take our first hike. On the west side of Jenny Lake is, probably, the most popular hike in Teton National Park called Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. The hike starts near where we work and there are numerous ways to get there. You can hike around the lake either direction or you can take a shuttle boat across one or both ways. If you hike from our work location to the falls, the hike is 3.5 miles if you take the boat, you only have to hike a half mile between the boat dock and the falls. We decided to hike around.

As you walk around the lake there are openings through the trees where you can see the peaks of the Tetons and if you’re lucky to have a windless day, you can get a wonderful reflection of the peaks in the lake.

 

The falls are beautiful and you can’t see them until you go around the last corner on the path.

A half mile farther is Inspiration Point where you can get a panoramic view of Jenny Lake and the valley east of the Tetons.

 

Since we are not the greatest hikers in the world, it took us over 3 hours to get to Inspiration Point and we were very tired by that time, so we decided to take the boat back. Even with cutting three miles out of the hike, it took three days to recover.

June 2^nd we drove around the lower loop of Yellowstone. Along Yellowstone Lake we saw a healthy bull elk grazing.

On the 7^th we took another trip through Yellowstone. This time we saw a few Harlequin ducks at Le Hardy rapids.

Monday June 14^th found us, once again, driving around Yellowstone. In the canyon area we saw a group of people watching a cinnamon black bear. As it turns out it was a sow with two cubs. By the time we got parked and out of the truck they had headed into the woods and all we were able to get a picture of was one of the cubs.