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Last day of summer
Aug. 21st, 2012 11:20 pmToday we went here:
(That's Grand Teton, in case you don't frequent the Idaho/Wyoming border.)
Having never actually taken the ferry across Jenny Lake, we did so. Note: even the day before most local schools start, it was very, very, very busy. We almost didn't find a parking place. I think Jenny Lake is the easiest attraction to get to in the park, and thus the most touristy. Case in point: a well-groomed, well-dressed family got off the ferry on the other side (from which point you're supposed to hike up the trail to see anything interesting), and the girl asked, "Where's the tour guide?" Um. There aren't usually tour guides on hiking trails.)
Please excuse the terrible picture quality; I was sitting in our own boat as I photographed the return boat from some wiggly distance away. The boat operator (NOT a tour guide!) did point out a few places of interest to see, and said that it got prettier the further up you went, but the first attraction to see would be a waterfall about a half mile up. A guy on the boat asked if there was water up there. You know, context is everything. The boat operator stared at him like he was insane. But the guy said, well, this time of year, Yosemite Falls is dry, you know? Which I can actually personally attest to, having been there last week. It's not such an oddball question. But the boat guy, who knows everything about Grand Teton and nothing about Yosemite, assured him that there were lakes and waterfalls and glaciers and BUCKETS of water feeding that waterfall, and basically, the world would end before the waterfall dried out. As you can see (photo by my husband):
We went up to Inspiration Point
and a bit further. Some of us wanted to keep going, but some of us protested loudly. If we'd continued, we would have eventually (like, after a few days) ended up where we went hiking with my sister on Saturday up South Fork in Teton Canyon. But it's easier to drive that than walk it, so we came back down,
walked around the lake,
met a not-very-shy marmot,
and when we got back to our car, drove to the next lake over, String Lake, and jumped in. I LOVE String Lake--it's only a few feet deep, so it warms up well, and it's extremely clear and has these cool rocks in the middle that you can wade/swim out to. There is nothing like a dip in String Lake after a hike!
Then we drove home over Jackson Pass, stopping in to see my husband's grandmother on the way out, which is always nice. And speaking of Jackson Pass, aka 10% grade road, I'm thinking we need to find a different mechanic, because despite an inspection less than a month ago and supposedly very thick, new brake pads, our car shuddered and shook every time we put the brakes on. Um, I guess it started doing that on the way out of Yosemite, but now it's doing that some when we stop at lights in town, too. I'm thinking that's bad? At any rate, we are safely home and I sure hope the kids don't pop out of bed again, because they are really going to hate 6:30 tomorrow morning.
Happy school year, everyone!
(That's Grand Teton, in case you don't frequent the Idaho/Wyoming border.)
Having never actually taken the ferry across Jenny Lake, we did so. Note: even the day before most local schools start, it was very, very, very busy. We almost didn't find a parking place. I think Jenny Lake is the easiest attraction to get to in the park, and thus the most touristy. Case in point: a well-groomed, well-dressed family got off the ferry on the other side (from which point you're supposed to hike up the trail to see anything interesting), and the girl asked, "Where's the tour guide?" Um. There aren't usually tour guides on hiking trails.)
Please excuse the terrible picture quality; I was sitting in our own boat as I photographed the return boat from some wiggly distance away. The boat operator (NOT a tour guide!) did point out a few places of interest to see, and said that it got prettier the further up you went, but the first attraction to see would be a waterfall about a half mile up. A guy on the boat asked if there was water up there. You know, context is everything. The boat operator stared at him like he was insane. But the guy said, well, this time of year, Yosemite Falls is dry, you know? Which I can actually personally attest to, having been there last week. It's not such an oddball question. But the boat guy, who knows everything about Grand Teton and nothing about Yosemite, assured him that there were lakes and waterfalls and glaciers and BUCKETS of water feeding that waterfall, and basically, the world would end before the waterfall dried out. As you can see (photo by my husband):
We went up to Inspiration Point
and a bit further. Some of us wanted to keep going, but some of us protested loudly. If we'd continued, we would have eventually (like, after a few days) ended up where we went hiking with my sister on Saturday up South Fork in Teton Canyon. But it's easier to drive that than walk it, so we came back down,
walked around the lake,
met a not-very-shy marmot,
and when we got back to our car, drove to the next lake over, String Lake, and jumped in. I LOVE String Lake--it's only a few feet deep, so it warms up well, and it's extremely clear and has these cool rocks in the middle that you can wade/swim out to. There is nothing like a dip in String Lake after a hike!
Then we drove home over Jackson Pass, stopping in to see my husband's grandmother on the way out, which is always nice. And speaking of Jackson Pass, aka 10% grade road, I'm thinking we need to find a different mechanic, because despite an inspection less than a month ago and supposedly very thick, new brake pads, our car shuddered and shook every time we put the brakes on. Um, I guess it started doing that on the way out of Yosemite, but now it's doing that some when we stop at lights in town, too. I'm thinking that's bad? At any rate, we are safely home and I sure hope the kids don't pop out of bed again, because they are really going to hate 6:30 tomorrow morning.
Happy school year, everyone!
