Wednesday 6/26 recap
The morning came early again today as we were heading back down to Grand Teton on this last day of our combined journey with Wes and Erin. We hoped to (finally) see a moose, and just wanted to take in more GT beauty. Oh, and there was this brewery in town…
Erin and Wes again split driving duties, but I stayed wide awake in the back seat to help look for wildlife and navigate.
We first stopped at Oxbow Bend to check out the wildlife. It was a crisp morning, but saw only a few birds (including the ultra-rare Canada Goose). Time to move on.
Upon nearing Colter Bay Village (in Grand Teton), Wes spotted an unexpected yet unexpectedly cute porcupine right alongside the road. It sort of lumbered in and out of the tall grass before deciding to cross the road. We have no idea why it crossed the road (cue punchline), but loved watching its slow waddle.
Our destination for the morning was a narrow, winding lane known as Moose Wilson Road. We couldn’t get down this stretch the day before because Livvy, although not a huge RV, was still too big for the posted restrictions. Moose Wilson is not actually named for a 1950’s football player. It simply connects the towns of Moose and Wilson. Shocking!
We took our time heading south on the road, all four of us bending our gazes into the thickets along the following stream. Reaching the end of the road, we decided to turn around and make one final attempt to find the elusive moose. That decision proved wise as we were rewarded with a sighting of a cow and her baby lying under a tree just across the stream! Very cute indeed!
Due to the physical exertion of driving and watching for wildlife, we thought it best to head into town for refreshment. Wes and Erin suggested Snake River Brewing, which again proved to be a wise choice. The beverages were excellent, and the food even better, including Bison burgers (Erin and me) and Bison/local beef chili (Karen and Wes). Starting that off with some locally made, fresh pretzels with cheese dip meant we left with full bellies.
We knew we had a busy time approaching with starting our journeys home the next day. With that in mind, we thought it best to head back to camp earlier in the day so we could enjoy a final dinner together on this trip. Erin suggested we stop at the Mormon Row Historic District on the way through which was, again, a perfect choice.
The primary reason for stopping here was to see in person the Moulton barns. These structures from the turn of the 19th century have been photographed countless times over the years, given their backdrop of the Teton range. You will see John and TA Moulton’s barns in photos from Ansel Adams to Thomas Mangelsen. It really was magical. TA’s barn is in this post’s cover image.
Feeling sad that we were making the journey back to the campsite for the last time, we really absorbed our surroundings. Just as we were about to enter Yellowstone, we noticed a crowd gathering on the side of the road near the entrance sign. While this is a common occurrence given that most people stop to snap a pic, these people were looking off into the meadow. What we were treated to was our 17th bear sighting, but this one was finally a Grizzly! The bear was quite far off (maybe 200-300 yards – no spray needed, Christine), but we got some great views with the binoculars and Wes’ trusty spotting scope.
Wes made many new friends, allowing everyone to watch through his scope. We considered maybe leaving him to enjoy his newfound status among the short-sighted. But in the end he came along with us back to Fishing Bridge.
We ended the night with dinner in Bertha where we watched some of the video from the helicopter flight (we will be posting that soon!) as well as photo highlights from the entire 8 days. Saying goodbye to Wes and Erin was difficult because we had such an amazing time with them. Karen and I cannot thank them enough for picking a fantastic itinerary and shuttling us around for most of the 8 days. We truly had a magnificent time!
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