Grand Tetons

What an extraordinary thing to drive south out of Yellowstone and be greeted by this magnificent range of mountains - The Grand Tetons!

We hit our first "bad" weather -- misty and cold, some rain -- and so the mountains emerged slowly out of the fog. One had the impression of their presence and then slowly you could see them. Takes your breath away!

It is a much wilder park, not as many roads and not as many people. The mountains predominate - they force you to look.

We stopped at Jackson Lake and were mesmerized. This is basically the end of our trip and we planned to stay four days in Jackson Hole at The Four Seasons. Resting from the driving, exploring Grand Teton and perhaps getting a massage or two as well as some great food.

We have not been disappointed. The resort is magnificent and our room is comfortable beyond measure! The staff is friendly and accomodating, the food is superb. The Spa is a dream come true!

The town of Jackson is a mixture of real old-west town and cutesy vacation spot, but it's not offensive somehow. Perhaps because it is filled with people of all type and color. There are also things like Thai restaurants and well ... we've just had more beef on this trip than we've eaten in YEARS! So a heaping helping of Pad Thai noodles came at just the right time!

We tooled around in the National Park and came upon Jenny Lake. So beautiful. The clouds were low and seemed to sweep and dance with the surrounding peaks. There was a kind of meditative play with clarity and height as the thick fog covered and revealed the jagged cliffs.

It was a cold morning, around 46 degrees so we tried to get in a number of brisk walks. The trails are well marked and good for getting the blood flowing!

We took a great drive to the summit of Signal Mountain and you can see the Snake River as it bisects "the Hole" as the large valley between three ranges is known. (Thus the name "Jackson Hole") ... what a spectacular site ...and the weather was starting to clear.

The day turned out to be gorgeous and we enjoyed the rest of our touring. My car is actually very comfortable and now that we've put about 6,400 miles on it that is really saying something!

We have both had great visits to the Spa with excellent massages (I'm going back this afternoon) and the chef has fed us well! It's a good thing we're doing a lot of walking and hiking or we'd be big as balloons!


If it doesn't rain this morning then I think I'll go on a trail ride. The horses are so numerous and they just delight me!

Tomorrow we head to Salt Lake City. We'll meet up with two of our daughters and one will head out with her Dad to Berlin for a week...the other will join me on a cross-country trek home.

We'll stop in Cheyenne, WY and in Lincoln, NE and how can one possibly drive across the middle of the country and NOT go to Lambert's Cafe in Sikeston, MO? Perhaps we'll stop in Robbinsville, NC and have a lovely night in the Smoky Mountains.

And then its home -- wow, what a trip!