The Munce Family: Munstream.adventures: Tetons part 2

The adventure continues…

We returned to Jackson on Friday to explore the town a little more, we found lunch lunch at Jackson Drug where we had Mulberry Lemonade and fantastic nachos. This is where the kid’s croc obsession really began and we actively started looking for them, much to my dismay. The Croc hunt in Jackson was (fortunately) unsuccessful in Jackson (no surprise ;)). We did, however, find a candy store for the girls. I challenged them to stick to a budget of $10 each and they promised they would be able to do it… major fail, I should have known. They were desperately trying to explain what happened when their receipt showed they had spent $50! We made our way back to Colter Bay in time for sunset pizza and a swim, definitely a much needed slowdown day.

On Saturday, we went on a Snake River float trip which we arranged with The Grand Teton Lodge Company. We enjoyed a picnic lunch overlooking the river (so beautiful) prepared for us by the crew and then a 4 hour float with Allie, the weather was incredible. We saw juvenile bald eagles and otters and failed at the trivia game, but had fun trying. The kids each had a chance to float the boat as the tour ended and all realized just how hard Allie worked to keep us safe. It was a slow and relaxing pace. We made our way home and to dinner again at Jackson Lake Lodge bar called the Blue Heron for more patio vibes and ice cream and snacks and fun.

We made our way back to Yellowstone on Sunday for a day of hiking. We did a ‘quick’ 3 mile hike along the lower rim of Yellowstone’s Grand Canyon, (when the hiking got hard, we sang ’99 Bottles of Coke on the Wall,’ everyone joined in, giggles and all) then went for lunch at Canyon Fountain and Grill in Canyon Village, everyone loved the scenes and the food, Sully even ordered an entire additional meal and finished every last bite. We hiked the North Rim Trail after lunch and that one was bit more of a challenge as the kids (Piper) started getting tired. We used every trick in the book from Starbursts to piggy back rides, the winner was Taylor Swift, again. Taylor has a song for every mood just the right ones to flip a bad mood to a good mood, thank goodness for her. We spotted Buffalo on our way home and had pizza and meatballs at Dornan’s in the Tetons, and then ran into an antelope traffic jam on our way back to Colter Bay. It was a really full day, but a great day.

We woke up on Monday looking for ways to extend our stay. To think we had toyed with the idea of trimming a day or two off of the Tetons, ha! We explored the areas of the park we hadn’t yet been to, starting with the old historic barns followed by a search for a huge beaver damn Allie had told us about at Schwabacher’s Landing, and finally to String Lake for a picnic followed by a hike/swim. This was an unexpected gem. The trail was flat and follows the shore of String Lake, a lovely and still mountain lake near Jenny Lake. The kids started out complaining but were instantly impressed with the cool clear water which was relatively shallow for a couple hundred yards or so. They made friends with some others swim/hikers and followed their noses. We did eventually complete the mile out hike and were met with a rocky stream and long low bridge. We all took the time to put our feet in and to enjoy the scenery. We finished the day off at Jackson Lake Lodge (again ;)) at their diner called the Pioneer Grill and watched our final sunset - a cotton candy one this time. We weren’t able to score the extended stay so packed up most of our items in hopes of an early departure the following morning.

Grand Teton National Park was so much more than we were expecting. It is a relatively small National Park which made it feel manageable and many of the roads were familiar after only a day or two. We loved the family friendly feel everywhere we went. It was a treat to explore and experience it with the kids. I’m hopeful we are lucky enough to go back someday.