Day off...

There was a little excitement around the campground this morning: a grizzly took a stroll nearby, across the road from our trailer. So much for a quiet walk to the shower.

Today was a day off for us; the sun was shining, we decided to make a trip to Jackson for a few supplies. The ice is melting fast on the lake - it was open from the marina area almost to Stevenson Island.

Heading south out of the park, here's your first glimpse of the Tetons...

Grant Teton National Park is another favorite place of ours. Yellowstone has tremendous variety, including some beautiful mountains, but in the Tetons you are close to the mountains where they rise dramatically from the valley floor.

One of the best views of the Tetons is from the Jackson Lake area. Having made this drive many times before, we think the views are best driving south. With no traffic, it is about a two and a half hour drive from the Lake area in Yellowstone to Jackson.

If the tourists are staying home because of high fuel prices, it didn't show in Jackson - it was packed. We stopped for lunch at Bubba's Bar-B-Q and then took care of our shopping. Diesel, which we needed, was $4.65, 15¢ less than in the park.

It was 65º mid-afternoon in Jackson... the highest temps we've seen since coming to Yellowstone. Being outside without a coat felt good to this island boy!

Then the long drive back. A friend of ours, Casey, was delivering a boat to the Puget Sound area and was on his way back. Just passing through, we made contact by cell phone and arranged to meet up just south of the park for a short visit... that turned into an hour and a half. Always nice to see friends!

It was after 7:00 by the time we came in the south entrance; almost no traffic and we had a couple more wildlife sightings: a mother moose nursing a calf and an elk. We pulled up to the trailer about 8:00. Anywhere you go to resupply around here is a LONG drive. Lots to look at along the way. Cody will be our choice for buying stuff; Jackson is trendy, pretty... and pricey. We'll look forward to some motorcycle trips to Jackson this summer as things warm up; Jenny Lake in the Tetons offers rental kayaks that should be fun.