"Indescribable beauty" was what I heard from so many people today as they stopped and took pictures of the scenery.
Many of you have been writing in and asking what I will be having at Persephone's this morning.
Well, I decided on the key lime croissant and the almond croissant. The almonds were toasted and they had a nutty taste.
The elk I photographed yesterday have now crossed the road and are grazing in the field. Head are down so they must not feel threatened from the sound of the cars going by.
Woke up to 39 degrees and cloudy skies but the forecast now says partly cloudy and a high of 64.
Oxbow Bend
Oxbow Bend in Grand Teton National Park is located just a little over a mile straight east of the Jackson Lake Junction on Highway 89. You can't miss it- it's where the Snake River gets extremely wide and Mount Moran is seen reflecting in the calm water in all it's glory. It's really a sight to behold.
Oxbow Bend is without a doubt the most photographed place in the entire park. The image of the Snake River with Mount Moran's reflection is iconic and is probably the most recognized image of Grand Teton National Park throughout the world. To give you an idea of just how popular this image is, it's comparable to Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park or Wild Goose Island on St. Mary Lake in Glacier National Park. This classic image has been photographed millions of times.
Oxbow Bend is one of the best places in the park to see moose, river otters, black bears and the occasional grizzly bear. There is also a wide variety of water fowl and birds of prey.
Oxbow Bend has a healthy population of otters which are always a treat to see. They are incredibly comical as they play and wrestle in the water and on the shore.
We met two people who photographed a grizzly by Jackson Lake but Michael and I didn't have any luck. In fact, one gentleman took a picture of the bear scratching itself against a tree. It was a cool picture and I was a little jealous. No.....very jealous. But....I have a pic of a mom and her two cubs from Yellowstone.
Bears are wild animals. While most will try to avoid humans, they may act aggressively when placed in different situations. Many aggressive interactions between bears and humans are caused when a bear feels they, their young, or their food source is threatened.
"Black and grizzly bears live throughout Grand Teton. Color is misleading when identifying a bear: both black and grizzly bears can range from blonde to black. Being able to properly identify a bear can help you know how to handle an encounter, should you have one."
I read up about bears. Do you think I will remember all that I read about if I see one? The answer is definitely NO.
"BLACK BEAR Ursus americanus
No distinctive shoulder hump
Face profile is straight from nose to tip of ears
Ears are tall and pointed
Front claws are short and curved (1"-2" long)
Smaller than grizzly bears: adult males average 262 lb (119 kg) and adult females average 148 lb (67 kg).
Habitat: forests, canyons, sub-alpine, river basins"
"GRIZZLY BEAR Ursus arctos horribilis
Distinctive shoulder hump
Face profile appears dished in
Ears are short and rounded
Front claws are long and less curved (2"-4" long)
Grow to be larger than black bears, however young bears are often smaller in size. Adult female grizzlies weigh 290–400 lb (130–180 kg), while adult males average 400–790 lb (180–360 kg).
Habitat: open fields, sub-alpine, river basins"
Jackson Lake
" Jackson Lake is one of the largest high altitude lakes in the United States, at an elevation of 6,772 ft (2,064 m) above sea level. The lake is up to 15 mi (24 km) long, 7 mi (11 km) wide and 438 ft (134 m) deep. The water of the lake averages below 60 °F (16 °C), even during the summer.
This natural lake was enlarged by the construction of the Jackson Lake Dam, which was originally built in 1911, enlarged in 1916 and rebuilt by 1989. As part of the Minidoka Project the top 33 ft (10 m) of the lake is used by farmers in Idaho for irrigation purposes under water rights legislation that was enacted prior to the establishment of Grand Teton National Park. The lake is the remnant of large glacial gouging from the neighboring Teton Range to the west and the Yellowstone Plateau to the north. The lake is primarily fed by the snake River, which flows in from the north, and empties at Jackson Lake Dam. Jackson Lake is one of the largest high altitude lakes in the United States, at an elevation of 6,772 ft (2,064 m) above sea level. The lake is up to 15 mi (24 km) long, 7 mi (11 km) wide and 438 ft (134 m) deep. The water of the lake averages below 60 °F (16 °C), even during the summer."
Numerous species of fish inhabit the lake including nonnative brown and lake trout and the native Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout and mountain whitefish.
There are over 15 islands in the lake, including the largest, Elk Island, and Donoho Point.
Jenny Lake
Jenny Lake was still frozen over.
Jenny Lake is one of the most visited areas in Grand Teton National Park. Tucked away at the base of the Teton Range, the lake is a centerpiece of the park. From the east shore, visitors have views of Teewinot Mountain, Mount St. John, and into Cascade Canyon. From the west shore, visitors can look back across the lake towards the valley of Jackson Hole.
"The lake was formed approximately 12,000 years ago by glaciers pushing rock debris which carved Cascade Canyon during the last glacial maximum, forming a terminal moraine which now impounds the lake. The lake is estimated to be 256 feet (78 m) deep and encompasses 1,191 acres (482 ha). Jenny Lake is considered to be a major focal point in Grand Teton National Park, with many hiking trails, scenic boat rides, and quick access to the major climbing routes onto the tallest peaks of the Teton Range."
"Jenny and Jackson Lakes are the only lakes in Grand Teton National Park where motorboats are permitted; both lakes have scenic tours available. A 2005 study of the water quality of the lakes in Grand Teton National Park indicated that all the lakes in the park were still considered pristine and that they had not been impacted by air or water pollution."
"Jenny Lake is a starting point for many day and overnight hiking trips. The 7.1-mile (11.4 km) Jenny Lake Trail loops around the lake and is considered to be relatively easy due to the small altitude gain of 700 feet (210 m). However, the altitude increases rapidly once Cascade Canyon is entered.
Jenny Lake is named after a Shoshone Indian woman who married an Englishman, Richard "Beaver Dick" Leigh. Jenny, and their 6 children, died of Smallpox in 1876."
"At approximately 310,000 acres (1,300 km2), Grand Teton National Park includes the major peaks of the 40-mile-long (64 km) Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Grand Teton National Park is only 10 miles (16 km) south of Yellowstone National Park to which it is connected by the National Park Service–managed John D. Rockefeller Memorial Parkway. Along with surrounding national forest, these three protected areas constitute the almost 18-million-acre (73,000-square-kilometer) Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, one of the world's largest intact mid-latitude temperate ecosystems.
Grand Teton National Park is named for Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. The naming of the mountains is attributed to early 19th-century French-speaking trappers—les trois tétons (the three teats) was later anglicized and shortened to Tetons. At 13,775 feet (4,199 m), Grand Teton abruptly rises more than 7,000 feet (2,100 m) above Jackson Hole, almost 850 feet (260 m) higher than Mount Owen, the second-highest summit in the range. The park has numerous lakes, including 15-mile-long (24 km) Jackson Lake as well as streams of varying length and the upper main stem of the Snake River. Though in a state of recession, a dozen small glaciers persist at the higher elevations near the highest peaks in the range. Some of the rocks in the park are the oldest found in any American national park and have been dated at nearly 2.7 billion years."
"Grand Teton National Park is an almost pristine ecosystem and the same species of flora and fauna that have existed since prehistoric times can still be found there. More than 1,000 species of vascular plants, dozens of species of mammals, 300 species of birds, more than a dozen fish species, and a few species of reptiles and amphibians inhabit the park. Due to various changes in the ecosystem, some of them human-induced, efforts have been made to provide enhanced protection to some species of native fish and the increasingly threatened whitebark pine.
"Grand Teton National Park is a popular destination for mountaineering, hiking, fishing, and other forms of recreation. There are more than 1,000 drive-in campsites and over 200 miles (320 km) of hiking trails that provide access to back country camping areas. Noted for world-renowned trout fishing, the park is one of the few places to catch Snake River fine-spotted cutthroat trout.. Grand Teton has several National Park Service–run visitor centers and privately operated concessions for motels, lodges, gas stations, and marinas."
Enjoy the beauty that is Grand Teton....
Last night in the Tetons.
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