July 8 - Winds not so much, Tetons yes as always!

Sinks Canyon was a small slot canyon (?I think that's the right word) with a major medium size stream at its heart. This stream was feeling quite full of itself and literally roared all night long, no doubt pumped up by the outsized snows of 2008 in the northern Rockies. At any rate, the Popo Agie was a pretty roaring stream, and as the name of the state park suggests, it flows underground. Dramatically! This is like Sinks of Gandy in WV, but the Pop Agie doesn't just flow into the tunnel bored out of limestone, it pours down it like a drain. Pretty cool! Here's one shot to show what I mean:



Before I left this little state park with the $8 ($4 resident!) campsite, I decided to give my birhtday present (Canon SX 100IS point and shoot digital camera) a whirl at closeup flower photography. So I figured out the macro setting and voila. The light was very nice early in the AM so I did snap a couple of decent images. I was pleased at any rate.




I wish I could say the drive along the east side of the Winds was everything I hoped for. But it wasn't. It may have been due to the haze, reported to be from the California fires. It may have been my own mood and expectations, which were so high after the previous evening that anything might have been disappointing. But most likely it was due to the fact that highway 26 north of Lander to the Pass into the Tetons is just not quite as scenic because the road is actually quite some distance east of the Wind River range, and there are intervening ridges that make unobstructed views rare. Next time, I might try the west side through Pinedale. To give it its due, Lander is a cute town, reminding me quite a bit of a small Bozeman, with a smattering of groovy shops and coffee places to give it an upscale feel but an authentic western town nonetheless. Now I'm wondering what that ski area sign is on the map near Lander. That could be a good one...

Things got better as I ascended the Pass. Still getting good gas mileage, surprisingly so given that I ascended to well over 8000 ft., getting to a level where there were scattered snow banks around the road. And of course, the alpine wildflowers added to the beauty of the elevation. Some road construction slowed things down, but eventually the long descent into Jackson Hole began. I realized then that the smoke from CA was real as the haze actually made it difficult to see the Teton Range from only about 25 miles away, which is highly unusual. Later, a ranger confirmed that the smoke was affecting visibility. I tried to get a site at Jenny Lake but at the late hour of 11:45, it was already full. So I zipped up to Signal Mtn campground, and easily found a nice site near Jackson Lake with splendid views of Mt. Moran. Even in the haze, I felt like I had come home to the Tetons. I'm trying to count all the times of been here. Eight or nine? I don't know. All I know is that there is no place like it. We don't really have words in English to describe the way these jagged mountains come straight up out of the plains in a staggering panorama. The sheer rock faces and snow, with a foredrop of sage and deep green conifers, accented by deep blue waters reflecting the deep blue sky. What word describes that? Heavenuphistedness?

In the afternoon, I took a short 2 mile hike around in a peninsula in Jackson Lake near Colter Bay. Many nice wildflowers and more chances to try out my macro lens.




Sorry if the orchid is sideways...alas, I haven't quite mastered blogspot yet.

I think my love of the Tetons can be traced back to our first western trip. Kids aren't much attuned to scenery, but when it clobbers you over the head like the Tetons, even a 12 year old will sit up and take notice. Contributing to its mystique was a big puzzle we did many times when I was a kid - a majestic panorama of Mt. Moran reflected in Jackson Lake. It was my favorite puzzle. Here is one more image from my first day in Grand Teton National Park.


OK, one more...