RV Travels: Weekly Wanderings #17 – Grand Teton

Hello from Grand Teton, Wyoming!

We've been going to the park every day since we arrived. Getting up at 4:30 we leave the RV just before 5:00. With our proximity to the north entrance we are where we need to be for sunrise in 15 to 20 minutes. We are typically done by 6:30 and we spend the next three hours watching for wildlife. We've seen three moose, tons of bison and elk, deer, a coyote a fox and a couple of unique birds. Oh and an eagle fighting a hawk over prey in the field along the road – spectacular!

But what Mr. Misadventures really wants to see is a bear. There are bears here. Proof is in the fact that there are “be bear aware” signs everywhere. There are even extra auxiliary signs stating “the next so-and-so miles is a bear and wolf crossing.”

I am bear aware.

I am aware that I only want to see one from the safety of my car!

The hubby on the other hand doesn't seem to mind if he's in the car or not. But since I've described how he is when he takes photos (totally oblivious to the rest of the world) I put myself on self appointed bear watch.

Well, I don't call this corner of the universe “misadventures” by mistake. Our first morning we were in Oxbox Bend, an area of Grand Teton National Park known for its wildlife as well as home to 361 (daughter of 399) and her two cubs.

So while Mr. Misadventures was at the water's edge (the Snake River) setting up his equipment and his shot, I had binoculars and ears tuned to the hills above.

Now remember it was pre-sunrise so when I heard movement on the hill and looked through my binoculars I saw a bear. What looked like a mama and two babies. So I yelled for Mr. Misadventures to let him know.

Now to be fair my I only saw their brown fur from the back, so when the hubby reached the car and looked for himself he wasn't thrilled to see elk. I still think that the back of an elk in the dark could look like a bear!

But Mr. Misadventures, who ran back from the river with all his equipment at a speed he hasn't done in probably 20 years, was decidedly not happy!

I was allowed to be on bear watch the next morning when we were at Schwabacher Landing but that consisted of rattling our car keys every once in a while.

We are once again in the park off-season and have had it practically to ourselves. However, some of the roads are still closed which is a bummer. It's also the reason we can't go to Yellowstone before next Friday. The road to the park is closed and even the surrounding campgrounds aren't open. We will be arriving on opening day which I think is potentially rife with issues. But hey, we love a challenge!

Given our sunset photoshoots, we haven't made it into to Jackson for dinner. We want to have game, but most of the restaurants aren't open for lunch. So we went for the next best thing, a buffalo burger from locally-owned MacPhail's. I did not feel one ounce of guilt eating the very delicious burger with aged white cheddar. Okay, maybe I didn't look any of the buffalo in the eye as we drove by on the way home…

We'll try again for a steak when we get to Yellowstone.

Wednesday and Thursday morning, I finally called “uncle” to getting up at 4:30 (I was starting to feel strangely jetlagged) and chose to sleep while Mr. Misadventures headed out. And wouldn't you know it, yesterday the hubby came back to the RV at about 8:45 only to tell me he had seen the bears at Oxbow Bend.

There were already rangers out managing the people and photographers who suddenly appeared out of nowhere starting yesterday. The bears crossed the road several times then went into a wooded area. By the time Mr. Misadventures safely parked the car and got out, the photo he got was the bear in the woods. He didn't get a good shot, but I thought I'd share it anyway.

We are headed to Yellowstone today for a week before turning back for Phoenix to drop off the RV and Jessica with my parents for our trip to Portugal. While we are in Yellowstone, we aren't supposed to have wifi and limited cell service, so it will be a little bit of a digital detox for me.

This past week has been one of the best of our trip, I love the mountains and the forests, just missing the ocean, but there are beautiful lakes and rivers. I will definitely come back to this corner of the country again.

That's it for this week's adventures!

Current location: Fireside RV Park, Moran, Wyoming.

So, what have you been up to?