Grand Teton

August 23 - August 30, 2025

Cruise Directors: Connie and Brenda

Sheep: Lisa L, Peggy, Lisa R and Julie

MIA: Sue

Day 1 - Saturday, August 23, 2025

Five of us flew out of Des Moines connecting in Denver to get to Jackson.  We had a very bumpy landing around 5pm.  After we picked up the rental car it was time to check out our home for the week. The condo is located at the base of Snow Mountain. Lisa L flew through Minneapolis and Denver to get to Jackson and arrived an hour and a half later.  We went back to the airport to get her before heading for dinner.

It was close to 8 PM and we were all hungry so it was time to find dinner. We went to the Snake River Brewing Company.  Getting there was a bit of a challenge, as we saw the sign for the Snake River Roasting Company and parked by it only to find out that we were several blocks away. Oh well, we needed the walk.

We got there about 20 minutes before the kitchen was to close at 9 o’clock, so we quickly ordered and got our food.

Then off to Albertson for the first grocery shopping.  We picked up a few things and a bottle of honeysuckle whiskey so that we could toast our first night.  By then it was pushing 11 and we were only up for one shot and a little talk before it was time for bed.

Day 2 - Sunday, August 24, 2025

Brenda Connie and Peggy got up to attend the 8 AM mass at our Lady of the Mountains Catholic Church. While they were at mass the three Protestants watched the Methodist Church online.  After all the church services, we each made our own breakfast and got ready to leave the house for the day.

Thanks to technology we were able to identify the plant life we found on the trail.  The plant on the right is Creeping Oregon Grape.  The small blue berries are  tart and can be used to make jams and jelly.  They are also have medicinal value.  The plant on the left is Frasera Speciosa commonly known as Elkweed, Monument Plan and Green Gentian.  We caught it at the end of it's lifecycle,  If we had been there earlier we would have seen Purple Flowers.

It’s was about 1pm when we got back to the car and we were all getting hungry, but there was no shady place for lunch. We drove to a picnic area, but all the tables were in the sun.  That didn’t stop us. We found a nice shady spot on the trail and sat amongst the rocks and had lunch.   After lunch, we went a little further down that trail and found a pretty little stream and had our first rock skipping of the trip.

After lunch we (that is Brenda) drove the 42 mile Scenic Loop through the park to view the scenery that we would be hiking later this week.  The first stop was a pull out of the Cathedral Group.  We spotted out first glacier and got a close up and a group shot in front of it.  It has shrunk over the year and we were glad to still get to see it.  It was cloudy day and the sky was just beautiful with the mountain peaks. 

Next stop was the Jenny Lake lookout. The sky here was beautiful with the sky shinning through the clouds.  We took a bunch of individual and group shots.

This is where we met a couple driving a Winnebago Camper Van that had been built in Iowa.  Since this has been a dream for some of us, we talked with them and they shared their experience with the camper, and even gave us a look inside. 

Stopped at Chapel of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 4:30.  Mass started at 5pm, so we took a quick look.  If we had known, we would have planned on going to mass here instead of of town in the morning.   

Not far from the chapel we found a place to skip some rocks.

We spotted some Buffalo grazing as we continued on the route.  We drove past this area several times on this trip and this was the only time we saw Buffalo. 

The next step was a lookout for the meandering Snake River. Stopped for some quick pictures.  On the way back to the car we saw a raven in a tree. 

Then we headed back to buy groceries for dinner. Connie saw rotisserie chickens and made the decision we were having chicken for dinner with salad, carrots, hummus, chips and guacamole. Good decision!

We got back to the house and made cocktails and dinner. All cleaned up by 7:30.  After a delicious dinner, we checked our our pictures and shared them. We also started playing National Park Trivia a gift from our friend Rachelle.

By 10:30 we were all heading to bed.

Day 3 - Monday, August 25, 2025 

We started getting up at 8 o’clock. Brenda and Julie started making oatmeal. Luckily, Brenda was there to save the day when Julie forgot she was cooking and almost boiled the oatmeal over.  The plan was to leave by 10 but the overachievers we left the condo at 9:50 AM.

We headed to Taggert Lake, once there, we realize we are not the only ones that want to hike this trail.  We had to park about a 1/4 mile down the road. When we arrived at the trail head he had our first wildlife siting of the day - a Park Ranger!

It’s a 3 mile round-trip hike with 300 foot elevation climb to Lake Taggart. The lake is beautiful and worth the trip. We took a picture by the rock and the Scholar Group we met the day before, was there wanting to have lunch and they took our picture for us.

Then we looked for a shady spot with a view of the water to have some snacks and call our friend Sue. everyone else had the same idea so we ended up with the economy view of the lake.

Along this trail we kept noticing these trees that grew with strange bends.  We never did find out what caused this.

Along the path was a bridge over a stream.  Peggy and Brenda channeled their younger selves and showed us how to cross the stream without the bridge.  Going back down the trail took about half the time that it did going up. Once back in the car we decided to find a place to eat out lunch, as it was about 1pm. The hike including getting to and from the car was about 4 miles.

There are not many picnic areas in the park, but we went back to the one we were at yesterday and instead of setting at the picnic tables in the sun we went back down into the shade by the stream that we were at yesterday Decided we found our spot for lunch.



After lunch, we drove to the Church of Ttransformation. A very beautiful Episcopalian chapel set with with the mountains as a backdrop. 

The next stop was the Menors Ferry Historic District.  They only have the Back in Time tours on Mondays and wouldn't you know we were there on a Monday, another BVE moment.

We met a man who showed us the first wheelbarrow which was actually called the Studebaker.  He also showed us several hatchets and then how to make rope.

The next stop was a General Store and then the Blacksmith's shop.

The last land mark was the Maud cabin where Yellowstone superintendent Horace Albright met with locals and decided to create Grand Teton Nnational Park on July 26 1923. We found a squirrel eating a pinecone in the doorway of the kitchen.

On the way back home, we took a quick stop at the visitor center so Julie could get a stamp in her books since she forgot it yesterday. And then we went back home for happy hour and called Sue to share a toast with her.

We made spaghetti and meatballs for dinner shared pictures again, played rummy cube and called it a night by 10 o’clock.

Day 4 - Tuesday, August 26, 2025 

We got up around eight this morning.  Except for Brenda, who got up early to put the egg bake in the oven so we could have breakfast at 9am.

Had breakfast,  made out lunches and  cleaned up the kitchen before heading out at 10 o’clock. Our hike today is at Jenny Lake. We’re going to take the shuttle across the lake and go up to Hidden Falls.

On the highway we had a wildlife sighting. Our first indication was all the cars that were pulled off. Brenda did an excellent job parallel parking along the road and we ran out and got a picture of a female moose and an adolescent moose. They were in the elk refuge.

Then we went to the Jenny Lake visitor lodge.  The parking lot was very full, but not to worry, Connie got out and them know "we were older and had more insurance!" We stopped in the Visitor center, where we got our stamps and bought a few things we couldn’t live without. This is also where we had to "go before we go" because there’s no restrooms on the other side of the lake. 

Once again, Connie stepped up and took care of things.  She got our tickets for the shuttle across the lake. 

In BVE Fashion, we were the first ones on the boat. it was a little after 12 when we got to the other side of the lake just a short little boar ride to the other side of the lake.

It was a fine day for a boat ride on Jenny Lake.  By taking the shuttle we shortened the 5.8 mile round trip hike to Inspiration point by about 2 miles. 

About 1/2 way to Hidden Falls we stopped to take a group picture at a rock slide.  Our shirts were about the same color as the rocks and foliage and we are almost camouflaged. 

A bit further we found Hidden Falls - it was beautiful and we are glad we found it. The total hike from the boat dock was about a half mile and 150 feet in elevation. 

From there it was another 8 tenths of a mile with a 367 foot climb in evalation to Inspiration.  Connie, and the Lisa's decide to wait and just admire the Hidden Falls.  Brenda Peggy and Julie decided to continue on and hike to inspiration point.

We got to the top. It was 7200 feet up with a great view of the lake. We took some pictures and texted it to Connie and the Lisa‘s to let him know, we made it to the top.

On the way back down, we found another mother and a yearling moose.  This was near Hidden Falls so we all got to watch them.  They were near the trail and didn't seem bothered by all the people watching them.

After we watched the Moose, it was time to hike the 2 1/2 miles back to the visitor center. We didn't take the boat this time.  It was a scenic trail around the lake and we stopped to a group shot.  

We were all pretty hungry because it was 4 o’clock and we hadn’t had lunch yet. But another BVE moment, right next to the car was a very short walk to a beautiful vista next to a babbling brook and a perfect set of rocks to circle around. We enjoyed our sandwiches, grapes, and EL Fudge Double Stuff cookies.

After lunch we stopped at Mormon Row. The community was originally called Grovont and was make up several Mormon Homesteads, a church, a school and a swimming hole.  We also so several Magpies.

Then it was back to the condo. Got there at 6:15 and decided to have happy hour and game night. Since we had lunch at four, none of us felt like dinner so we just had snacks.

We shared pictures, played games and called in an early night.

Day 5 - Wednesday, August 27, 2025 

The plan for today is to it stay in town and check it out.  Good timing too - as it rained all day.  We started off with breakfast ad Cowboy Coffee,  It claims to be the best coffee in Wyoming, but we’re not so sure. Although it was very good and had a fun atmosphere.

Then back into town and we stopped at the Jackson Historical Museum.  By then it was about 2 o’clock and we were starting to get hungry so we stopped at the Genevieve Café. Peggy highly recommends the lemonade!

After lunch, we had to get a group shot in front of the antlers!  We did some more shopping in the downtown area before going over to REI. Lisa was very excited and got a new backpack.

The rodeo was very entertaining we saw bull riders, bronc riders, team roping, barrel racers, and the mini bull riders. About a half an hour before it was over. It started to rain and the stands started to thin out, but not the BVE. We pulled out the trash bags and stayed until the bitter end. The rodeo was over about 9:30 and we walked back to the condo.

Once there we dried off and had a final toast. A few people went to bed, but Brenda, Peggy, and Julie decided it was time to dance on the tables.  You'll have to take our word for it - there is no photo documentation.

It was about midnight when we went to bed.

Day 6 - Thursday, August 28, 2025 

We started getting up around 8am and made oatmeal and leftover egg bake for breakfast.  We left at 9am to head up north to check out Jackson Lake and Colter Bay.  It was still raining a bit so we packed the rain gear and headed out for the day.

Drove up to Colter Bay and checked out the visitor center and rewatched the video that we had seen earlier in the week in the visitor center. It was nice to see the places we had been.  Then we took a 2 1/2 mile hike around the lake shore. It was good that we brought rain coats as it rained on us off and on during the hike. 

On the way to signal Mountain we saw the backside of an elk for a second but did not get a picture of it. Up at the top of signal Mountain the skies cleared and we had a beautiful view of the valley.

Then we drove back home and on the way we saw a mule deer and we did get a picture of that. Got back to the condo at 3:45 and have an hour to rest up and have happy hour before we leave for the cowboy dinner.

At 5 o’clock it was time to head to the Bar-T-5 Covered Wagon Cookout.  We got signed in and sat down.  At 5:30 there was a small program and at 5:45 we loaded into our wagon.

We went to Wagon F where we met our driver Rylie.  The horses are Donna and Dudley.

Day 7 - Friday, August 29, 2025 

Slept in a little bit this morning because we have a really early morning tomorrow. Had a clean out the refrigerator breakfast and left at 10 o’clock for Wilson Wyoming.  We are on search for our second Thomas Dambo sculpture.  We saw our first 2 years ago in Seattle.  This one is called Mama Mimi and was erected in 2021.

We got to the site of the troll and had a little trouble finding the trail, but finally did. In order to get good pictures, we had to climb over the troll and walk down his leg to a small dry spot surrounded by water.  It required immense balance, which some of us did not have.

We got back to to Jackson around 11:30 and we stopped at Albertsons to pick up lunch. We had our lunch and looked at pictures from the day before and this morning.

At 1:30 we headed to the Scenic Float Trips pick up location.  We talked about the last time we got in a raft going down a river, but we were guaranteed that this was a 'Float' and not "White Water Rapids".   

The rafting company was Triangle X Ranch and our guide's name was Kal. He was originally from Wisconsin and gave a very great raft ride, showing us lots of wildlife and even spotted a bull moose for us.

We had half the boat and another group of 5 had the other half.  We were told to stay on our side to keep the raft balanced.

Connie

Peggy

Brenda

Lisa R

Lisa L

Julie

The float ride down the Snake River was beautiful and peaceful.  It gave us time to reflect on the week and our friendship.  We have been taking these trips for 27 years. And in all that time we've been there for each other during good times and bad.  Our weeks together in the National Parks are something we all look forward to each year.  We are blessed! 

Afterwards, we heard that there was a bear sighting on Moose Road on the way to Teton ski resort, so we took that drive. Got back into Jackson a little after 6pm and picked up the pizza from Pinky Cheese, which is voted best pizza in Jackson we had a funky chicken and a pepperoni.

After dinner, we toasted, shared pictures and then called Sue.  After showers and packing, it was 9 o’clock and we watched the second half of the Fever vs Sparks game. It was a close game and the Fever won by one.

Before heading off to bed, we picked up the place a bit since we were leaving early in the morning.  For the first time ever we had to pour out unfinished alcohol.  And we only bought 2 bottles.

Day 8 - Saturday, August 30, 2025 

Alarms went off at 4 AM. We left at 4:45 to drop off the rental car and catch the shuttle to the airport.  You can tell from the picture we weren't happy to be going home - or awake for that matter.  Five of us were leaving on a 7 AM flight.  Lisa's flight didn't leave until 11:30 (about the time the rest of us would be home).  We said our good-byes to her and got on the plane.

And as we say - this trip is complete.