Cousins' Reunion 2011 - 9/5/11

We spent the last night in Livingston, MT in the cabin at the lower level of Wineglass Mountain. We really enjoyed a fire in the morning. We packed up and headed south toward Jackson, WY. This time we moved one more valley to the west as we bypassed Yellowstone. We stopped in Ennis and Ashton as we headed back to the Grand Tetons. We climbed over the high pass and dropped into Jackson before ending up in Teton Village for the next two nights.

We loved the stove in the cabin, and a morning fire was a special pleasure. We packed up and headed south.
Gazebos are particularly sturdy in the high mountains
Snow fences were more visible in the exposed rolling hills between the mountain ranges.
Fishing is beyond a hobby here - it's a way of life
In Ennis we stopped to look at jewelry.
Montana sapphires make lovely jewelry
We noticed rock walls in many areas. It looks like the post-glacial debris fields have been eaten into by the meandering rivers
Beautiful countryside
Wheat is an important product here
We stopped in Ashton for lunch
An ice cream parlor
that serves other food
Unfortunately their computer-based registers were down and they couldn't get anyone to come in to get them working right. During one of their three big weekends of the year, they decided to shut down and closed early.
One seating location was unique
The hot fudge sundae was delicious
This one was OK, too
Great soda bar
Continuing south, we encountered some serious agriculture in the rolling foothills - alfalfa
wheat
Potatoes - here with a tractor rolling the plants before harvesting
And always, the Grand Tetons above
Harvesting wheat
Harvesting wheat
Winters can be pretty hard on the infrastructure
Incredibly large pivot watering system
Idaho - land of potatoes
As we continued on toward the pass into Jackson Hole, we found ourselves almost completely surrounded by high mountains.
Dropping into Jackson, we found these familiar friends awaiting us.
Our accommodation was Teton Mountain Lodge in Teton Village.
The balcony off our room provided an amazing view of the lower slopes of the Grand Tetons, including the tram that goes to the top of the mountain
Amazing climb on the highest climb aerial tram
There were even accommodations for more casual travelers in the lobby ;-)
Great fireplaces showed preparation for the coming winter season.
Outside the lobby, there was quite a collection of flowering plants.