Check Out Our Beautiful "Front Yard" at Gros Ventre Campground

Moose, WY (58 degrees, blue skies)

John called me out of the motorhome to see who was hanging out in our "front yard".  Just across the street was this beautiful female moose.  We kept a safe distance from her and watched her wandering slowly in and out of the yard eating grasses and plants.  She was a beauty.  An average moose weighs about 750 pounds and can eat about 70 pounds of food a day.  Our campground has a lot of moose and they are delightful to watch.  In fact, there is alot of wildlife in this campground including buffalo, elk, and recently two grizzly bears.  You need to be cautious when exiting the motorhome or car.  This campground is very wild and natural. 

We had heard from friends there were also lupins blooming in large numbers just a little ways past the moose.  A few of us wandered out and came upon this lovely lupine meadow extravaganza. There was lots of snow last winter and the wildflowers are in abundance.  There are not any campsites in the area across from us so we have this special place all to ourselves (GTA employees).  One of the few things I miss since becoming a full timer is planting flowers in the spring.  Seeing this beautiful "front yard" was a delight and no weeding or labor was involved.  :)

If you look carefully in the picture below you can see the moose laying down in the background enjoying the flowers too.

Another pretty wildflower called Arrowleaf Balsam Root is blooming everywhere.  It is so cheerful and pretty.  The roads leading to work are lined with this wildflower and it just starts my morning off right.

The Gros Ventre river runs in front of the campground.  It is in flood stage right now and the water is raging down.  At night you can hear it from our site.

We saw two new birds (lifers) for us pecking around our  neighbors site.  The first one is a Cassin's Finch and the second is a Black-headed Grosbeak.

What a great place to call home.  

A Visit To Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve - Grand Teton National Park

Grand Teton National Park (68 degrees, gusty winds, blue skies)

"Nature quiets the mind

by engaging in an intelligence

larger than our own."

Terry Tempest Williams

John D. Rockfeller in the 1920's visited the Teton area and feel in love with the area. It's not difficult to imagine this happening.  He met with the Superintendent of Yellowstone National Park  (Albright) and agreed to purchase land & ranches in this area to protect it and  later gave 33,000 acres to the National Park Service in 1949. He kept 3,100 acres around Phelps Lake as a family retreat.  His son, Laurance, in 2001 donated the remaining acres to the Park and this beautiful area is now open for everyone to enjoy.  

Parking is very limited on purpose to not overwhelm this pristine area.  So be sure to arrive early if you want to hike or picnic in this preserve.  

Our first stop was the serene visitor center.  It is very tranquil and Laurance wanted the visitor to experience a spiritual and emotional connection to the extraordinary natural beauty of this area.  You almost immediately quiet yourself as  you enter this peaceful center.  

Visitor Center

Lupines

Wildflowers are just starting to bloom.  The snowfall was 40% greater than normal levels and many folks believe the flowers are going to be outstanding this spring and summer. I can't wait!

There are several trails to choose from and we picked a roundtrip one (Lake Creek and Woodland Trail) out to the lake which is about three miles in length.  The river is rushing down the valley at present and you could hear it along most of the trail.  

There are beautiful bridges which criss cross the river at intervals. Many of them have benches you can sit upon and watch the water. What a great way to relax. I've always be drawn to water. How about you?

Lake Creek

At last we came to Phelps Lake.  This is such a pretty lake and there are lots of areas to enjoy a picnic along the shores.  We even saw one brave soul swimming.  Really...it was ice cold. Perhaps someone lost a bet or maybe they had been camping in the wilderness for a long time and really needed a bath. Who knows...seemed crazy to us.  

There is still a lot of snow up high in the mountains.  

We walked about another 1/2 mile along the lake out to Huckleberry Point.  The winds were high and rushing through the pine trees.  What a beautiful sound. Once you left the lake shore it was warm and delightful.

There is a metal walkway along the path which leads out into a pretty wetland area.

Huckleberry Point

I thought the following quote in the trail guide by Laurance Rockefeller sums up this extraordinary place perfectly...

"The trees, the animals, the streams, the flowers,

preserved as much as possible in their natural state of beauty,

will in turn help preserve our most precious resource - 

the human spirit"

We loved this remarkable place and plan to return again and again.  If you are planning to visit the Tetons, I'd suggest this hke as a "must do".