Thursday, November 8, 2018

Peeking at the Tetons and Moving On

After our long, wonderful day at Yellowstone we were excited to see more of western Wyoming.  We've zigged and zagged across this states a few times yet somehow never managed to run down the western edge.  Now seemed like a good time.

We knew that on our way to the park there was the potential for nearly continuous mountain views.  However, we'd had rain all night and we were still running the wipers this morning.

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There should be mountains on the other side of that lake.  It was a mysterious looking morning. 

We soldiered on...

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Things are looking up.  We can actually make out the forms of mountains in the distance!

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But, up close the chance of catching a good view seems slim.

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As we round a corner though... the Tetons including The Grand (central most with the left-facing saddle) come into view!

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We continued into the park to the area near the visitor center and had a few more glimpses between the clouds.

The rain and cold continue however so the bike ride we had planned was nixed as were any thoughts of wandering around on foot. 

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We continued our southward movement and explored visually until the weather permitted a stretch at this body of water just outside of the crazy and overwhelmingly (for us) crowded town of Jackson.

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We spied Mallards through the fence and

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completely unknown to us at the time we also watched a group of LIFERS!  - Aythya americana - Redheads.

We spent a brief bit at the library in Jackson to gather info on a boondocking area that had been on our radar then purchased the most expensive bottle of propane we've ever bought before heading out into quieter country.

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Don't believe we'll ever tire of driving through Wyoming.

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We rode alongside of the Hoback River


and the scenery was beautiful.

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Eventually, we left the paved highway and headed a sufficient distance down a dirt road.

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More wet weather was moving in on us.

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So, we found a nice little spot right beside the river

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and got Annie all settled in so that we could head out for a quick look around.

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Perfect, wide open, peace and quiet.

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It may be identified as an invasive weed

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but Carduus nutans - Musk Thistle - still catches our eye every time.

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It is in the Sunflower Family and has an attractiveness

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no matter what stage it is in.

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We had hoped to spend a few days exploring and enjoying this beautiful area but the rain was not going to let up and we prefer not to be caught down a muddy dirt road in the midst of all of that moisture.

So, when we woke up in the morning, we took one last stretch and look around before making our way back to the main road.  That's all for now.

See ya next time!