Leece's Most Excellent Spring 2019 Road Trip: Grand Teton NP

In which Bob the Yellow-bellied Rock Marmot makes an appearance, as does a moderately whacked-out Prairie Grouse.

There are a lot of photos of the mountains. They have an effect. You just can't stop snapping.

Most of our time at the park was affected (as opposed to 'marred') by 'unseasonably cold, wet weather.' A bright blue sky really makes the Tetons pop, but we got to see them in a completely different setting. The low-hanging clouds, mists and fog, added considerable drama to the landscape. And, we did get a few hours of intermittent blue sky, which was nice. The snow was still quite deep in spots, but down at the lakes level, the ground was pretty much clear.

We did some hiking, mostly around Jenny Lake and Lupine Meadows. Grand Teton, Middle Teton, South Teton, Nez Perce, and Disappointment Peak all overlook the south end of Jenny Lake, making for some spectacular views. This is especially true on the west side of the lake, when it seems you are looking straight up the mountains.

Picnic spots are a bit limited. We did not care for the small Cottonwood Creek picnic area, which was for the most part unsheltered. But, the picnic area at String Lake was a veritable paradise of forested magnificence.

Medano Pass

We stayed overnight in the campground by Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.

The next morning, after a good camp breakfast, we entered the Medano Pass Primitive Road at The Point of No Return.

The rangers said the sand, being very dry, was soft and deep, so we dropped the tire pressure down to 20 psi at Point of No Return. The rangers were right. There were several spots where Wesley wallowed and slip-slid, but we had no real difficulties.

The road crosses Medano Creek nine times. This time of the year, the creek is usually very low, and this year was no exception.

We lunched on the east side of the pass, as the wind soughed through the trees and the perfume of spruces wafted over us.

Huckleberries and currants were all over - as was bear poop. We had bear spray with us, but sadly, we saw no bruins stuffing themselves in preparation for winter.