Grand Teton National Park

It took an overnight stop in the little town of Lima, MT to get to our next stop which was Grand Teton National Park but once we got there, it did not disappoint!  This mountain range is absolutely exquisite.  I still can't get over the beauty and grandeur of it.  Since Taylor was a ski racer all through high school we had spent many a weekend in the area but had never ventured beyond the ski resort.  I wish we would have at least taken the time to drive a half hour down the road to see the rest of the mountain range.  But, at least we got to see it now. 

Of course Gary wanted to get out and hike the beauties (we don't call him a mountain goat for nothing) so we started out on a big hike the first day.  I was a little cocky because I thought this hike simulated a hike we recently did in Ketchum that I had no problem with.  Well, it was a bit different because it was a constant 12% incline (which Gary didn't tell me about until later) and I was sucking wind.  :)  I was rewarded at the top though because we saw 2 lakes, a doe with her 2 babies, and a bear!  Yay!!!  The bear was a little disconcerting because he was on a tier of land above us and about 20 feet away.  They are so quiet! 

The next day Gary had mercy on me and we drove into Yellowstone.  Yellowstone National Park is only about an hour's drive away.  We have been to the park twice but it was still fun to go in for the day.  We drove to our favorite spots of the park so we considered it a bonus day.

Because Gary is my personal hiking trainer, we took off on another hike the next day.  This time the hike was a lot easier but way more scenic.  The bonus of this hike was that we got to see moose up close!  Gary and I have been to over 50 national parks and grew up in Idaho but we had yet to see a moose closer than 200 yards away.  There were 4 cows and a bull at the top but we only saw 2 cows up close.  I consider this a very successful hike.

To wrap up our stay in the area, we went back to Jackson Hole.  I love mountain towns, they are just so relaxing and bring back a lot of good memories for me from when Taylor was skiing.  We spent the day going from shop to shop (where I may or may not have picked up a pair of boots) and enjoying some appies and wine in an iconic restaurant.  Great day!

This park has now made it on our top 5 parks to visit and we will definitely be back!