Wyoming & The Grand Tetons

This morning, we got up at 6am to pack up for Wyoming.  It was 44 degrees outside, and the kids were not happy to be up and packing this early in the cold.  At home, we have a heat advisory, so they should be thrilled for some reprieve from the sun.  They are apparently not cold weather kids.

We packed up camp in record time and headed out to Grand Teton National Park.  We hit three states in one day.  It was pretty cool.  It took us three hours to reach our final destination, Gros Ventre Campground in Grand Teton National Park.  We picked a campsite, set up quickly, and headed to Jackson Hole for some lunch.

Tatum wanted pizza, so after consulting Yelp, we settled on Pinky G's.  We ordered a Godzilla Pizza, which was pretty huge and piled with toppings.  We polished the whole thing off.  Then we headed out to explore downtown Jackson Hole.

Jackson Hole is really a neat little town.  The girls had fun exploring the shops, and didn't want to leave.  We visited the town square, which has these really cool antler arches at each corner.

There is a large elk refuge in Jackson Hole, and every year the Boy Scouts collect the fallen elk antlers.  They use them to add to and repair the large arches in the center of town.  It was a really cool little place to hang out.

Then we headed back into the park to check out the Grand Tetons and the visitor's center.

The visitor's center in Moose, WY is really a great facility.  There were many hands on exhibits, and lots of information about the Tetons and the wildlife in the area.  The girls favorite exhibit was the animal pelts.  They had a lot of fun feeling the different furs.

Justin's favorite exhibits were the ones that involved the history of mountain climbing in the Grand Tetons.  He spent quite a while watching videos and reading about climbing.  I think he is planning on coming back to climb here.  Here he is giving Tate a climbing lesson.

On our way back from the visitor's center, we stopped by Mormon Row.  Mormon Row is an old pioneer town made up of several homesteads from the 1800's.  Some of the barns are so beautiful against the backdrop of the Grand Tetons.  What a hard life these pioneers must have had, though.

Then we headed back to camp for some dinner, campfire cookies, and the comfort of our beds.  We got to see some bison at Mormon Row and on the way to our campsite.  We are hoping to catch a glimpse of some moose before we leave.  Tomorrow we are off to Yellowstone, and we don't expect to have any service in the park at all.  If we get a chance to check in, we will.  Otherwise, it may be a few days...