Jackson Lake

In the middle of our trip we decided to do what we were all most looking forward to, rent a boat on Jackson Lake. Jackson Lake is the largest lake in the national park and is one of the largest high altitude lakes in the United States, at an elevation of 6,772 feet above sea level. The lake is up to 15 miles long, 7 miles wide and 438 feet deep, so yea, it's pretty big.

Some rain the night before made for the drive into Jackson Lake more spectacular than ever. Low hanging clouds blanketed the foothills of the Tetons leaving the peaks exposed. Wow.

Like E's new hat? After almost 15 years with his old one he felt it was time to upgrade and Jackson Hole had the neatest hat shops ever. This hat is even hotter than the last, if possible. 

We've learned not to be surprised by the view in Teton National Park, everywhere you look is beyond stunning. The view from the boat dock was no different. 

Because Jackson Lake is inside the national park they don't allow speed boats or jet skis of any kind. We got a motorized fishing boat, and to us it was plenty fast. And seriously so fun.

The warm wind and sunny day made for perfect boating conditions.

Both the kids have been on boats before (like last year when we went to Fire Island) but this is one of the first times we've been on a small boat where they had more freedom to roam. They were impressed!

Views views everywhere.

Within about a half an hour we made it across the lake to a little bay near the foot of the huge mountains. We stopped the boat, had lunch, watched for animals and even took a swim!

The water was cold! But both kids wanted in and I was so impressed. James felt nervous because the water was super deep but Juliet and I happily swam for a few minutes.

After the kids were safely back in the boat I floated a bit. Lifejackets are awesome for swimmers wanting to relax. ;)

After drying off we were off to explore more little bays and islands on the lake.

Whenever I catch my two holding hands I try to snap a quick pic before they notice. Success!

Juliet and I liked sitting up front the most, while James liked to sit in the back or help Daddy steer.

So many areas were breathtaking. This area had been damaged by wildfire making the animals easier to spot. E spotted a small deer near the water getting a drink.

"Captain Daddy" as the kids called him.

We took lots of breaks to look around and enjoy what we were seeing. We spotted two (maybe three?) bald eagles and two golden eagles. SO awesome!

Captain Daddy is a good multi-tasker. Plus new hat hotness.

We kept snapping photo after photo because the clouds would change and the mountain views would change. We were all alone (only spotting one other boat the entire four hours we were out there) and it just felt magic.

Panorama for good measure.

What a totally awesome and lovely day.

Teton posts are almost done, but I've got at least one more coming (maybe two)!

Tetons - Granite Hot Springs and Granite Waterfall

After two days of hiking and playing near the lakes of Teton National Park we were ready for a bit of a change of pace. Juliet, as I mentioned, is so-so on hiking, and hiking with two small kids is hard even under the best conditions.

We read that there was a nearby hot spring and we were eager to check it out. We really didn't know what to expect, a warm spot near a rushing river? A pool? Hot tubs?

We did a little research and found that we needed to drive farther south and then east into an area outside the park but just as amazingly beautiful.

We followed the directions, turning onto the dirt road just as directed and were awe struck by the rugged and amazing beauty. We were the only ones there, and the ten mile dirt road took us easily a half an hour. It was one of the best half hours I've ever spent.

A large river followed a valley winding in and out of forests. Large meadows and amazing marshes were around every turn. We spotted a heron and a beaver dam but could have spent hours spotting hundreds of other animals.

The kids happily looked around in the backseat as E and I drove awe-struck in the front. We kept talking about our dream, to one day have a house in the woods, with a library and a big kitchen and a front porch. We want trees and a view to a river and internet. And not much else. It is so fun talking about this, and filled many happy minutes on the bumpy road onward.

Finally after what we felt was far longer than ten miles, we arrived. It was literally in the middle of nowhere and we could not wait to see what awaited us. 

We found it! A pool, deep and warm and built by the CCC in the 1930s. On one side of the pool a waterfall spilled happily into the pool filling it with fresh warm water. On the other side a waterfall spillway lead to the river below. In some areas the pool was three feet deep, in other areas it was eight feet deep. Most of the pool was well over my head, so we were so happy to have packed the lifejackets because the kids happily and easily swam independently the entire time we were there. 

Everywhere you looked the views were killer.

And the water was perfect, not too hot nor too cold. We swam and swam only stopping when our stomaches forced us to eat. See the waterfall to the right of James? That's where the pool filled up.

Seriously beyond stunning.

I loved the color of the water and the old wooden deck. Lots of cannonballs into the deep spots kept the kids happy and laughing.

Waterfall Man was as happy as can be.

And then finally, after swimming our hearts out, we'd had enough and felt a little too waterlogged. On the way in we had noticed this spectacular and quite impressive waterfall less than a mile from the hot springs. We were so excited to find that the five minute walk lead us right to the base of the falls and we were the only ones there. We LOVED it and all agreed it was better than Hidden Falls (a popular waterfall inside the park) that we'd seen the day before. We liked how wide this fall was and how we were really there alone.

WOW.

Soon another family joined us and we traded photo taking responsibilities. Love this photo of the four of us.

Panorama.

After dinner out and ice cream in the city park again it was time for bed. We didn't bring any bedtime stories with us, so E instead told stories each night. In one story the kiddos found a boat and sailed to a candy island. The kids LOVED it. And although James is blurry and Juliet is only semi in focus, I thought I better add the photo anyway, because I love it.

Next up, Jackson Lake!

Tetons - Day 1

I've been thinking about how to split up blog posts from our wonderful summer vacation, a week long trip to Teton National Park. Not every day will get a full post, but since our first day there was so special and everything was new, it shall get an entire post to itself.

We arrived at Grand Teton National Park last Saturday afternoon. The first day was spent driving, seeing the Visitor Center and checking into our lovely little cabin near the river where we'd be staying for our entire trip. The cabin was divine, two little rooms (James had his own bunk-bed room!), and a little living area with a kitchen and couch. Plus there was a private patio with a grill, table and fire pit. The cabin was located only about a two minute walk from the huge Snake River so we spent a lot of time that first day just grilling and chillin'.

But the second day we woke up ready for adventure. Having your own kitchen is a huge money saver. We made our own lunches daily and packed them and ate every single breakfast there as well. Lots of money and time saved by not needing to do a restaurant every meal.

The drive from our cabin into the park took quite some time (45 minutes most days) but the kids were troopers. Two iPads loaded with games really helps too. ;)

The first day consisted of a three mile round trip hike to Leigh Lake. The hike was stunning. Probably one of my favorite hikes I've ever been on. The trail followed another beautiful Teton lake the entire way and the blue/dark green/turquoise water was so crystal clear you could spot every single fish.

Plus, everywhere you looked the Tetons dominated the scenery. It was intense and amazing.

Our two little hikers did pretty well. James loves to hike and did the entire hike without a complaint and without removing his gloves. Juliet fussed in the backpack the entire hike in, but then hiked herself the entire hike back saying "Me love hiking! Such a beautiful day! This is so fun!"

Near the end of String Lake the lake morphs into a river connecting it to the next lake. There we were lucky enough to see a beautiful doe cross the stream. She went slowly and carefully finally emerging only feet from where we were standing. There she stood, quiet and at peace. She and James looked at each other for a long moment, and for the rest of the trip James talked about the beautiful deer "looking right into [his] eyes."

The forest was incredible.

So many wildflowers.

This was the view the entire hike. We stopped dozens of times for photos. The water looked like the Caribbean!

Finally at Leigh Lake James asked to jump in. We always agree to such wonderful requests and in he went, in nothing but his undies.

In he went! Not once but twice. That water was cold!

E and Juliet spotted tiny frogs along the bank. Do you see him?

STUNNING. This is what dreams are made of.

Once James immerged from the freezing water (only 60 degrees!) he removed his underwear so he could put on his dry shorts. Juliet thought it was hilarious to throw the wet dirty undies at me and did it again and again. Her huge smiles were worth the wet undies on my head.

We stayed on our little beach for a long time. Eating lunch, playing with the kids, throwing rocks, exploring, catching frogs, getting undies thrown on our faces. Finally when it was time to pack up everyone felt very happy and fortunate to spend the entire day in the outdoors.

And upon returning to the car the kids begged to go into the more shallow String Lake that we had been hiking along. We couldn't say no, each of them had been amazing all day and really, how often do you get to swim in this?

So back into the undies and in they went! Oh they had fun!

After some quiet time in our cabin (James slept, Juliet didn't), we headed to Jackson Hole for dinner. We remembered this darling Mexican restaurant from the first time we were in Jackson, and it didn't disappoint. 

Even with two skipped naps (the day before and this day), this girl was in the happiest of moods!

Jackson is a town exactly 100 years old. It's historic past is present on every street and the darling downtown is not to be missed.

And, since we were on vacation we decided on ice cream after dinner. We walked over to the park to eat our cones and ended up continuing the tradition almost every night of our trip. Ice cream and playing hide-and-seek in the park is the best way to end a spectacular vacation day.

And oh what a day it was.