This blog post is the final post in a series of 11, and if you read the title, you'll know that the series will end right with a bunch of pictures from Grand Teton National Park. As you probably know, some weekends start early for me and this was another one of those weekends where I could...
...watch the sun set over the Buttes near work...
...over and through the fence.
The next day would be momentous for me. Looking left...
...looking right...
...and looking up the rock walls along the Blackfoot River Canyon. The fun started by rappelling down...
...which required stepping out a little bit to get hooked in...
...followed by your mid-air handstand for the day. It wasn't until later that I thought about the mechanics of a harness and how it is not intended to hold you upside down. Oh well, something to remember next time.
After rappelling down, you get to climb back up. You'll have to look close to see a guy lead climbing in this picture. I was amazed as he just hopped around with little to no grips, hand holds or foot rests. And what you don't see are any pictures topping my first rock climb! I'm told that it was a 5.9, but that doesn't mean anything to me either. So to celebrate...
...we passed a random barn with an airplane sticking out of it.
Upon further investigation, it was only the nose piece, but still random... and cool (in my opinion of course). Maybe some day I'll have my own.
But in the meantime, I bought my own tent (after the wind took out a corner on my previous tent). Unfortunately, not only wasn't I successful at selling rights to these promotional pictures, but the tent advertised to be 11' x 13' and capable of fitting 2 queen air mattresses was not nearly as big as advertised. The interior dimensions were closer to 9' x 8', and that is not big enough for the air mattresses. So, it has been returned and I bought another one to try again.
Saturday morning, we weren't the only ones up at the crack of dawn. This elk was enjoying...
...the beautiful sunrise as we drove through Grand Teton National Park.
Another view of the sunrise. This is only the first of many pictures where I couldn't decide which one I liked better.
Look close to see the 2 moose...
...and 2 more moose in another field, before...
...gulp, the sun started hitting the peaks!
I'm jealous of this elk - he gets to watch these sunrises every morning!
I raced these two elk to Shawbecker Landing. I'd tell you who won, but I got distracted...
...by these views. Notice the ice still in the pond...
...along with a few ripples...
...as the sun started hitting the tops of the trees.
The reflection was just so magnificent in color...
...and in sepia.
We moved around to get some different views...
...although I have to imagine that many of these look the same to you.
This was taken near Oxbow Bend. If you click on it, you'll see the moose laying down in the center of the picture, outlined by Grand Teton on the left and Mount Moran on the right.
This is a panoramic of the whole range taken from the still ice covered Jackson Dam. You'll have to click on it for a better view.
Zooming in on the big three peaks.
Calvin from 'Calvin and Hobbes' has taught me how to put things in perspective for my Mom. After a particularly exciting (i.e. risky) adventure, I'll start out by showing my Mom a picture like this and saying "Mom, there were people skiing off the top of the Grand! That's just crazy. Just a hair of bad luck, misfortune or ill-timed maneuver and you're dead! I think I'll just stick to
'you fill in the blank' ." Ironically, a co-worker's friend died skiing off the Sawtooth Mountains this same weekend. But that aside, even if you look close, I don't think there's enough contrast in the picture to see the ski tracks coming off the top of the Tetons! Now that's an adventure I never plan to be up for.
Click on the panoramic looking across Jenny Lake.
After touring around the park and taking a nap (most of you were probably still in bed), the clouds had cleared, so we headed back to Shawbecker Landing...
...for a whole bunch more of the same pictures in color...
...and sepia...
...and black and white.
At times the ripples were too much for the reflection...
...but then it would only be the ripples caused by the young ducks playing around.
A slightly different angle...
...in sepia too.
Proof that I was there and still awake.
Something about "a typical Joe stance" with hands in the pockets.
Another view...
...along with a panoramic you can click on.
I'm still amazed at the detailed reflections in the pond.
Can you name the baby critter? My guess is a baby beaver.
One...
...two...
...and three more views from nearly identical spots. This would be all of the pictures from the weekend. That brings the blog current, for another day. At least three major trips are tentatively planned for the month of June, so it will be difficult to keep the blog up to date. But, with the last trip being my final trip back to New York, I'm sure you'll forgive me. In the meantime, there should be plenty of pictures to keep you busy. Enjoy!
...the borrowing of some fancy shoes (mine were wet after all)...
...and some more rock climbing.
You'll notice the problem with climbing pictures, is that the view is always the same.
Except this one is Chris...
...and this one Chris' daughter, Kristen.
The whole fish feeding episode took away precious daylight, so we ended up climbing out after the moon had risen along with one of the planets.
I was surprised how well the pictures turned out and you could even see the entire outline of the moon rising above the farm.
Randomly choosing settings to capture the "real" image.
This picture is taken across the placid Snake River in town. What you don't see are the falls between the foreground and the city lights in the background. That was all for one weekend, but I can assure you more adventures will be coming your way as I prepare for multiple trips in June!
