The snow, the road closings, the rangers recommendations. It all spelled disaster, so we are not going to Yellowstone. Everything I read tells me that Yellowstone is not the kind of place you wing, or drop in to check it out. You spend months planning, make deposits, have key weather and you take a week or two to discover it.
So we paid Collin to take us on a private off road tour of Teton. The first picture is the Grand Teton. Majestic.
We saw mule deer, ducks, moose, prong horn, herds and herds of bison, elk, and the most perfect sunrise one could have asked for. Or paid for. It was a little pricey... around 400 for the morning. But he did a great job and we loved it. The kids got to work binoculars and stand up in the ride in this cool pop up ceiling. We came across a coyote trying to take a herd of prong horns so we oggled that a while. Collin had it all. Binoculars, hot chocolate, muffins, bison jerky, coffee, free take home travel mugs, elk antlers, prong horns, beaver pelt and moose hide. It was a traveling science center.
And Allie's question, "Collin, can you guess when my birthday is?" I have to believe that some where inside all the other information stuck. And it mattered. And that it was money well spent. I do know for a fact that she enjoyed looking through the binoculars equally from both ends.
Jay wanted to know about wild animal attacks.
Collin was wonderful. We also learned that in Jackson Hole, May 1st is the first day of Elk Antler Season. The boy scouts of the tetons get to collect all the antlers (shed annually) from the Elk preserve, where the state pretty much feeds the elk all winter to keep the numbers high for the spring hunters. 1000's and 1000's of elk. Then, they auction off the antlers as their big annual fundraiser. Since 1991, this chapter has raised over a million in antler sales. The rest of the Teton forest is up for grabs to anyone with an antler plucking permit. And it get pretty crazy. Collin reports it is fun to watch the locals go antler hunting with such passion, knowing a good rack is worth a mint. And if antlers are shed each year, horns are forever. So he advised not to be too upset about all the antlers stacked around town.
We left Jackson for Soda Springs, a hot springs destination that flopped. In 1937, they tapped it hoping to make Soda Springs the best in the west for geothermal mineral hot springs. What they got was a geyser not of hot water but of tepid carbonated water. Huge pockets of CO2 were trapped in underground sub caverns deep in the earth with enough pressure to shoot this geyser 45 feet up. And it is pretty smelly. And mineral laden. It sprayed the front of the bus and left behind deposits that will need to be scubbed off. So now the town makes it money harvesting phosphates from the hills surrounding the Soda Springs. Plants with smoking stacks and conveyer belts and cooling ponds. It is a smelly process. We opted not to stay for dinner. It kind of rang the Erin Brockovich chlor-hexi-phosphate bell for us. No, we don't even want a glass of water, thanks.
From Soda to Lava Springs. Lava Springs got it right. Dipped there tonight in the 102* pool. We were able to graduate to the 106* with pea gravel bottom. It was like a full body pedicure. And, we finished the night with an up to our waist dip in the 112* pool. The downtown of Lava Springs is a little dumpy, the RV park leaves a lot to be desired. BUT on the walk to dinner we ran into the owner of the coffee shop in town, who were headed up the trail by our bus to the free natural hot springs. We're planning to check it out. They also hooked us up with the zip line tour, scoring in at 25 dollars person, with free pick up at 11 tomorrow.
It was a fabulous day. After the drag yesterday, we had earned it. Jay Jay made an astute comment to Big Jay tonight after a round of "who am i". A game we made up to make fun of each other's nutty habits and behavior. He said, "dad, you know, you really need to lighten up. You are so serious. You" okay, this next part is going to blow you away, I just know it... Jay Jay said, "Dad, you need to lighten up your soul." Knock me over with a feather. I love this boy. I love his dad too, but the kid may be on to something here. Wow, my little meditating, mantra saying beautiful son has dropped the zen bomb.
"Dad, you need to lighten up your soul."
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