Cascade Canyon

We've had an action-filled week.  Sunday was a somewhat long hike up Cascade Canyon in Grand Teton Natl Park.  It's a trail that starts on the west side of Jenny Lake and takes you southwest in between two of the Grand Teton peaks.  We only got about half way in before we got tired and turned around.  Pictures from that hike are on this post.  Monday was a nice visit with Bernie & Sue as we traveled up to the Flagg Ranch area after their arrival that morning.  Today, we met with Beau and his family as they returned to Jackson Hole to fly back home.  In the meantime, I got to talking with a guy and his family visiting the hatchery, and we finally realized we were both from Gardendale.  A few years difference in graduation years (OK, 23 years!)  Then a little later, Bernie, Sue and their whole gaggle of family came by the hatchery for a visit.   Who'd thought all that would happen today?

So that's how our week has gone.  We're doing fine, just been a very busy week at the hatchery.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy the pictures.  The last one is courtesy of Phyllis Mueller.

Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week, David

West Thumb Basin, Phelps Lake, Hadley Lake

West Thumb Basin, Yellowstone NP

Phelps Lake, Grand Tetons

(For the geographical experts, yes West Thumb is in Yellowstone NP, not Grand Tetons.  We only get to choose one location for the blog post.)

This week's outings were up to Yellowstone Lake, a hike out to Phelps Lake Overlook with Larry and Phyllis, and up to Hadley Lake.  We had four days off in a row and decide to make the most of the days off.

Hadley Lake, Grand Tetons

As Sunday was a rain day, we mostly just drove around when we traveled to Yellowstone.  Managed to eek out 19.7 mpg from the truck for the trip up to Yellowstone.  It's what happens when you drive the speed limit.  Yellowstone Lake was so high that we thought they had put a new boardwalk in at West Thumb Basin that took you out into the lake.   

Moose, Death Canyon Trail, Grand Tetons

Tuesday's outing with Larry & Phyllis to Phelps Lake Overlook was great.  Cool, damp, great hiking weather. We all felt so good that we continued on to a small waterfall and got to see a couple of moose.

Wednesday's outing was out to Hadley Lake.  The trail starts from the Taggart Lake trail head and splits off to go to Hadley Lake.  It's another of several trail options that start from the Taggart Lake trail head.  Hadley Lake is just further up in elevation that Taggart Lake, a little longer in length, and you spend more time in the evergreens (Christmas trees!)  Well worth the time if you get the chance to take it.

So that's our weekly update.  Hope to get out to Cascade Canyon for our next hike into the Tetons.  Thanks for stopping in & checking up on us.  Were still doing well.  Just eating too much!  David

The Tetons always managed to breakout just as we ended our hikes this week.

Jenny Lake, Hidden Falls, Taggart Lake

Jenny Lake

Hidden Falls

We've had an interesting week.  An lone elk came trotting by the hatchery, head on a swivel, looking a little bewildered as to where all the other elk had gone.  Guess it got a late start!  We've got otters in the hatchery pond - bad news.  Those guys can empty the pond of fish in a week and have been caught in a hatchery raceway in the past.  We worked in a nice hike along the west side of Jenny Lake up to Hidden Falls and returned.  Trails a little busy with all the tour buses that stop at the Jenny Lake area.  We also got a hike up to Taggart Lake, too.  Both these hikes do a nice job of cranking out steps for the fitbit!  And we got a nice visit from an former boss and his family.  He'd read our blog and stopped in the hatchery to see if we were in.  Who knew people were actually reading our blog?

We're in to our third work week and doing well.  Lots of sun the past two weeks.  I've gotten sunburned   

Taggart Lake

through my work shirts.  New experience for me!  I'll never doubt those SPF tags on clothing, again (or the lack of an SPF tag.)

We also gotten below freezing overnight a couple of times, too.  Guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. 

My boss when I retired from federal civil service and his family dropped in to pay us a visit.  They'd flown into Jackson Hole airport and were taking a somewhat long (and I'm sure well deserved) vacation visiting Grand Tetons, Yellowstone & Glacier National Parks.  Sounds like a dream vacation to me!  Hopefully, we get to see them when they return to Jackson Hole to fly home.

So that brings you up to day.  Looks like rain for the coming weekend and early next week.  Not sure how we'll handle that one as one phone app says "light" rain  for the period while another phone app post a weather warning for heavy rain and potential flooding in Jackson, WY for Saturday through Tuesday.  Guess you're suppose to pick the forecast you like and go with it?  Either way, we'll deal with it and try to stay dry. 

Thanks for dropping by and checking up on us.  Until next week, David

Weekly Update - Jackson, WY

Upper Mesa Falls

Our second week is over and we're - more or less - settling in here near Jackson, WY.  I'm beginning to develop a dislike of the town.  The people that live and/or work here or great, but it's a tourist trap.   Tourist here come with short tempers - most shorter than mine, and think nothing of running out in front of traffic on a major US highway to take a picture.  And the town isn't even all that crowded, yet.  We're told it will only get worse as the season continues.

We've taken a couple of days to park outside of the main areas of the town and walk in.  Like I said, tourist trap.  Food's good.  Ice cream great.  Art galleries are nice.  Prices high.  Workers complain that it's too expensive to live here.  Grocery stores generally packed with people.  If you need to go into town, it's get in early and get out quickly.

We worked in a day trip to Mesa Falls, near Ashton, ID on Sunday.  It's nice area to visit on the Idaho side of the Tetons.

Lower Mesa Falls

It's busy at the falls, but mostly a quiet side of the Tetons.  Of course we're here a little early for the season, so I'd expect it to get a little busier as the summer progresses.  A lot of people who work in Jackson live in this part of Idaho.  They say the challenge is to make it over Teton Pass in the winter.  Otherwise, it's considered a nice, scenic commute into town.

For us, well, we're settling in at the hatchery.  The view from the trailer is stunning, so it's easy to get up and moving.  Currently, folks are trickling into the hatchery for a visit, though it seems as if one car turns off the highway and all that are following decide "Hey, that's an idea - let's do that."   We're told each season is a little different, so we'll just have to see how busy the place gets as the season progresses.

Oh, the new batch of fish eggs arrived yesterday from the Auburn State Fish Hatchery.  The hatchery only got about 20,000 eggs as they're experimenting with how to raise them in the trays.  Once the state hatchery has their eggs hatched and grown to "sack" fry, they'll transfer about 100,000 "sack" fry to the Jackson hatchery to bring the hatchery up to it's planned quantity of fish.  The year old fish that are currently here will move to the Palisades Reservoir in Idaho in September.   The fish currently here are large enough to move, but the plan is to not transfer them while the reservoir is being used for irrigation purposes.  I guess there's no need to get new fish sucked into irrigation pipes!

That should bring you up to date.  We're doing fine.  Getting used to working in the sun after weeks of traveling in the rain.  We're still getting our "talk" down for the tours.  Donna says her talk takes 15 minutes while mine takes an hour and a half.  I don't think I take that long, but I do have a bad habit of chatting with the visitors.  People come from all over and have all kinds of experiences.  Most are here on vacation, having a blast, and it's easy to get jealous of all the wild life they're seeing while we're not seeing all that much.  Well, that's not entirely true as we're just seeing different wild life.

Coyotes run the hill behind us.  A fox is raising her kits across the road from the hatchery housing area.  Raptors seem to hang out over the hill that the coyotes run.  There's a single swan and a single heron that visit the hatchery pond.  A real cute weasel is seen from time-to-time around the visitors cabin.  Muskrats are in the pond.  According to a wildlife camera, there's a badger going after the ground squirrels (we're parked in ground squirrel country).  And, finally, the trout are giving the visiting fishermen to the hatchery's pond a run for their money.

OK, OK.  I'll end now.  Thanks for checking up on us.  Until next week, David