Week 10: Bear Butts

Week 10, JULY 6-12

A Drive Down Memory Lane

Leaving Lander, 5 days in Grand Teton National Park

Last week was supposed to be about the nostalgia, still, I can't help but remember back a bit more to my first visit to Grand Teton NP. It was on my cross-country bike trip that I first rode through the park. It was only maybe 4 hours worth in the middle of the day, but I remember it distinctly. The mountains looming large in front of me for most of the ride!

That was also the first time I’d been in a National Park! A few days later I went to Yellowstone too, and I was hooked. In the 11 years since I’ve been to 25 different National Parks - and counting. And I’ll add a good deal more before this trip is through.

On this visit to Grand Teton NP I spotted and photographed a lot of wildlife! But mostly as they were walking away.

I joked that I was starting a photo series of animal butts.  

Sunday, July 6. Day 63

Where does that river go? 

Lander, WY

My travel companion for the last two weeks headed home today! We had breakfast at bakery/coffee shop in town (there were 3 bakery/coffee shops within 1 block, and all of them were busy!)

It was a nice sendoff and I enjoyed her company and getting to have these experiences together. 

But I’m also glad to have some time to myself again!

I had a nice walk back to the campground and took some time to just sit. Journal for a bit, process photos, and not have anywhere to be. 

No, wait, that’s not true!

I didn’t want to come all the way to Lander and not see the Sinks! 

The Sinks is where the Popo Agie river flows into the rocks. Not like under, or a channel through, but literally into the rocks. The river goes into cavern of limestone where it flows through fissures and cracks eroded into the soft rock, then a 1/4 mile away it emerges in the area called The Rise, just pouring out of the side of a mountain. It formed a pool of limestone sand that is calm and clear, with tons of fish - it looks a big coy pond. Then a hundred yards away it flows down over some rocks and becomes a rushing river again.

I hiked down to the entrance (The Sinks), climbed on some rocks and took a bunch of photos.

This is 4 of the last 6 days I got to climb on some rocks. Coincidentally 4 of the last 6 days I had ice-cream. I really am living my best life! Haven’t had any pizza in a while, I’ll have to take care of that.

Following the short hike in the afternoon I took another stab at stovetop banana bread. But I messed up with the eggs, also the recipe didn’t call for adding any bananas (but I did anyway), and it’s almond flour. The odds of success were stacked against me from the start. 

In the evening my friend Jessie from back home arrived at the RV Park. Thank goodness, I was so lonely! 

We got dinner at the Lander Bar and talked about plans and logistics for the next few weeks. Tomorrow the next adventure begins!

Good: Finally got to see the Sinks! Something recommended to me 11 years ago! 

Bad: Failed horribly at making banana bread. It was an abomination best never spoken of again. 

Unexpected: Posting last week’s blog felt like more work than usual. Maybe I took more photos? Maybe I had less time to work on it because I had company. IDK What it was, only that it felt like every free moment was spent journaling, processing pictures, or working on the update. I enjoy doing it, and am glad to be journaling and keeping a record, but it verged on feeling like actual work. 

This week isn’t looking much better since I’m heading to Grand Teton tomorrow! Heck, the next 3 weeks are basically stacked. If the updates are late, please be patient! 

Monday, July 7. Day 64

Two sides of the same coin

Lander, WY - > Grand Tenon NP

The day started off mundane; breakfast (steak and eggs!) another load of laundry (because I’m going to be off-grid for a while), fill the water, post my blog, cut my hair.

Then around 3 hit the road to Grand Teton National Park and suddenly I’m giddy with excitement about where I’m headed and what I’m seeing on this drive. It was so beautiful that it was occasionally frustrating because there was nowhere to pull over to take photos. I wanted to take all the pictures!

Also, I might have said in last week’s blog that I was through with reminiscing about the bike trip, but I had to stop at Togwatee Pass and (re)take one of the photos I took back then. Largely because the photo is hanging in my bedroom back home. But also because it was kind of a fun story. Maybe I’ll type it up at the end of this post.

It was getting late and I needed to get to my campground in the park. I kept insisting to myself that I wouldn’t stop for any more photos! But of course I did. Even just 2 miles from the campground I came upon a mass of cars pulled off on the side of the road and people gathering near a canyon ledge - which always means the same thing - there’s some cool animal everyone stopped to see. Of course I pulled over, and down by the river a handful of moose were grazing and lazing in the grass. I snapped a few pics, got bitten by a few mosquitos, and then finally rolled into the campground a little after 9. 

Good: Cut my hair! During the pandemic I cut my own hair for like 3 years, so I think I’ve gotten pretty good at it. Or, at a minimum I’m good at working the clipper in the mirror, IDK if the actual haircut is good. I don’t think I look worse than before, so I’ll take that as a win. 

Bad: I started to drive off from the campground with my awning extended. I didn’t even notice, but the sliding door was not fully closed and I got a warning chime about that. That’s when I noticed the awning, and that I was about 6” from mangling it on a tree. I need to figure out a system to warn myself when it’s extended.

Unexpected: I said last week that the drive from Estes Park to Casper was the most beautiful drive I’ve done. Not one week later I need to amend that; the drive from Lander to Grand Teton NP is the most beautiful I’ve ever done. And it’s not even close. 

Tuesday, July 8. Day 65

Bear Butts

Grand Teton National Park

I’ve seen a fair amount of bare butts, but this was the first bear butt. 

At a scenic spot in the park I met a guy shooting large-format film on an antique camera. Basically, the size of an 8x10 sheet of paper. Of course I have to strike up a conversation with him! 

We chatted, and he gave tips for spotting a bear in the park! 

We followed him around in the afternoon and got some great photos!

At one point, we turned around because he heard a report of a bear back the way we’d been. As we got there, I saw a young grizzly bear run across the road!

I couldn’t get a photo, but it was cool just to see it! There were cars lined up all along the road, the rangers held up traffic to let the bear cross. Learned that’s called a bear jam. 

In addition to the bear butt, I saw moose butt and elk butt, too! It was a bootylicious kind of day. 

Daily Listen: ‘Desperate Man’ single by Kalabrese. A chill 10-minute song that happened to come on as I was sipping my coffee and having breakfast. 

Good: Sitting here in the morning, sipping coffee and looking out at the woods around me at the campsite. The van has a bit of a chill, but warm morning light is pouring in through the windows. I have coffee and overnight oatmeal with peanut butter and sliced banana. A nice chill tune is playing.

Bad: We went chasing a ‘Bear Jam’, but sadly, it was not a group of bears playing a jamboree.

Unexpected: Today I learned that the generator doesn’t need to be running to use the induction stovetop!

Previously - Try to start the generator for 10 minutes while it sputters and chokes, all the while wondering if this is the time it will truly die. On the 10th attempt, it works, let the generator run for 10 minutes to warm up. Make coffee on the induction stove (3 minutes), let the generator run for 10 more minutes. Done. 

Now - turn on the inverter, make coffee (3 minutes). Done. 

*mind blown emoji*. 

Wednesday, July 9. Day 66

Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo

Grand Teton National Park

I had aspirational goals of waking up at 4 a.m. to photograph the full moon setting over the Tetons, but when the alarm rang I could not muster the motivation to get out of the warm, comfortable bed. Maybe tomorrow.

In the morning I drove into Jackson, WY for groceries and van supplies. Spent $100.05 at Target. I was so close to getting out of there for under a hundred. Jackson is a cute, but expensive town. Supposed to be great skiing, so I might have to come back some time in the winter. 

Spent the afternoon driving around the park. Saw a herd of bison crossing the road. Another Wyoming traffic jam. Stopped and took some pictures. Went back in the evening to take even more!

Stopped at a lodge on a lake for dinner; had a huge plate of excellent nachos. 

On the way back to camp from the lodge the sunset was spectacular, we had to pull over and photograph it.

Daily Listen: “Jackson” by Jonny Cash, with June Carter Cash

As I’m driving back to the park from a stop into the town of Jackson, WY. this song came on my music mix. 

Good: Why is a good plate of nachos so hard to come by? I’d think it would be an easy thing to make, but so many places manage to muck it up. So cheers to a great plate of nachos at a lodge in Grand Teton NP.

Bad: I discovered why the heat in the van isn’t working; the propane tank valve is closed. (I’d used heat a few times, but just realized I’d been connected to shore power.) Went to the panel outside to open the propane tank, but the panel cover is rusted shut.

Yet another thing that Camper’s Inn of Willow Grove checked off as “working” on their inspection, that was never actually inspected.

Unexpected: Added ‘bison butt’ to my growing collection of animal butt photos, which already includes: bear butts, elk butts, and moose butts. 

Thursday, July 10. Day 67

Bear Necessities 

Grand Teton National Park

Today I’ll have been in Grand Teton for 3 days. I feel like I’m seeing the park, but am not experiencing the park. I think it’s because my day is split in two; I have the mornings on my own, then in the afternoons I meet up with my friend Jessie, and we’re going around the park, but we’re kind of doing the same thing I’ve done in the mornings. I’m glad for the company, but tomorrow I need to wake up early and go on a proper hike.

Good: Found a cool spot by a lake to chill and take pictures. That’s not all too difficult here; you can throw a rock and hit a lake. But it was a nice out-of-the-way lake, and the water had shades of turquoise and green.

Bad: A mosquito bit me on the knuckle of my pinky finger! That’s just mean.

Unexpected: Saw a bear by the lake! I walked along the road following it as it walked through the woods parallel to the road. It was a safe distance, and the bear never got closer than 100 yards. Unfortunately, the “best” shot I could get through the dense tree cover was still not totally in focus. More bear butt. 

Friday, July 11. Day 68

Reflecting on Nature 

Grand Teton National Park

For two days, I’ve been putting off waking up early to photograph the moon setting over the Teton mountains. This morning was kind of my last opportunity to get the full moon setting, so I rallied and got up at 4:30 a.m. 

Sometimes procrastination works in my favor, because this was also the best morning for the moonset!

Following that, I went to Oxbow Bend for a classic Grand Tetons photo. There were a whole bunch of people there taking pictures of (what remained of) the sunrise. There were even a group of people on the lake paddle boarding. Which sounds wonderfully serene, except that it was 50° out. 

However, 10 minutes later, everyone cleared out. Even all the people on the lake. Like, “Okay, sunset is over, everyone go home!”

Except the sunlight was only just starting to hit the trees along the shore and was creating beautiful reflections! I stayed for a long while getting amazing photos. 

From there I did a hike around a small lake. I got my time in nature and felt much better for having gone out hiking.

In the evening we drove around for a while trying to figure out where to photograph sunset. We settled on Schwabacher Landing, which was a spot we wanted to see but hadn’t been to yet. As we walked down the path, there was a moose right there in the stream next to the path! 

Sunset forgotten, we spent an hour photographing the moose with her cub in the water. 

Daily Listen: Song “Such a Remarkable Day” by Charlotte Gainsbourg

Good: I got more amazing photos before 9 a.m. than I did in the entire 3 days prior. Sometimes there are just those days where the stars align for great photos. (Though unfortunately, no actual star photos this day.) 

Bad: Did I mention the 4:30 a.m. part?

Unexpected: At Oxbow Landing taking reflection photos, a woman was there with a painting she’d done of that spot! It was a commission that she painted from a reference photo, though she hadn’t been to GTNP before. Now she was here having her photo taken with a copy of the painting! She asked if I would take a “professional” photo for her website, and I of course said “sure!”

Then as a thank you, she gave me a print of the painting! 

These are the random encounters I live for on this trip! 

Saturday, July 12. Day 69

Close Encounters of the Moose Kind

Grand Teton National Park

After a few days where I felt like I was busy but didn’t actually do much, everything caught up with me today and it was packed. Starting with a repeat of yesterday’s sunrise (complete with another 4:30 wake-up), and got some amazing colors on the mountains. 

From there, I got distracted by the amazing reflections at Oxbow Bend and missed the moonset at Elk Flats. 

Went on to Coulter Bay Village, the only major part of the park I hadn’t visited yet. Took time there for breakfast and listening to a local indigenous person tell some stories. 

In the morning on the way to sunrise there was a huge herd of bison in a field. After Coulter Bay we headed back to see if they were still there, and they were! The timing was perfect and we got there just as they were crossing the road and a bison jam started. Traffic backed up, but we pulled over and were free to take pictures. 

The bison decided that the “other side of the road” was the side they perpetually wanted to be on and kept crossing back and forth. (Don't ask me why, IDK)

In the hour plus I was there I got a ton of great photos! Including a lucky iconic shot.

In the afternoon we went to Jenny Lake and took the ferry across to Hidden Falls Trail. Hiked up to the falls, and then further on past Inspiration Point and along Cascade Canyon for a while. That’s where I got chased by a bull moose. 

Pro-tip: if you forget your long lens in the car, you can make up for it by getting recklessly close to the animals!

Hiking back to the ferry, we were discussing our exceptional timing throughout the day: sunrise, reflections, bison, and moose!

In the evening, we went into the town of Jackson for dinner and ice cream. (I had huckleberry, again.)

Whew! I think I’ll sleep in tomorrow. 

Daily Listen: Song “Ain’t Killed me Yet” by Adia Victoria. 

Good: So many great photos today! But I think I’m most happy with the iconic bison in front of the Teton range. Great lighting, great composition, I’m excited to show this one off.

Bad: Once again, too much sun. I have sunscreen in my camera bag, unless I switch to the bigger bag because I’m carrying more stuff (which I forgot in the car anyway!). 

I’m going to put together a ‘sun kit’: a long-sleeve shirt, sunscreen, and a hat.

Unexpected: Moose! People on the trail kept telling us “there’s a moose up ahead, like 20 minutes up the trail!” (It was always 20 minutes away!)

Apparently, he’d been sitting on a small island in the stream for hours. But shortly after we found him, he got up and meandered around. Until he decided to walk up onto the trail! Causing all of us to scramble out of the way! He quickly turned off, indifferent to our presence, and found new trees to munch on. It was an intense encounter. 

Togwatee Pass

Riding over Togwatee Pass 11 years ago I saw the Teton Mountains off in the distance and wanted to get a good picture. I realized the sun was going to set in that general direction and I made a plan.

I was staying at the Togwatee Lodge, about a 1/2 mile downhill from the overlook. Before sunset I hiked up to the overlook (no small task after having ridden 60+ miles of hills that day!) and hung out waiting for sunset. The mosquitos were so terrible that I hid in the bathroom while I waited for sunset. Then I got my shot and walked back down to the lodge. I’m pretty happy with how the photo came out. Sorry, I can't find the copy on my computer to share.