Grand Teton National Park

Where Are You (Y'all) From?

This is the most asked question in a campground. People are so friendly, and if you see a license plate from your home state, those campers become your best friends for the length of your stay at that stopover. Let's see, there was Barb from Iowa whose husband was a teacher (always a connection there) and a couple from Colorado Springs who rented a camper van with Florida tags. "What part of Florida are y'all from?" "We're not. We're from Colorado Springs." Oops. Doesn't always work out as planned.  

Moulton Barn

How can one park be more beautiful than the last one, when the last one was more beautiful than the previous one, which was more beautiful than... Each park has distinct characteristics that caused it to be set aside as a national park in the first place. Yellowstone has more geysers in one square mile than anyplace else on earth (over 400!). Indiana Dunes, in a highly industrial area, protects the last remaining sand dunes along Indiana's Lake Michigan shore. Badlands, Wind Cave, and Devil's Tower are unique geological features, that if not safeguarded would be in danger of being vandalized. However, what sacrifices did the local people make in order to preserve these unique areas? 

In Shenandoah National Park in Virginia there is a sign listing the families whose land was purchased, either willingly or not, for the park to come to fruition. Some families had owned their land for generations, yet in a blink it was no longer theirs. A teenager, Alvin McDonald, mapped the interior of Wind Cave and led tours there, but died of typhoid fever when he was 20. He most likely contracted the disease while displaying cave rock samples at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.  Of course, Native Americans sacrificed their hunting grounds and sacred lands when the white man began moving west. Many of the parks we visited gave more than a nod to the heritage of these people, their culture, and their pain. 

So it is with some mixed feelings that we enjoyed the grandeur of Glacier and Grand Teton National Parks. We appreciated the towering mountains, pure streams and lakes, grasslands, and cottonwood groves, and the efforts to help save these regions for the benefit of the American People. Not to mention the animals, flora, and biomes that were deemed important to preserve. 

Dave and I got going early to photograph the Tetons at sunrise. We were planning to use the Teton View Overlook for this, but instead found an overlook with horses that we couldn't pass up.

Dawn on the Teton Range

Sun creeping up in the sky = sun creeping down the mountainside.

Sunrise Complete

You've probably heard of Mormon Row, an historic area where homesteaders settled and farmed the area in the 1890s. The iconic view of the Moulton barns against the striking backdrop of the Tetons makes these some of the most photographed barns in the world. In particular, I like the outhouse. Of course I do. By the way, this area is undergoing more restoration to preserve it even further for future generations. 

Famous T.A. Moulton Barn

They had vault toilets back then!

The second barn on the property is known as the John Moulton Barn

We saw a mama and baby moose along the Snake River on the drive into the park, but Dave got his bucket list view when one ran into the road right in front of the truck.

The moose startled us - he just appeared out of the brush on the side of the road!

Here Moosey, Moosey, Moosey!

Mount St. John?

This view was taken on a lakeshore walk near our campsite in Colter Bay. I believe it is Mount St. John, more on the northern end of the range. 

Our final two stopping points in Grand Teton National Park were Schwabacher's Landing and the Chapel of the Transfiguration. The Landing is a peaceful slow-going part of the Snake River, and we hoped to photograph some mountain reflections. The chapel was built by a family that wanted a church near where they settled in the Jackson Hole valley. It is still used today as an Episcopalian church.

Schwabacher's Landing

Schwabacher's Landing with a view up the river.

Chapel of the Transfiguration

The view out the alter window.
I don't know about you, but I would have a hard time focusing on the sermon...

So whenever you consider the beauty and grandeur of our National Parks, also consider the sacrifices made by those who gave their land or their pennies to save the plants, animals, and history of the American Wilderness.