Jackson Hole - Day 8

Fourth of July Parade in Jackson

We spent the fourth of July in Jackson, enjoying the parade, the alpine slide at Snow King, and swimming at the indoor Teton/Jackson pool.

 

 

Many of the restaurants we wanted to try were closed for private fourth of July parties and events.  Next time we want to go to Cafe Genevieve or e-Leaven, based on recommendations from friends.
After dinner we stopped for some groceries at Albertson's, which had a great selection of deli/to-go food.  On our drive back to Colter Bay, we saw a mama moose with her baby in the sage brush flats off the side of the road.

 

Grand Tetons - Day 9

On Thursday, day 9, we had breakfast at our campsite and then rented kayaks at Colter Bay.  

We kayaked to an island and had a picnic lunch.

The views were spectacular!

When we got back to Colter Bay it was raining and it continued to rain the rest of the day.  We spent the afternoon at a ranger program and did a little shopping at the visitor center.  We had dinner at Leek's Pizza, which was a very popular spot about 1 mile north of our campground.

Grand Tetons - Day 10

On day 10 we packed up our campsite and started driving home.  Good-bye to spot I-176

Before we left, the girls were sworn in as Junior Rangers for the Grand Tetons.

We had such a fabulous time and made so many wonderful memories!!

 My advice on items to bring to either/both parks: 

Bear Spray

Bug Spray

Layers (it was cool in the evenings/mornings and warm during the day)

Binoculars (the girls had their own pair too)

Bike helmets (we brought the girls’ helmets because we planned to rent bikes)  You can rent bike helmets if you don't want to bring your own.

More tips:

We found that the park is almost empty early in the mornings and in the evenings.  It is well worth staying inside the park so that you can enjoy things during these "off-peak" times.
You also can avoid the crowds by getting off the beaten path and going on a hike.  When we went on our Wraith Falls hike, we saw 1 other family the entire time.  We had just come from the Mammoth Hot Springs area, which was swarming with people.

We also enjoyed these books:
National Park Guide
Yellowstone Day Hikes
Yellowstone Flowers and Trees Guide
Yellowstone Wildlife Guide


The girls enjoyed these:
Yellowstone National Parks
Who Pooped in the Park?
Gingerbread Tracks & Pine Needle Pasta

Happy Thanksgiving!

Trick or Treat!

Fall party

Today was the fall party for the girls. There were lots of fun things to do including BB guns, horseback riding, an obstacle course, face painting, crafts, a hayride and lots of other fun stuff.

I think I need to work with them on their aim and grip.

Meg heading out for her horseback ride.

Katie heading out. She had a lot more fun than her face would suggest.

Fall leaves

We made it to Aspen Corner last week and as it turned out the leaves were at their peak. It was a fun day of hiking and geocaching. We actually found a cache!

Meg with her "bouquet"

Meg and Katie on their tree. They probably would have spent the whole day climbing on this thing if we had let them.

Katie making the leaves rain down.

White Horse Lake

The view on our first morning paddle.

Katie and Meg playing the telephone game in the boat.

Meg trolling for trout

Katie