Jacqueline’s Jaunts

Relief of the Tetons showing the names of the mountains.  Today we took the shuttle boat to the other side of Jenny Lake. It was cold going across the lake. It was like going across Lake McClure in our ski boat in the winter. We dressed for it, so it was not too bad. Surprisingly, the boat was full.  It was a half-mile hike to Hidden Falls, then another to Inspiration Falls. Hidden Falls was beautiful, and the rushing sound it made as it wound down from the Tetons was extraordinary. Standing on the bridge that crossed the falls, you could feel the spray. What a crazy, impressive site.  Hidden Falls Hidden Falls Bridge Onto Inspiration Falls. The climb was very manageable thanks to my trainer, Shay. She has really helped me prepare. The trail ends at the base of the falls, and what a pretty sight. We sat there for a bit, enjoying the sound of the water crashing to the bottom. We took selfies and lots of pics.  Inspiration Falls Inspiration Falls Elevation We followed ...

The iconic Morman Barn We left around 9:00 AM. I packed a cooler with sandwiches and fruit for lunch. We had to wind through town a bit to get to the highway into the park. Before we left home (Oregon), I purchased an app called  GuideAlong . The app is free, but you have to pay for tours of different National Parks. It’s a GPS-based audio tour app that acts like a personal guide in your car. It plays location-triggered stories, history, and travel tips as you drive. I purchased the tour for Grand Teton and Yellowstone. It’s a package. I think I paid around $25.00, and it was the best $25.00 I have spent for something like this. If you're traveling to National Parks, I highly recommend this app. It was great. We followed the map as we drove around the 45-mile loop.  By following GuideAlong, we saw everything in the park we wanted to see: Mormon Row, Chapel of the Transfiguration, Menors Ferry Historic District, Numerous views of the Tetons, Passport Stamps at Jenny Lake V...

Today is a travel day to Jackson, Wyoming. We left at 11:00 AM, filled the RV with gas, and pointed Julie (the name of our RV) toward Wyoming. The drive was so pretty.  Once we got into the mountains and followed the Snake River on Highway 26 to Highway 89, the scenery was beautiful and took your breath away. I don’t think we have ever had such a majestic drive. The road was windy and hard to take pictures, so I decided not to and just enjoy the view. We followed the Snake River, and while driving along Palisades Reservoir, I saw about a dozen Osprey nests. They were all along the highway. I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never seen so many Osprey Nests. What a treat! The small towns along this route are picturesque. I can see why people move here. There seem to be a lot of new buildings along this route. We also saw half a dozen rafters along the river. The highest elevation we hit was around 6,000 feet.  We arrived at the RV park around 2:15 and checked in. The person checking us...

               We messed up and a lot of woulda, shoulda, coulda. Bummer! Bottom line: the visitor center is closed. I should have checked the  NPS site , given the current administration's policies on the National Parks. Very frustrating. Oh well, we will still go and see the park.  It is a 1.5-hour drive to the park. Miles and miles and miles of sagebrush. Terribly windy. Nothing but Cows, communications towers on mountains, and yes...sagebrush.  I had full T-Mobile 5-G bars. Why would there be full 5G bars in an area with nothing? Barry says it is because of underground military installations...his conspiracy theory. It’s INL installations, that’s why.  My guess is that there are numerous INL installations along Highway 20,  Idaho National Laboratories . We also saw a sign for a nuclear launch pad facility,  EBR-I Atomic Museum -a nuclear museum, a radioactive waste disposal site, and lots of power lines. If we had...