Colter Bay, Lake Leigh, down to Jackson

A pleasantly slow and late morning today.

We made some simple breakfast in the trailer and then mosied over to the visitor center to meet the Whites and make some plans for the day. It turned out to be yet another that would not disappoint.

We took an easy hike out to Swan Lake in Colter Bay area and after only about 0.5 miles we got to the edge of the lake and came upon a mother moose with two mooselets (OK, "calves") ankle deep in the lily pads munching away. They were about 100 yards away or less, I think, so we got a great long look at them. As we were watching, an osprey (large eagle-like bird) came swooping by and landed in a tree across the lake (narrow lake, so pretty visible). It then came swooping down not far from the moose, grabbed a fish out of the lake and then circled around two or three times as if to show off. It's wing span looked to be six feet or more as it rose up over the trees and went out over the bay.

We grabbed a quick lunch and then went out on a 90 minute boat trip on Jackson Lake. There was a ranger on board who gave a "fire and ice" talk explaining about the fires in the area that have helped to shape the scenery, as well as the geological and glacial activity that have created such a dramatic mountain range rising almost straight up from the valley floor. This picture is of Mt. Moran with a view of the "Skillet Glacier" in the center of the photo.

We took a drive down to lake Leigh, just north of Jenny Lake and had another short hike with the Whites. There was a very brave deer that was milling around the picnic area sometimes less than 20 feet away. The weather started turning and it was time for the Sheehys to head down to Jackson Hole for the night. We're staying at another KOA, this one a few miles from the Jackson Hole ski resort.

We'll be spending half day tomorrow in town of Jackson with the Whites and then we start our big trek back to LA (overnight somewhere in Utah, then the rest of the way to LA on Sunday).

Any trepidation about the RV was misplaced. It's been easy to drive, convenient for sleeping, eating and as an alternative to hotels in many ways greatly preferred for this sort of trip. The new hybrid model we rented got about 40 miles to the gallon on the highway which was great (if we happened to be on a 40 mile downhill run that might be true, reality is somewhere south of 10 miles per gallon, I think). But we always have everything we need close by and the kids feel nice and at home all the time. Dragging it up here and back from Los Angeles was no picnic, but otherwise it's been an unforgettable trip for all of us!