The morning of the 25th we drove out of Yellowstone’s West gate in hopes of finding cell reception. We didn’t know where we wanted to go next, and without a map, couldn’t really figure it out without Internet access. Fortunately, our phones worked just outside of the West gate, so we sat there for 45 minutes and weighed our options. We decided to drive right back into the park, all the way around to the East side and eventually out of the South gate. We were going to see the Grand Teton National Park.
The snow-dusted jagged Tetons were neat to see after being in Yellowstone the past few days; they were certainly more mountainy looking. We stopped to eat lunch along the lake, which was a nice break from the campervan.
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After driving a bit further south, we pulled into the Lake Jackson Lodge to check out its view of the lake and mountains. The viewing deck behind the lodge was packed with serious photographers – the kind with gigantic telephoto lenses and pocket vests to hold their gear. They weren’t taking pictures of the mountains, but rather the grizzly bear just below that was snacking on a moose cow. He had been working on it for a few days at that point, and the photographers just hung around all day waiting for a good shot. The bear was lying behind a bush most of the 20 minutes we were there, but finally stood up to take a few more bites right before we left. Cooper asked a lot of questions about grizzly bear diets and the moose’s (in)ability to stand up. I have her convinced that he ate pancakes for breakfast, and moose for lunch and dinner – the bear necessities of life.
We continued driving south through the park and eventually wound up in Jackson, WY. What a cool little mountain/ski town. We stayed the night just north of Jackson in the Gros Ventre campground – apparently, a hotspot for moose photographers. Sure enough, the next morning Jennifer stumbled upon a huge bull moose as she was out for a jog. He was gone by the time I rolled out of bed to see him, but there were two moose cows loitering about the campground. Crazy how big those things are.
