Lovely Tetons

The day after the Total Eclipse of the Sun we left our lovely cabin in Island Park and headed back to Utah and home.  We had always planned to go home a way other than the I 15 which would most likely still be crowded with traffic heading south.  Glen had very much wanted to take the Ashton Flagg Ranch Road, a dirt road that takes one across eastern Idaho just south of Yellowstone Park and then comes to a paved road just south of the South Entrance to Yellowstone Park.  It was an interesting drive with lakes covered in lily pads, forested mountain sides, mountain meadows, and unfortunately near the end blackened trees where forest fires had burned not long ago.  One of the things I found most interesting was that once we went over the divide the pine trees were a different variety than those on the west side of the divide.  We stopped at Flagg Ranch for a break and found that many had chosen to watch the eclipse from this location.  We were then back in the car and heading for Grand Teton National Park.

We drove to the top of Signal Mountain for this great view of the Tetons with Jackson Lake in the foreground.

There was a bit of haze in the air due to fires in the west but we still enjoyed our view to the west of the east side of these mountains.  This mountain viewpoint provided a 360 degree view so we also enjoyed the valley views to the east as well.

Our next stop was Jenny Lake on the south end of the range which has always been my favorite lake. 

The clear waters floating right up to mountain edges are striking.

If in a boat, the sounds seem other worldly and the boats dock right up next to the "V" where one can hike up to a beautiful waterfall.

It is one of my best memories of being with my children years ago.

It is not to be missed.  I love the Tetons.  I grew up on a farm on the west side of the Tetons and looked east many a morning to view their stunning outline.

Luckily, there was little traffic until approaching Jackson Hole.  We had lunch/dinner and then headed south along the Snake River, then through Star Valley home of this beautiful temple, and then on through western Wyoming and parts of northeast Utah and then back to Evanston, Wyoming before taking the I 80 back to Utah and then on to Provo Canyon and home.  It was beautiful drive, but dark once in Evanston.  I had forgotten how lovely the western side of Wyoming could be.