Earl said it more than once: “What a lovely day.”
And it was. Jammed packed with nature and history and art. And marvelous macaroni and cheese for dinner.
We started the day by driving into Grand Teton National Park and taking a side road to Kelly, a small residential community inside the park limits. Our guide from yesterday’s whitewater rafting trip lived in Kelly, so we thought we might take a look. It wasn’t that interesting. However, on the return trip to the main road we saw several pronghorns grazing. At the time, we didn’t realize what they were; so this didn’t turn into a photographic event. It did, however, alert us to be more vigilant to local animal sightings.
As for history, we took an hour trip around Jenny Lake and learned all about its past and its present under the guise of the theme, “Change.” We saw up close and personal (that is, as up close and personal as you can get if don’t plan to climb) the three main mountains in the Teton Range. We learned of forest fires and microbursts and avalanches. We saw trees embedded in the water and landslides scraping the mountain sides.
After that, Earl and I took a couple brief nature walks where photography was the prime reason. Then we headed to the National Museum of Wildlife Art.
It’s an amazing place, perhaps even more so because it isn’t particularly well known. But with over 3,000 pieces of art and sculpture – only one quarter of which is on display at any given time – it is a remarkable diary of how naturalistic art took shape. By the time Remington and Russell arrived on the scene in the 1800s, wildlife was already well advanced, thanks to artists in Europe.
Perhaps the most impressive work was called “Chief” by Robert Batemen. It is a life-sized portrait of a bison coming out of the mist, and it cannot be ignored. In fact, Earl and I bought a print to bring home as a souvenir of this trip.
Finally, we parked ourselves at Cafй Genevieve for a light supper. Earl had the macaroni and cheese of a lifetime, while I had a caprese salad and a crab cake. We both were stuffed at meal’s end and came home to our cabin to relax. Tomorrow it’s on to Yellowstone.
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