Mid-month Update

Grand Teton Natl Park

A quick update just to let everyone know we're fine.  We're pretty much into a routine as we've reached our halfway point of this year's volunteer stint.  The pictures here are the last of the "pretty" pics as the wildfire smoke from the west has arrived.  There are days when we can't make out Sleeping Indian Mountain (Sheep's Mountain) across from the hatchery due to the thickness of the smoke and the bouncing (refracting?) of sunlight within the smoke.  Just not a pretty area any more.

Seems like everyone is having a weird year when we watch the national weather.  I noticed that Voyageurs Natl Park was getting into the 90s.  That's stifling hot for that part of the country, and their park rangers are probably dying in the wool uniforms they wear.  For the Jackson Hole area where we're at this summer, it's gotten hotter faster which sucked the moisture out of the soil which requires more irrigation water in Idaho which is resulting in lower (and lowering) lakes along the snake river.  

When we first arrived here for the summer of 2018, I laughed at the thought that Jackson Lake (now located in Grand Teton Natl Park) had it's dam installed (before becoming a national park) by justifying it as a source of irrigation water for the state of Idaho.  If I heard a local Idaho Falls news reporter correctly last week (and this is a big "if"), it's expected that Jackson Lake would be as low at 15% of full capacity by fall.  (The lake was 95% of capacity when Doug and Stephanie were here.)  Going to have to get a picture of Jackson Lake if it gets that low! 

Well, that gets you up to date with us.  Hope everyone is doing well.  Thanks for dropping by.  David

Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP

Jenny Lake, Grand Teton NP