Thursday In The Park With Starbucker

Today I spent most of the day (after working in the morning) in Grand Teton National Park.

It was a glorious day with a good mixture of sun and clouds. Since it was August I was amongst many tourists with cameras. My first stop was at a turnout about two miles inside the park, so I could get a nice panorama of the Grand Tetons.

I then went past the visitor center, paid my entry fee (it’s $25 if you are wondering), and then took the park road that gets you a very close up look at these fabulous mountains. Just like I’ve done each time I’ve been to the park, I stopped at the Teton Glacier turnout and took this shot:

Next came Jenny Lake, a pretty body of water formed by a big melting glacier millions of years ago. The onslaught of water dug a 250 foot deep “bowl” into the earth. I hopped on a boat that took me across the lake to a hiking trail 2 miles away. I then went on a half-mile climb to a beautiful place called Hidden Falls.

About 500 feet higher I arrived at Inspiration Point, elevation 7,200. For my efforts I got an outstanding view of Jenny Lake and Jackson Hole.

I hiked the 1,000 feet back down to the boat dock, and hopped on the vessel that would take me back to my dear Dodge Magnum. As we departed the harbor I had a great view of the Tetons behind us (Inspiration Point is at the highest point of the light colored rocks on the left hand side of the picture).

I got back in my car and suddenly I was pretty hungry - it was time to go back to Jackson for lunch. But not before I took a few more pictures. I wanted to really capture the majesty of these mountains. After a mile or so I suddenly had an inspiration - I pulled over, got out of the car, and then snapped the shutter. I got what I wanted.

I hope you enjoyed these pictures. Tomorrow I return the Magnum to its rightful owner and head back home for a couple of weeks. Have a great weekend everyone!