Out West 2022 (Grand Teton National Park Part 2)

This is the continuation of our Out West 2022 summer vacation. Catch up on our first post here.

June 28, 2022 – Grand Teton National Park Day 2

W wasn’t feeling well since we got to the park. We think he had altitude sickness. So we laid low most of the morning in Maddie at Colter Bay RV Park

Signal Mountain

Around mid-morning we left the campground for the day’s activities. The first stop was at the top of Signal Mountain. Will got a little lightheaded walking a short trail to the outlook. Oh bother.

Back down on the valley floor, we headed to the Trapper Grill at Signal Mountain Lodge. The well known dish is the Signal Mountain of Nachos. The parents split a half order of the nachos. I would eat them again, but with more help!

 

Colter Bay and Jackson Lake

After lunch, we headed back up towards Colter Bay RV Park and we snoozed a bit and let lunch settle. Later, we headed over to Colter Bay Visitor Center and the kids finished up their Junior Ranger requirements and got sworn in.

From the visitor center, we headed down to the beach for a dip. The kids were super fired up until their toes touched the 55° water. K managed to completely submerge and W made it to his waist before coming out. They then played at the waterline half in and out of the water for about an hour.

After the kids couldn’t hang in the water any longer, we walked back up to our rig. We got dinner going and while we were eating, it started to rain. So we spent the rest of the evening relaxing and crawled into bed early.

June 29, 2022 – Grand Teton National Park Day 3

We moved camp from Colter Bay RV Park to Gros Ventre (pronounced grow vont) Campground on the south side of the park. We broke camp around 9:30 and pulled into Gros Ventre around 11. They asked us to wait in the amphitheater lot until 12 while they cleared the campground for the day. The hosts were super friendly and apologetic for not being ready even though we showed up an hour early. They even came to our door in the parking lot at 1145 and told us we were good to come and check in. Bravo camphosts.

After setting up, we played cards and the kids rode their bikes. Just before dinner time, we drove to a parking lot near the Grand Teton National Park Headquarters to meet our guides from Triangle X Ranch for a dinner float on the Snake River.

We rode in vans upriver to the dinner site. It was choice of steak or chicken with green beans, roasted potatoes, salad, and cookies. The steak was a nice medium rare and seasoned well. After we filled up on grub, we hit the river. The ride down the river was peaceful, full of great scenery, and quite a bit of wildlife. Once we were back on dry land, we headed back to the campground for the evening.

June 30, 2022 – Grand Teton National Park Day 4

Early Morning

We woke early to get some sunrise pictures in the park. If you’ve ever searched for Grand Teton National Park, you’ve seen the pictures at the Moulton Barn and Schwabacher Landing. Our pictures don’t do it justice in person and we were far from serious compared to the folks around us with way more sophisticated equipment than us. Grabbing the pictures was a fun adventure. It was chilly, quiet, and the other folks out with us were pleasant to visit with while we witnessed the beauty before us.

We headed back to the camper to grab some breakfast and to warm up. Once we were full and packed for the day’s adventure, we loaded up to head towards Jenny Lake. Just as we approached that end of the park, the check engine light went off in the truck.

Truck Issues

We started to troubleshoot the codes on the truck when the dash indicated that the emissions system had an issue and that the speed was derated and gave us the miles until our speed would be derated further.

We called about 10 places in and around Jackson, WY. Most places had back ups for weeks of work and several wouldn’t even attempt to accommodate us. Our search continued to expand until we found a diesel shop in Idaho Falls, ID. They said they would squeeze us in and to get there as soon as possible.

We drove the 2 hours to Idaho Falls and as promised, the shop squeezed us in. They accommodated us in the lobby while they worked on the truck. The owner and the ladies out front were beyond helpful and sweet to the kids. If you ever need work on your pick up (gas or diesel) and you’re in Idaho Falls or nearby, Ross’ Diesel and Auto Repair should be your first call.

Evening

Though the truck issues ruined the day, our vacation was still salvaged. We drove back to Jackson, WY and grabbed dinner. The day was exhausting and we prepared for heading to our next destination in the morning, Yellowstone National Park.

 

-See you out there

Part-Time Paradise