LIVING AND WORKING IN GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

Most days, both the RV park office and the campground kiosk were visited by some Grand Teton National Park locals--mule deer.  The first photo shows a family of four mule deer grazing on the hillside between the campground kiosk and the employee RV park at the top of the hill.  Ann walked up and down this hill in 2 minutes to get to/from work.  The RV Park was about a ten minute walk down a different path for Paul.  It was a great experience to be able to walk to work every day rather than have to drive. 

A small buck wanders away from the family.  Can you see the antlers are still in velvet (fuzzy)?  Once the antlers are fully grown, the velvet is lost and the antler will harden like bone.

The next photo is of a more mature buck with eight points.

The campground has designated areas for groups of campers (like bike tours or scout troops), tent campers, and RV's.  Here is a typical RV area.  The big difference between the campground and the RV Park is the campground sites do not have water, electric, or sewer hookups whereas the RV Park sites have all three utilities.  The campground only cost $20.50 while the RV Park cost $60.48.   

Here is our motorhome in the employee RV park.  The campground is down the hill behind our motorhome.

  

We brought a touch of Florida to Wyoming in the form of the tiki lights seen on either side of our picnic table.  Our campsite was in the shade from about 6 pm so grilling and eating outside was very comfortable.

THE CUNNINGHAM RANCH

Before the popularity of the automobile, people traveled through Wyoming by horseback and covered wagon.  Travelers could only cover about 10-15 miles per day, depending on the type of terrain and the condition of the trail or road.  The Cunningham Ranch was one of the overnight stops along the road from Jackson to Dubois, a small town to the east across Togwotee Pass from Jackson Hole.  There was a bunkhouse with about a half dozen beds and a dining room to feed the overnight guests.  We would have no problem in sharing a dinner table, but I'm not sure if I would want to go to sleep in a room with 10 or more others sleeping.  What if one of the other travelers was a murderer or robber? 

The only building remaining from this ranch is the Cunningham Cabin, the owner's residence, which is on the National Registry of Historic Places.  Below, Paul is standing by the front door.  Notice how low the roof is.  Paul had to duck down to get through the doorway.  

Also, notice the gentle slope of the roof so the winter snow could more easily be shoveled off the roof so that the roof would not cave in from the weight of the snow.  The cabin consists of only two rooms, one on each side of the door.  There are only two windows in the cabin. How does this compare to modern housing?  This cabin is still standing nearly 125 years after it was constructed.

These pioneer ranches, providing a place to sleep and meals for travelers, were a forerunner of the modern bed & breakfast inn. 

WHAT IS A WHISTLE PIG?

At the beginning of summer, we noticed some little animals scurrying around through the underbrush and then heading for holes in the ground that we discovered were their hibernation homes.

Western Wyoming and Idaho have a unique type of ground squirrel called a whistle pig.    Their tails are very short, maybe an inch in length and also thin, compared to a "regular" squirrel whose tail is about 6 inches in length and very bushy. 

For a size perspective, the whistle pig posing above is standing on a log barrier made from logs about a foot in diameter.  The whistle pig below is enjoying some "greens" while he keeps his eye on us.

Watching these little guys moving ever so quickly is entertainment in itself; almost like watching a Roadrunner cartoon.  As the end of summer approached and temperatures turned cooler, we no longer saw them, as they already headed to their winter burrows.

TAGGART AND BRADLEY LAKES HIKE

During a recent day off, we decided to hike to Taggart Lake and Bradley Lake.  This pair of lakes was formed over 9,000 years ago when glaciers grinding down steep mountainsides dropped their gouged out dirt and rock at the foot of the Teton Range.

A common site whenever a tree has toppled over is to see rocks embedded in the roots of the tree.  The rock pictured was about a foot in diameter.  This gives you some idea of just how rocky most of this the soil is and how challenging it was for the early pioneers in the late 1800's and early 1900's to settle this frontier.

Here is an interesting rock that we saw along our hike.  We don't know what the two-inch layer of stone is running through the granite rock, but we see these types of layered rocks on every hike we take.

Part of the hike took us through forest that had been burned by a lightning caused forest fire in 1985.  The lodgepole pine trees have reseeded themselves and are now well over fifteen feet tall.  Some of the sagebrush and aspen trees have also re-germinated as well.  Here some dead lodgepole pine trees have fallen over a large boulder.

The Grand Teton peak s in the background.  Avalanche Canyon is to the left of the Grand.  The late-morning air is still cool as the rain clouds appear to be coming over the Teton Range from Idaho.

We came upon some huckleberry bushes with ripe berries which look like blueberries.  This is a favorite food of bears.  Luckily, the only evidence we saw of bear activity was some scat along the trail.

Here is a view of Taggart Creek.  Even though it is the last week in August, there is still plenty of snow melt coming down from Avalanche Canyon.  Notice how big some of these rocks are as compared to the tree trunks stuck on the rocks in the stream.

After going through a fairly dense group of Douglas fir trees (we never get tired of the Christmas tree smell) we arrived at Taggart Lake, elevation 6902.  Although we had heard thunder earlier in the hike, the temperature warmed up and the clouds were moving to the north; away from us.

After walking most of the way around Taggart Lake, we were treated to some spectacular views, as the skies cleared and there was a reflection of the Tetons on the surface of the lake.

Climbing from Taggart Lake over a moraine towards Bradley Lake, we got this view looking back towards Taggart Lake.  The Gros Venture (French for "Big Belly') mountains are in the background as we are now looking eastward.  The Gros Venture mountains are mere foothills compared to the Teton range.

 

After hiking like mountain goats up several switchbacks with an elevation gain of over 200 feet in a little over a half mile, we came upon Bradley Lake. 

As you can tell, the views all day during our 5.4 mile hike were fantastic; well worth the 620 foot gain and loss in altitude. 

Wildlife you ask?  We saw a large mule dear, 10 or 12 point, but he was so hidden in the trees, we were unable to get a clear photo.  We also saw a small female grouse and several chipmunks, neither of which were good photo opportunities.