The Events of Tuesday, July 27, 2010

While Daddy went on an amazing morning walk to watch the sun rise over the Tetons and spot a lot of different wildlife, the rest of us caught up on sleep. When he returned he reported he had accomplished his goals for the day. He had seen the sun rise and the moon set on the Grand Tetons. And while he watched and waited he was able to observe a beaver hard at work and a mama moose and her baby come to the river for a drink. For breakfast, we had Quaker Oat Squares cereal, orange juice, limeade, bananas, and dinosaur-shaped multivitamins (Caitlin’s favorite!). Then we drove to a visitor’s center, where we learned about the Grand Tetons and watched an enjoyably educational video. We learned that the Grand Tetons were unique because they have no foothills and so have the image of rising straight out of the ground. These majestic mountains were formed by a strike-slip fault and are still growing. Every year, we discovered, the mountains continues up, and the valley continues to drop.

Then we hiked to Taggart Lake, which was gorgeous and cool and lovely and amazing. We crossed a bridge which stretched over a river which was bordered by trees on both sides. And looking right through the lines of trees, we could see a gorgeous view of Grand Teton, the tallest peak of the Tetons, perfectly framed by the clouds above. We saw a lot of beautiful wildflowers along the way, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the lake, except for when Abby dropped her bologna sandwich in the lake. We had peanuts and raisins and apples and bologna sandwiches and brownies for dessert! It was quite a feast. On the way back after the hike, we got very hot, so we dipped our floppy sunhats into the creeks and streams we passed and splashed water onto each other, and were thus cool and refreshed.

Next we drove on to try to find camping closer to the middle of Grand Tetons National Park. At the second campground we visited, we got one of the last of five empty campsites! God provided so well for us! Even though there were no hookups, we found ourselves in the middle of a lovely lush forest, with the restrooms right across the way! Very handy.

After securing our lodging for the night, we wandered over to the marina in hopes of renting a kayak or canoe, but no such luck. Instead we waded (and Abby and Lindsey swam) in the mucky but refreshing waters of Jackson Lake. Lindsey and Abby swam as far as they were allowed, and then a bit farther, to Mommy’s frustration. When she reestablished their boundaries to the docks, they raced towards the numerous boats as we warned them, “Don’t touch the butt!” (That’s from Finding Nemo, you uncultured swine!) Then we showered at the Colter Bay Showers in a huge building designed completely for laundry and showers and nothing else. There were at least a dozen showers, and yet the ladies’ shower room had a line of at least ten people waiting to shower by the time we left. They were very nice showers; see Caitlin’s Shower Commentary for my rating. After our refreshing showers, we had a delicious dinner at a lovely scenic overlook and then drove back to our campsite and turned in early after a lovely day in the middle of God’s beautiful creation.