Gorgeous drive north out of Salt Lake City, east on Hwy 89 through the Wasatch Mountains along the Logan River. Into Idaho – a new state for Bryn and the kids. Garden City on the shore of Bear Lake is very picturesque, and is known for its raspberries. We picked some up to add to our picnic lunch on the Oregon Trail at Montpelier before crossing into Wyoming. We took the scenic route into Jackson and had an early dinner at a local BBQ place before entering Grand Teton National Park. There are still glaciers to be seen. Randy remembers the glaciers as being much bigger and the crowds being much smaller than when he visited in 1986. We were unsure of the name status, but found out that Jackson is the town at the south end; Jackson Hole is the valley along the edge of the Teton Range, and the ski area; it is Grand Teton (singular) not Tetons, as everyone says.
At the southern Visitor Center, the boys picked up Junior Ranger materials and started their quest for more badges to add to their collections. They earned them by nightfall by attending a ranger program on grizzly bears at the Colter Bay ampitheater. Many of the questions aimed at the ranger concerned grizzlies attacking people. After learning about their regular habits, our boys are a little bit less concerned, although we did buy some pepper spray. The NPS's “unofficial” statement is – don't bother the wildlife, but bear spray it is known to work if you can get it out in time and don't stand downwind when you spray it. We had hoped to see wildlife at dusk, but no luck. Bret and Bryn sat out awhile after dark and watched bats swooping down, presumably for the mosquitos!
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