Ta-Ta to the Tetons!

Our extra day in the park to catch the Grand Tetons did not pay off any great dividends. The cloud cover was denser than preceding days which meant the tips of the Tetons were still tightly wrapped up.  So, we headed out on the highway to start our journey back to Gardnerville.  Gary is at the wheel in control of our crossing.

The shrouded mountains did not deter us from stopping and taking a few pictures of these Grand, now peakless, wonders.  We just couldn’t leave without getting the best we could get.  We did, however, make a commitment to come back to the Grand Tetons next spring to see if we can catch them at their most scenic with their peaks still dusted in snow.

The most surprising and amazing part of our journey from the Grand Tetons to Idaho Falls (our first stop on our way home) was the striking landscape on Highway 26 through Wyoming.  The fall colors were evident the entire route which followed the Snake River. 

Here’s a little bit of history about the Snake River.  It is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest.  At 1,078 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean.  Rising in western Wyoming, the river flows through the Snake River Plain (primarily Idaho) then rugged Hells Canyon (a 10-mile wide canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon, eastern Washington and western Idaho) and the rolling Palouse Hills (a major agricultural area encompassing parts of southeastern Washington and north central Idaho) to reach its mouth at the Tri-Cities of the state of Washington.  Here are some photos taken of the Snake River during our travel day.

The Snake River was only one of the highlights of this surprising passage.  Trust me when I say these photos do not do the fall colors covering the hills justice.  I wish you could see firsthand what I’m showing you in lackluster photographs.

The wind was whipping up a whirl so we decided to stop in Idaho Falls instead of our original destination of Pocatello.  In our Good Sam Club directory we found the Snake River RV Park and set up camp, staying two nights, giving us one full day for exploration.

The reception people were so friendly and nice.  They gave us a stuffed animal (a snake of course) to thank us for staying with them!  It is so cute and is now being prominently paraded on the motorhome dash. 

The woman who helped us at the registration office was named Joani and she is one of 11 children as well.  Plus her maiden name is Brooke (with an “e” at the end like ours!).  While I am #4 of 11, Joani is #6 of 11 … not to mention I also have a sister, Joani, who is #7 of 11!

Our one day in Idaho Falls we decided to be really touristy and visit Yellowstone Bear World in Rexburg—only a 20-minute drive from our campground.  It was totally worth it.  As you know, we saw only one small bear in the two weeks we spent in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons and never set eyes on a moose or wolf.  Well, this park took care of all of that deprivation.  They have over 45 bears wandering around the park that you drive through as well as numerous deer, an albino elk, one solitary moose (who even in captivity was somewhat reclusive), three buffalo (you didn’t think you’d get away from seeing a buffalo picture did you?), three wolves, mountain goats, and an assortment of fowl.

These are not small bears, either.  They are fully grown.  One thing about all their bears, they were all born in captivity and “raised” by humans so none of them could survive in the wild today.

The vision behind the creation of the park is noteworthy. As a young boy, Michael Ferguson’s family would go to Yellowstone in the summer just to see the bears. It was not unusual to see 15 to 20 bears in a day.  However, in the early 70’s the National Park Service made the decision to remove the bears that were along the roadways or in campgrounds because people were feeding them or the bears were destroying property. He got married, had six children and wanted the same experience for his children.  So, he and his partner, Harold Graehl, created this park to give people the bear experience they will most likely miss in both of those parks.

Sadly, the bears were not cooperating with me (even though we went through twice—and you can go through the park as many times as you want in the same day) and I got a lot of butt shots (which I’m famous for).

 

In this picture, the one facing you is grooming the one that is laying down.  Very busy work schedule!

 

You can bearly (ha!ha! play on words) see this guy, but look  at the light spot on his back.

Here’s a brood of bear booty!  It was not uncommon to see bears grouped together like this throughout the park.



 

There are a number of these “dens” throughout the bear territory.  This is where they will hibernate for the winter, and we saw bears crowding into them on top of each other – all vying for the best space.

How about this darling fawn nestled in the tall grass?  Isn’t she just the cutest thing?

 

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of this stag.  He’s just beginning to get his antlers.  Doesn’t look like he has a care in the world, does he?

Albino moose really do exist, but they are very rare. Scientists say that 1 in 100,000 moose inherit this genetic trait, so you know that the albino bull moose here in Yellowstone Bear World is one in a 100,000!

They had a number of females in the park, too.  Here’s a small sampling of them to keep that bull happy!

The three wolves in the park were laying down on the job, but I finally caught one of them looking up.  This one’s for Gary who deeply desired to get a glimpse of a wolf in the wild.

I told you I’d have the obligatory buffalo photo for you … I know you wouldn’t want to miss it!  Hmmm, looks like I caught a lot of the wildlife during their afternoon siesta!

The secluded moose wasn’t easy to catch, but I did get this head shot of him.  He was glued to his feeding trough under the tree.

After we meandered through the open range section of the park, we headed to their gift shop, bear cub “pen” and open petting zoo.  This is Gary at the entrance to the shop.

I think they keep the cubs in this special baby bear area before putting them back into the “wild”.  At six weeks old, the cubs are all bottle-fed and stay with a keeper to acclimate them to humans.  This is where you can view them and they are so cute, having a grand old time in their homemade environment.

The same goes for the deer.  They are very, very tame as you can see by the photo below where I’m petting one.  I look a little tentative, don't I?  By the way, it was a VERY windy day!

This was a great experience for us. We would highly recommend it to anyone traveling in this area.  For additional $$ you can take an open bus (seated on top) and feed the big bears or you can bottle feed a baby bear and get your picture taken! 

We were really fortunate to be there on a Monday during the off-season which meant we weren’t back-to-back with vehicles traveling through the park on the winding road.  The park closes for the winter in about two weeks so we just made it in time.

One of the keepers told us is that the bears are “telling” them it is going to be an early, long winter.  The bears are already launching into their hibernation habits, and it is early in the season.  The keepers have a lot of things they have to do to get the bears ready for hibernating so they need to get busy.  Bears give birth in early January and they start checking their dens at that time to see what little bundle of bear surprises await them.  They are hoping for a new brood of baby bears next year!  Hunker down out there, everyone!

Isaiah 65:24-25 // "It will also come to pass that before they call, I will answer; and while they are still speaking, I will hear.  "The wolf and the lamb will graze together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox; and dust will be the serpent's food. They will do no evil or harm in all My holy mountain," says the LORD.