2010 Grand Tetons May

May 11 2010 We flew from BWI to Jackson and arrived about 4PM. We were so excited to see the mountains again!

GTNP elk May 2010

We checked into the Flat Creek Inn and headed into the park. It was cold and snowy and the lakes were still frozen. We headed up to Oxbow and took pics along the way. At Oxbow we saw moose, elk and a grizzly having dinner.

May 12 2010 About 28 degrees today as we drove the park roads…pics of beavers, pelicans and elk at Oxbow in the AM. Later in the day we stopped at Albertson’s in Jackson to get supplies. Then we went to our favorite restaurant…Noras in Wilson Wyoming. We drove up the Moose Wilson Road and stopped at the Moose Visitors Center to see the May Mangy Moose.

May 13 2010 A lovely day in GTNP with blue skies and lots of animals! We took a drive east of the park to Buffalo Valley Road, and the Buffalo Ranch and over the snowy pass towards Dubois.

May 14 2010 What a gorgeous day! We drove into the park and decided to stop and take pictures of Lances’ barns with snow on the mountains.

GTNP barn

There were a lot of little critters running around the barns today. From here we headed north into Yellowstone National Park for the next few days.

May 18 2010  After 5 glorious days in Yellowstone, we arrived back in the Grand Tetons to explore for another week. We stayed at the Buckrail Lodge in Jackson for the rest of the trip. This morning we drove up the Moose-Wilson road and took a hike along the canyon ridge…saw a few elk. Later we stopped and hiked at the Taggart Lake Trailhead…cloudy and 50. There were some cabins along this trail…this was a rangers trail, not a marked hiking trail.

May 19 2010 The morning was cloudy and rainy and snowy so we headed west. First we crossed the foggy Teton Pass. Then we drove south towards Alpine. Very rainy and cloudy day. When we returned to GTNP we made a few stops and talked to a lot of nice people around the park. We took a few pictures of the blooming daffodils at the Buckrail Lodge where we were staying.

May 20 2010  Another somewhat quiet day in the park. We went to all the normal spots, but animal activity has changed since we were first in the park. The highlight of the day was the baby owls we spied along the Moose-Wilson Road.

May 21 2010  A better day….We drove around Oxbow Bend this morning and saw a lot of activity…Grizzly BEAR!

GTNP Bear May 2010

His claws were out, and we called him “agitated bear”, since there were too many cars and he could not find his escape route! After a wonderful lunch at Nora’s, we took a hike at the Taggart Lake trailhead area. Then we headed over to the famous Wildlife Art Museum where we enjoyed looking around.  Today was National Museum Day and the musuem was free!

May 22 Saturday  This was an interesting day! It was snowy and cold so we headed south.   Salt River Pass was very treacherous with hail, snow, and ice.  When we descended to the valley we found a roundup in progress.

Wyoming Roundup May 2010

We enjoyed stopping in Afton and having lunch at Savannah’s and shopping in the stores. Warning….if you see Fall Creek Road coming north from Afton…do  NOT take this road. If it has been rainy or snowy you will encounter 10 miles of deepening mud before it turns to pavement.  It’s pretty, but if you don’t have 4 wheel drive, you are not likely to get through! We drove back into the park and saw some moose at the Visitors Center. Then we drove up to Oxbow and saw another young moose…what a day!

May 23 Sunday 28 degrees, chilly but nice blue skies today. We started today with a hike along the canyon ridge at the end of the Moose-Wilson road.

GTNP Porcupine May 2010

Took some scenic shots…just to remember! and Lance spotted a porcupine in the bushes. We drove out to the Buffalo Valley Cafe for a delicious lunch and took some pics of the ranch.  In the afternoon we drove though the park, stopping wherever!

May 24 Monday  We woke up to a cold and somewhat snowy day. Could be an interesting opportunity for pics. In the morning we drove a loop out around Kelly and back to the main park road…lots of wildlife in the snow.  Later that day we drove out to the Teton Science School area and then around the Teton park loop.

May 25 Tuesday  Sad to say that this is our last morning in the park…then we head to the airport. We decided to drive out to the Slide Lake area and see what we could find. Nice to see the little red dogs on our last drive-through!

GTNP red dogs May 2010

Grand Teton National Park is very special to us. Thanks to all the wildlife who let us share their home!

To see more photos of our 2010 Grand Tetons trip, click here
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