Day 206 - North to Jackson Hole - Part 3

Day 206 – North to Jackson Hole, Sunday, July 10, 2011

With Sunday morning came another hike in Grand Teton National
Park. This time Max and I took the
Granite Canyon Trailhead where we followed the Snake River, raging with
whitewater, through meadows of wildflowers and forests of pines and
aspens. I found the hike intriguing
simply due to the different greenery found here compared to most mountainous
areas. It feels unusual to pass by ferns
beneath a pine tree.

After our hike, Max and I found a shaded patio for lunch at
a café in town. Petey happily got to join
us. In mid-afternoon, we said our
goodbye’s and headed north to Colter Bay Village, one of several places to camp
inside of Grand Teton National Park. I
wasn’t looking at my watch, but it probably took at least an hour to make it to
the northern part of the park.

On our way we passed by several turnouts that provided
fantastic views of Grand Teton, Mount Moran, and Jackson Lake. Our campgrounds at Colter Bay are situated
beneath shady pines about half a mile from the Colter Bay Marina, a general
store, two restaurants, a laundry and shower area, as well as a visitor
center. The Park has three or four
villages like this! For a National Park,
the campgrounds are very nice – shade and running water.

Max and I started walking with Petey around Colter Bay, as the
path was wide enough for a vehicle, paved, and was not marked with a “no dog”
picture, but on second thought since the path was named Lake Shore “Trail” and
dogs weren’t allowed on trails, but were in paved parking lots we double
checked. Petey didn’t get to go, but he
did get a good view of the lake.

To my surprise, the lettuce wraps, fried cheese, and cheese
burger were all good at the Village restaurant.
We will probably try it again tomorrow night. ETB