The breakfast was completed and the tour north began in earnest. We would soon be witnessing the beauty of the Grand Teton Mountain range! We left the famous Jackson Hole area of western Wyoming. 
Jackson, also, known as Jackson Hole is a tourist community. Everything one sees in geared towards the tourism economy. Those high forested hills that surround the town are stunning too. Looking backwards from where we stayed we could see ski lifts. Winter is big in this area too! 
Laurie and I watched as two hand gliders leapt from the top to begin floating about the sky. The evening before we watched a cowboy shoot out.
We were thrilled once the sight of the Grand Tetons was visible! We were in unbelief upon viewing the spectacular mountains. We found taking our eyes off of them to be difficult. Photos just can not show the grandeur of such things of nature! The only negative thing, I can think of, was the fact of a slight haze due to distant forest fires. Many fires were west of us in nearby Idaho. The haze reminded me of a humid condition here in good old Pennsylvania. 
The 310,00 acre national park was established in 1929. (I was just a boy then.) The park’s size was increased in 1950. The highest elevation is of the Grand Teton mountain at 13,770 feet. Snow from last winter, and spring, was still visible at certain places amid the rocky outcrops. 
Chapel of the Transfiguration
Other named peaks include: Mount Moran at 12,605 feet; Mount Owen at 12, 928 and South Teton at 12, 514 feet. People do climb the mountains and injuries are common, as well as, some deaths. Trails exist on and around the peaks too.
Raven (note large beak)
The clear waters of the Snake River flow through the lands. Several lakes are present too. We saw Jackson Lake and Jenny lake. (More on the Snake River under a separate entry.)
Many species of wildlife are present in the Grand Teton area. We saw a lot of wildlife while touring and floating the Snake River.
Aspens
Bison!
We saw a number of bison (buffalo) in open areas. Someone shouted “BEAR” and we turned to get a brief glimpse of a young grizzly bear! Ravens were common. I was tolerated by one. I managed a few great shots of this raven. Other species in the area are elk and mule deer. I saw a Mountain Bluebird and, of course some pronghorn antelopes. I saw both of these species. Wolves are surviving here too. I would have loved to see some wolves! 
Bison will cause more injuries than any other species of wildlife here. It is no wonder! I saw some people try to get very close. These people would NOT have been able to escape if these big mammals decided to charge. State law forbids anyone from getting closer than 25 yards. We were told of one lady who was told to get back from bison because of the potential danger. She became angered exclaiming how dare they allow dangerous animals in the park….. DUH!! These are wild animals not a zoo! Other interesting sites included a small log church known as the Chapel of the Transfiguration. (In fact a wedding was occurring at this church.) We visited a small rural old-fashioned store. I bought some huckleberry honey! We saw remnants of an old ferry known as Menor’s Ferry. 
Much of this area close down by mid-November due to snow. the snow may be present into May and even early June.
Larry A. Smail's Blog 
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