Experiencing High Country Wyoming: 6/2 - 8/1

Byron’s rendering of one of the license plates used in Wyoming.
The rider on the bronc is a rather common symbol as is
the view of the Grand Tetons over the Snake River.

We have now been in Wyoming at Snake River Park KOA for a full month. One of the main reasons for being in this beautiful area of the USA is to support our joy of exploring the region. Though we’ve been to Wyoming before, we have enjoyed returning and seeing things we hadn’t in our other two trips.

The month of May is the month the snow in the mountains begins melting. With about 50% more snow this past winter than normal, that meant dealing with high water, rapid currents, and some flooding. At the campground we weren’t able to open the nine tent sites along Horse Creek (south boundary) or the eight sites along the Snake River (west boundary) until June. Once the waters began to recede the sites were opened one or two at a time. The last sites to open were those that were totally covered by water along the Snake.

Due to the abnormal amount of snow runoff, the Snake River grew

to invade the tent sites along the river. In this photo the water

is covering the roadway that goes past the sites. Near the top

of the photo it is possible to see where the beach connects

to the roadway. Once the water receded sand replaced

the chipped wood that formerly surfaced the sites.

Since we’re past Memorial Day, the unofficial first weekend for camping and RVing, our work schedule has become fixed. We work Tuesday and Wednesday from Noon to 8 PM. Having the “late” shift means that we are also responsible for providing after-hour assistance and security for the campground. On Thursday we have the mid-day shift and are at work from 10 AM to 6 PM. The final two days of our work week involve Friday and Saturday hours starting at 7 AM and getting off at 3 PM. The schedule allows us to have an extended “weekend” if desired. Typically we go out for an early dinner with another work kamper couple and then ride around the area by going somewhere we haven’t been before.

Our first evening out was at Bar-J Chuckwagon Dinner at Show.

Bar-J has been in operation for 40 years. The meal is served

chuckwagon style (glorified cafeteria) with meat, beans, slaw,

cake, and drink. The show, with a western theme, features

five excellent musicians though only four of the performers

actually sing and speak. The fifth guy just picks whatever it is

he’s playing from steel guitar to dobro. Pictured with us are

the work kamping couple mentioned above, Russell and Sherry.

The next two weekends we spent on horseback on separate trail rides.

The first ride was up about 500 feet to a plateau toward some open

land operated by Wyoming Fish and Wildlife. The second ride

was at Mill Iron Ranch where we ascended 2,000 feet above

the level of the campground into some higher ground. Though we

briefly encountered some rain and clouds, we could still see over

the neighboring buttes and peaks to see the Grand Tetons 30 miles away.

At the end of our ride we enjoyed the best steak dinner

we have had in several years.

Then came our whitewater trip down Snake River Canyon. We were

the first to get on the raft so we worked our way to the rear. As it turned

out, this was the place where we could see the action in the front

as well as the waves as we encountered the several sets of rapids.

Between rapids it was a nice float trip with wet suits and protective gear.

When we went, the flow rate and the river were still high. Since we

traveled with seven other rafts, we felt safe.

On two evening we drove up Moose-Wilson Road to different destinations.

Both times we were fortunate to see a moose that tends to feed in the

marshy area near Teton Village which is at the base of the Teton range

on the south boundary of Grand Teton National Park.

One of our evening trips was through Kelly past the Moulton Barn

on what is called Mormon Row. If you’ll look back in the previous blog,

you’ll see a photo of the same barn with more snow on the mountains.

Though the details of the old barn aren’t visible, the tallest of the

Grand Tetons is just to the right of center with the rays of the sun

being visible in the early evening haze.

On another evening, we took the Gondola to a restaurant 3,000 feet above

the valley floor. From that height it is easier to see the Hole of Jackson Hole.

Teton Village may be viewed at the base of the mountain. Jackson, the town,

is beyond the butte in the center of the photo. The Village is one of

two ski areas in Jackson Hole. The other is Snow King which is

immediately south of downtown Jackson.

To the south and east is an area called Granite Hot Springs. It is in the

Gros Ventre range which is older than the Teton range. One of the features

is this gigantic cathedral tower near the peak of the range. At it’s base

is a 50-foot waterfall that is a part of Granite Creek.

Above the falls (pictured above) is a lengthy, cascading portion of

Granite Creek. The creek is near the Spring which feeds

Granite Hot Springs Pool, which was built by the Civilian

Conservation Corps in 1933. The elevation of the pool is

6,987 feet above sea level. The average snowfal in the area

is 400 inches annually. In the summer the water temperature

in the pool averages 93° but in the winter it is 112°. The reason

for the difference is that the snow melt comingles in the stream

from the Spring and, thus, lowers the water temparature.

Grand Teton National Park is in the path of the solar eclipse. The campground

has been booked since early spring. The town of Jackson is expecting about

100,000 thousand to be present that weekend. For only three ways in or out,

traffic will be heavy and facilities in short supply.

In June we had visitors from Central Illinois; Larry and Peggy Stahl and Peg’s sister, Shirley. It was their first trip to the area and, of course, they got to see some of the wonders of the Teton’s before making their way back home through Yellowstone.

Martha works in the store/office at the campground. Her duties involve handling reservations by phone, welcoming and registering guests, helping stock store products, selling rafting trips (for company owned by the campground owner), and fitting people in wet suits for the whitewater trips. It provides a busy day for her even though there may be one to three co-workers in the facility.

Byron works outside with the other maintenance members. At times he is the only person though, on average, there are three. The duties of the maintenance team are escorting RVers to their sites, picking up trash and debris, collecting the linens from the cabins for the laundry, making routine repairs, and troubleshooting problems.

We’ve signed a contract for next year’s engagement. We’ll return to New York to work near a small town called Copake which is near the Connecticut border. Copake is about a two-hour drive from Boston.

Until next time, we’ll say “good-bye from Jackson, Wyoming.”