Road trip day 24.

Grand Teton. Mt. Moran. Just two of the awesome peaks in the Teton range. Mt. Moran has a chunk of sandstone at the peak that belongs in a layer of sandstone 24,000 feet below it. That's a heck of a fault. And do you know why its called Jackson Hole? Because the ground went down four times the amount the peaks rose. The 'hole' was filled in over time, and the peaks were worn down from their potentially staggering height. Impressive.
I spent the night in the south part of Yellowstone, and drove not very far to hit the Teton National Park. I had some laundry to do (I know..I'm almost done) and grabbed some breakfast before heading out in earnest.
Definitely have to come here again. Although Teton didn't have as many things going on as Yellowstone, the bison and deer were all over the place today. I kept an eye out, but never saw the elusive moose. I even drove the moose prime area in the evening to no avail. Bug there were bison up and personal on the road. Those guys were fun to watch.
I spent the majority of the time at Jenny Lake. I sat down with a few hot dogs for lunch, and a family sat down next to me. Tess, 6, introduced herself and told me that the walk around the lake over to the hidden falls was worth it because she had done it. And the hike up to inspiration point was worth it too because she had done it. Gauntlet thrown. The walk was 2.5 miles around Jenny lake, or you could cheat and take the boat there and back. I decided that I needed some exercise, so off I went on Tess' advice, and she was right. It was a beautiful walk around; some rocky spots, but some great views of the lake and the trail was very enjoyable.
The hike around the land was nice, but the satisfaction of walking around made the hidden falls all the more sweeter. Or cooler. A very pleasant view of the falls was to be had, in the shade, with the mist of the falls sweeping over the area. Very enjoyable.
Then I was ready to quit. But little Tess popped into my head, and I went for the Money stretch. The stretch that makes the next time better, or easier, or more efficient. And I climbed the hill for Inspiration Point. The view was good, but the view didn't do it for me. Three guys did. Three guys climbed up from the other side. They had started out early that morning, and had hiked 22 miles over the ridge. They inspired me. I did ride the boat back across Jenny lake, and for some reason, I didn't think that the view from the boat compared to what those guys had seen this day. They told me so too; I asked.
And so inspiring was the couple that dropped their backpacks down on the boat after a three day hike. Impressive. And I rode the boat back.
And then I got go thinking. Thinking that this trip has shown me an interest in the outdoors. I have been active outdoors, but maybe a different facet that I hadn't considered before. Overnight hiking. My friend Steve mentioned it around the Grand Canyon this trip. Maybe I'll have to give it a go.
As for giving it a go, I decided to give it a go and head out of Tetons rather than camp another night. I drove another three hours after dark, and have arrived in Rock Springs, Wyoming, on I-80, southwestern part of the state. I decided I should add Rocky Mountain National Park to this trip. Its a little out of the way, but could make it there tomorrow if I took interstate 80 the whole way, but that would be boring, wouldn't it?
Oh, and by the way, crossed 8900 miles for the trip tonight.
Anyhoo, drive on. I'm getting close to stopping for at least a little while soon. I promise...maybe. :)