Moose!

 Day 3

We were in no hurry to get going in the morning. We enjoyed breakfast burritos that Debi had made ahead of time, which we heated up on our new camp stove, which has a grill over the second burner. Jamey took the kids down to play at the lake. Bryan and I walked down to join them, but didn’t see which way they had gone. So we began to de-camp at a leisurely pace. Although we are staying two nights at this campsite, having our sleeping accommodations attached to our rig requires a certain amount of breaking camp to get back on the road again and see the sights. The kids enjoyed the time at the lake, and then doing activities in their junior ranger booklets at the picnic table before we left.  

When we had safely tucked all the foods away in the bear box, we headed out for  Jenny Lake Visitor Center. On our way there, we were fortunate enough to see a bull elk grazing on the side of the road. Both the kids got to take a picture of it with the camera. Arriving at the visitor center,  the parking lot was completely full, and people were overflow parking on the road. We joined the long line of cars and took a walk to the visitor center.  The kids have been really great about any time we have to park far away and walk, because it gives them a chance to look for more states on license plates. There certainly are people here from all over!

Playing it by ear, we decided to hike a portion of the Jenny Loop Trail. We hadn’t gone too far, before a hiker coming the other direction told us that if we took the next left in about a half a mile, we could go down to Moose Pond and see a few moose there.  We were all excited about that plan. So we took the recommended trail hopeful to see a moose or two. 

As we came down the trail, there they were!  Three moose!  The bull moose was the closest, eating in the pond. We were close enough to hear the water dripping off of his mouth back into the pond as he chewed. There was also a calf (which the Ranger present told us was 4 months old) and its mother. As we watched the bull moose, eating, and the baby nursing, we also noticed a beaver dam in the distance.  It was such a cool sight. We sat in the shade of a tree, and the kids ate a snack, while watching the moose.  Everyone took turns with the camera and binoculars. 

Desmond spent the next 3 miles of our hike dutifully telling everyone that would listen that there were moose down a side trail and how to find them. Our nearest guess is that he notified around 50 people along the trail. We love his enthusiasm!Some people responded politely, others had seen them already, and some were genuinely excited (as we had been) to learn about the moose. 

We were getting warm, and our water bottles were now empty. However, Desmond was determined to make it to our destination of the Hidden Waterfall. I am really glad that he was so excited about it, because it was well worth the extra distance it added to our hike. We got lots of photos, and then circled back. 

Easton had become tired and her family opted to stay behind. We don’t have any cell service, so joining back up after separating can be a bit tricky. And after so many years relying on quick texts, I’m out of the habit of making plans for how to meet back up. But God is good. They walked to the little bridge at the fork in the trail and we met them as we came back down the trail with no trouble. 

We waited in line for the Jenny Lake Shuttle boat ride across the lake. The sign said 30 minutes wait, and it was right on the money. A cloud passed over the sun (thank you, Jesus!) so we were not waiting in the direct sunshine. Also, there were large jugs of water to refill our water bottles. 

When we got off the boat we split up. The men went to retrieve the cars, and Debbie and I took the kids over to finish the Jr. Ranger program. They got Junior Ranger stamps in their passports, smirked at the Ranger’s puns as he looked over their booklets (“You know, we have a lot of rocks here… but you shouldn’t take them for granite”) and raised their right hands to be sworn in with the Junior Ranger pledge. The pledge differs a bit from park to park. 

Before heading out to meet up with the guys, we went to the little store and got the kids Green apple slushies. I got Bryan and I a “Tiger’s Blood” (strawberry/coconut) slushie to share. It was cold, and sweet, and hit the spot. 

Next we went to a lake and the kids splashed around a bit with their feet in the water while the adults enjoyed the view and chatted. 

Then we drove down the road a bit and pulled off to look at a herd of elk through the binoculars. The Williams decided to go back to camp and rest at this point. 

Team Schmidt continued on for a quick stop at the Colter Bay Visitor Center. I have SO enjoyed the gorgeous mountain views. Bryan and I are dreaming of returning in the future with kayaks to soak in more of the beauty. For now, I bought a hat, as a reminder of how much I liked it here. Dad will be proud. 

Desmond got a unique “Grand Tetons” stamp for his passport. Some of the visitor centers have just a date to stamp a cancellation in your passport. Others have more region-specific stamps. So that was fun. 

He also found a touch and feel exhibit where we could compare the antlers of a moose and an elk and so forth. We felt the pelt of the bison, as well. The only examples in the display that we haven’t seen yet were the bear, big horn sheep, and prong horn antelope. 

Then we took a short walk, eating grapes as we moseyed along out by the water and Desmond took a few pictures. We saw some fish jump in the lake, hungrily feeding on the bugs that have been feeding on us. We stopped in the store and got a cold root beer. Our side quest completed, we headed back to Lizard Creek. 

Back at camp, I decided to lay down in the hammock for a few minutes. Desmond went off in search of his friend. Bryan began to set up tent. 

Seeing I was relaxing in the hammock, Desmond decided to join me and turn the “two person hammock” into a swinging sort of Schmidt burrito. 

Easton had apparently woken from a nap and was reading a book. Desmond decided to read for a while, too. Not long after, Jamey and Easton came looking for Desmond and they all went down to the lake again. 

We fought off some mosquitos, looked at pictures with Debbie, and I was surprised to hear that we were in Wyoming. Oops!  Should have looked at that atlas, I guess. We had gone across the border when I was reading to the kiddos, and for whatever reason I hadn’t paid attention before we left to where the parks were. We laughed and laughed and joked that we were happy I learned I was in Wyoming before we left so I didn’t miss it. 😂 I whipped off my hat to see if it said Wyoming on it, but it didn’t. Ah, travel. Always humbling and educational. 

We then decided it was time to start dinner. Bryan and Desmond were having freeze dried dinners like you take with you when you are backpacking. I had opted to mooch off of the Williams and join in on their frozen rice and beef with bok choy meal. It was tasty and I had multiple servings. 

Desmond wasn’t a fan of the reconstituted mac and cheese. Adding some of the beef from the Williams’ dinner didn’t help. He also wasn’t a fan of Bryan’s teriyaki chicken and rice. He was a trooper trying it all, but ended up filling up on plain rice before we had s’mores. 

Our plan for the morning is to break camp and head out relatively early after breakfast. We will be on our way to Yellowstone, which Desmond claims is his favorite National Park - despite never being there before. I hope it lives up to his expectations.  Till tomorrow!