Since dawn and dusk are the best times to see animals in the park, we packed up the Jeep and headed into Jackson for dinner and then planned to drive through the park afterward. We went back to the steakhouse under the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, a place we visited in 2009 when we were last here. After lots of sandwiches and pasta so far on the trip, we were all in the mood for a steak. When you're in Jackson, it's tough to find good food that isn't too expensive; it's a tourist town after all. This steakhouse is a bit expensive for the steaks, but it's a nice place, it's not too loud, and the service is very good. We all enjoyed our steaks, and Jeff said the onion soup was really good. The kids loved that their steaks came with fries and both of them raved about the steak sauce that also came with it.
Stomachs full, we drove out to the park. The sun was setting behind Grand Teton and the sky was pretty cloudy. The weather forecast for our time here is cloudy with a chance of rain each night. Temperatures at night are expected to be in the low 50's or even the 40's. Jeff is thrilled.
At the Visitor Center, I picked up "The Best of Grand Teton" book. At $4.95, it's a great bargain. It's a small book that has tips for the best wildlife viewing, best scenic drives, best short hikes, etc. It's already proved very helpful in finding moose. The book recommended the Antelope Flats area to see wildlife, and on the drive we rode into a herd of bison passing over a road. Ruth was freaked out that the bison were going to charge the car. She advocated strongly for turning around, while Henry wanted to stay put and watch the bison. We took lots of pictures while the bison crossed the road, and then a car pulled alongside us and asked if we thought it was a good idea to nudge the bison along. They had a rental car, so they went ahead of us and started to move the bison along. After we busted loose from the bison jam, we headed to a sagebrush flats area with a stream running through it, looking for moose.
We drove past a few areas where moose might be, but didn't have much luck. We saw some people walking through the sagebrush back to their car, but couldn't tell if they saw anything. Then, as we were driving back to town, Henry yelled that he thought he saw a moose back in the woods off the road. Admittedly, none of us were sure he actually saw a moose. But Jeff found a nearby pullout and parked the car. We walked toward a stream so we could take a closer look. I may have noted that bears are active in the park at this time, and we didn't have bear spray. That may have alarmed Ruth, who can be an alarmist without provocation. Jeff took Henry's camera and headed deeper in to the woods, because he thought he heard the moose, while the three of us watched to make sure he wasn't attacked by a bear. Okay, I headed back to the Jeep because I didn't want to see him be attacked by a bear. Ruth yelled at Jeff in a hushed voice (I swear, I was there and she really yelled in an angry tone while trying not to be too loud) to come back without alarming the moose that Henry may or may not have seen.
Jeff eventually came back saying he thought the moose was back there, but he couldn't find him. We got back in the car and were on our way back, when Jeff looked out and saw the moose in the distance. It wasn't by a pullout, so he just pulled to the side of the road and both Henry and I tried to get pictures of it. It was getting dark and the moose was a long way off in the woods, but we each took a few, hoping at least one would come out.
Our first few hours in Grand Teton National Park were quite exciting, but it was time to head back to the campground and get some sleep.
We'll post some pictures as soon as we get a better internet connection.
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