How Could I Forget!

So here I was all happy thinking that I finally caught up and could post some of the new things that we did, but alas. I forgot one. So here is it, late and overdue, but here none the less.

I fell quite guilty forgetting to blog this adventure as it was one of my favorites. Once again to the thoughtfulness of My Mother-In-Law, who lent us two pair of snowshoes.

This time we decided to get out of the National Parks and see what else this large valley has to offer. We headed North once again, this time however we continued on past the Moran entrance. Heading towards Duboise, there is a nice little place called  Buffalo Valley/Turpin Meadows road. It is on the left hand side of the road as you head North. As you could guess there is a trusty old brown sign leading you to the prized destination. The Road leads through many ranches and eventually ends up at Turpin Meadow Ranch.As you near the end of the road there is a trail off to the left, it is marked as Critical Game Area, and has trail restrictions. If you head up the road another 0.3 miles there sits a parking area on the right.

Once we parked and bundled up the kids, Kevin and I strapped on our borrowed snowshoes and then we all headed back up the road. The trail started as a snowmobile path through an open snow field, quickly however the trees closed in. The trail had this sort of ebb and flow to it throughout. Eventually we saw a few signs designating the path we were on as a summer road for homes in the area. Obviously unoccupied this time of year, as convenient and regular access is a problem.

There was another snowshoer on the trail with his two very playful Rhodesian Ridgebacks. The dogs stopped a moment to sniff and lick all the kids and then went on playfully bounding through the snow.  After a small amount of time we stopped and had our lunch under a tree on the side of the path. (The signs said to stay on path) We had a lunch of Ham sandwiches, oranges and water. Since we hadn't been hiking too long Kevin and I decided to continue on for a bit; the snowshoes made it so unbelievably easy,  it was exhilarating to walk in the snow with minimal difficult. We just had to keep on. After another 20 minutes we made it to an open clearing in view of the ranch. Since there were no postings at the trail head we weren't sure if the path looped around or dead-ended at private property. Thus unsure we decided we best turn back and head the way we came. Kevin and I were feeling quite unencumbered, thanks to our lent snowshoes, we still had the kiddos to worry about.

All in all the hike was just over 2 miles (turns out the path does loop and we went back just over the half way point). The hike and lunch took just under two and a half hours. The snow shoes were a splendid treat, and the sunny clear sky day sure didn't hurt.

Until Next Week,
Be safe, Be well

Its about time

Now that I have finally caught up on the last few weeks of our adventures, I can heave a sigh of relief and take a breath before the next go-round. When I started this blog the idea behind it was exploring all the ins and outs of the Valley. Mostly my intention was for the blog to be nature and outdoor oriented as that is what is of most importance to us as a family (besides each other of course). However living in a place where winter seems to last forever, it is nice to ocassionaly go inside for some fun. Since I started this blog we have done eighteen outdoor activities and only one inside. This week we will add to our list of inside activities, although I have a feeling that even inside we wont escape winter. Stay tuned...

Finding a Hidden Gem

Saturday the 19th of February, we as a family drove to Rawlins, Wyoming. The intended point of such a drive was for me to visit my brother. Something that I must do without Kevin and the kids. Which left Kevin alone in a Dingy old Wyoming town, with nothing to do. However for Kevin the explorer, this was not a daunting task. After he dropped me off for my visit he returned to the hotel to ask about local attractions,  unfortunately the Lady at the Front Desk seemed unaware of any fun activities to do in Rawlins. Kevin then did the only thing he could do, he set out with the kids loaded up and drove around town to see what options he had. After he spent some time driving around the town he hit the highway and continued east. Seeing a very familiar brown sign, he took an off ramp and found what could only be described as a gem.  To get to this scenic by-way from I-80 look for a brown Park Service Sign that tells you how to get there. Heading From Rawlins towards Cheyenne it is exit 215.

Kevin took this road and followed it around until it dead ended at a parking area, with a play ground and access to the lake which had quite a few Ice Fishermen in attendance. On the way they saw many Golden Eagles and Antelope just as promised by the information sign. One Golden eagle flew so close to the van it's talons scraped the roof as it flew by.


At the playground, Kevin, the kids and our four legged friend Jazzy poured out of the van for a bit of fresh air and enjoyment. After an hour or so they loaded back up and went to town for lunch.

Out of No Where the Killpecker sand dune emerges,
when heading north
keep an eye to the left side of the road.
pay close attention as it disappears as quickly as it appears.

Kevin was so amazed at this off the beaten path gem, that after my visit was done he absolutely insisted on showing me. The second time, we didn't go all the way to the play ground but we did see the sand dune and quite a bit of antelope, no golden eagles. The drive its self is beautiful and remarkable compared to the bleak landscapes viewable from the highway. We vowed to return this summer and follow the road through to the end!

The Odd and Unique Shoshone Lake

One of the many Golden Eagles that call this gem home.

A few of the many antelope residing in Wyoming.

Slide Lake

I know I am behind on blogging our adventures, and I promise to catch up soon. Starting with the weekend of February 13, when we went to Slide Lake. As usual we loaded up in the truck, with lots of water, snacks, and warm winter gear. To get to Slide Lake you head north of Jackson on  Cache, then take the road to Kelley. Which can be found on the right side of the road shortly after the Elk refuge on Highway 191/89.  Follow this road until it curves at the town of Kelly, continue until you see a sign for Kelly Warm springs, also on the right side of the road.  Take this turn and continue on for a ways. The road is very windy, steep in many places, and in winter is often slick and covered in snow or ice. Be very careful on this road. The road itself stays open all the way to the Abernathy Creek campground (where the boat ramp is, and also the best access to the lake). We took the road that crosses over the slide, Taylor Ranch Road, which is again on the right hand side, and is adjacent to the slide information parking area. We drove to the end of this road and parked the truck at a pullout before the road turned into a private driveway.

It was a really warm Winter day and eventually the kids became so hot that they needed to ditch the coats. This helped propel them even faster and the race soon began.

 This hike was a short one and pleasant one. Taylor Ranch Road is a curvy, fairly unpopular road. Meaning that is is fine to walk down, and not risk seeing any other vehicles or people the entire time. It crosses the river right at the mouth and has some beautiful views of the red dirt hills. We chose this road as our hike because, well to be perfectly honest we are a bit sick of the snow. From where we parked to the start of the road is about a half mile, so all in all we went 1 mile. It was a fast hike and I didn't time it, Lulu nearly ran the whole way, Jack wandered along and Emma tried at every possibility to play in the snow.. To end the hike we had a fire and lunch on the only the snow covered beach that sits at the edge of the lake where the river begins. We had a quick lunch of Turkey Sandwiches with Clementines, and of course Water. Then we got in the truck and headed home. The easiest hike so far this winter.

Just Chillin'

The Slide

The Lower Gros Ventre River (Gro Vant)

Signal Mountain Road

                         

Super Bowl Sunday, to us non-football fans (Well one of us is, but that team isn't  in the game) is a great day to take advantage of the outdoors, free from those entranced in the big game. In the spirit of that mood, and also because Saturday we had other plans, we set out to enjoy more winter hiking while most were at home cozy and warm with friends and family. We set out once again to freeze our butts off.  

Yesterday (2/6/11), we decided to head up to Jackson Lake. Our original destination for last weeks hike as you may recall. We again entered GTNP through the Moran entrance and took a left at the Jackson Lake Junction. On our way to the Signal Mountain Lodge Parking area we spotted a pull out near the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. Seeing as it was adjacent to the Lake we thought that maybe it would be a good trail to follow. So we parked the van and got out to investigate. With the kids in the lead we followed the trail until it dead-ended in a loop around the churches parking lot. The kids as usual found a positive aspect in a let-down-hike and once again found a snow hill to play on, while Kevin and I regrouped. As is our fashion before giving up on the trail altogether Kevin went off to investigate whether or not we would be able to break a new trail. After about 5 minutes of plowing through the snow he came back with the report that it would be manageable, but climbing back up the slope would be difficult. With that information, and last weeks not-so-triumphant hike we decided that this week we best stick to a path. Thus decided we declared this hike over and went back to the car. Emma, being sure to let me know that these "mini hikes" were her least favorite, and she wanted to go on a long hike and have a fire, today. With Emma's demands in mind we drove to the end of the road, which like most closed roads in Wyoming, promptly leads to a non-motorized path. Once again we parked, and unloaded the car and set out.

The trail we were on was really just the main road of the park, buried under snow. Which in the winter is a convenient place to hike, cross country ski, snowshoe, or get out in the snow by whatever means suits you. A great bonus about this trail is that it allows pets! Most National Park trails are closed to our four legged friends, so this was a nice treat. Not that we have a dog, but we dog sit from time to time and its nice to find a trail that we can bring our furry friends on as well.
  
   Eventually we came to Signal Mountain Road and decided to take a left and see where that went. This path was less frequented than the previous trail. We only saw one set of cross country ski tracks and they appeared to have already come and gone. We followed this road as it wound through the forest and up a few hills. After about a half hour on this trail the kids were inches from lying down and quitting, Kevin took the hint and went ahead of us to find a suitable place to stop and rest. I with much coaxing, pleading and even a bit of pushing finally got the kids to Kevin's rest stop, where he had already gathered tinder and wood and was in the process of building a fire. The Children upon seeing Kevin's track fork off the road and into the woods instantly regained vigor and will power and followed the footprints into the forest. Jack and Emma started at once on making a fort, beds and a snow cave, Lulu was feeling a bit under the weather and took the opportunity to rest.




Kevin made us a nice toasty fire and we all took off our gloves and mittens and set them out to dry while we ate a lunch of sandwiches (tuna for the girls and pb&j for the boys), animal crackers and water. We stayed at the fire for about a half hour, before we became too restless to sit any longer. With toasty warm gloves and full tummies, we buried the fire and set ourselves on the path home.

This hike was by far the longest we have done this winter and it made us ever more grateful that winter will soon end. Jack needed a short ride on both the trip there and the trip back, and out of sympathy Kevin gave each the girls a five minute ride. From start to finish was two and a half hours and we hiked 3 miles. The end of this hike left me thinking, "If we can hike three miles, in fresh four inch deep snow, with the added weight of snow gear, at an altitude over a mile high with three kids, what can't we do?" Until next week, Be safe and Be well.

Kevin Never loosing an opportunity for Adventure

A woodpecker we stopped and watched.

Oxbow Bend

I don't think that there is anyone out there who will deny the many disadvantages of winter. Those of us in Jackson tend to see past the mountains of snow, the constant sub zero temperatures and the obvious downsides of the 8 months of cold, and instead focus our gaze on the positive aspects of winter. For example, rivers freeze over and provide access to places typically "off-limits" in the spring and summer. This past weekend we took advantage of such an opportunity to explore the islands of Oxbow Bend.

For those of you unfamiliar with Oxbow Bend, its an amazing place where the snake river floods around islands and is a magnificent gathering place for wildlife.. In the summer it isn't rare to find birds and beasts refreshing themselves along this wide mellow stretch of the Snake River. In winter it freezes, not all of it of course but a huge part of it, which makes crossing over to the islands super duper easy.

Oxbow Bend lies just inside the North Entrance (Moran) to Grand Teton National Park. From this entrance it is on the left hand side of the road and there is a pull off area where you can park. One of the best parts of Oxbow bend is that its just off to the side of the main road so you cannot miss it.

Once we got all the kids out of the car and bundled up in their winter gear we set out. This first obstacle was just getting down to the path. the kids felt the simplest way down was just to sit and slide, of course for us adults that's not such a simple thing, so we just walked down carefully. The path we followed this time was made by snowshoers and much more difficult to follow, though much easier than making our own. We followed the path as it traced the banks of the river and up and through a willow patch. Here it became much more difficult, as the snow was webbed through by willow branches and bushes. Kevin and I often found ourselves hip-deep in snow and that became very frustrating very fast.

After the path we were on crossed over the first small island it continued to edge along the bank instead of crossing over onto the more well established islands, the ones that are forested with trees and not just shrubs. We of course wanted to go into the trees, and as the path we were on seemed to follow the bank and didn't cross over to the islands, we figured we would make our own path.

Which was the most exhausting decision of the day. Emma and Lulu took the lead with Kevin hot on their heels and Jack drifted somewhere in between Kevin and I. Typically we wouldn't have the girls going first over a frozen river, but the elk path we were following lead us to believe if a minimum 600 pound beast could cross our 30-something pound kids would be OK. After all Kevin was less than an arms reach away, and it would be easier for them to make a trail then to try and walk in our four-foot-deep footprints.  With much difficulty for the adults and minimum exertion required of the children we crossed the ice and made it to a wooded island. Where we stopped and rested, while the inexhaustible Kevin went tramping through the snow to determine our next move.

Near the end of the hike, We made it into the trees.

Shortly however we discovered that snow-hiking isn't super popular for good reasons. Snow melts, and even snow that looks solid might just crumble away at the notion of a boot heel. Exasperated and exhausted we convinced the kids to trek back to the car and we would find a better place to hike. So we set ourselves on the way back to the van.

The total hike took about 45 minutes. As a rough guess I would say we covered just under a mile in distance.
When we arrived back at the van Emma asked us if she could play on the giant pile of snow we had to climb down to get to the trail. We were in no rush and since the hike wasn't an epic success we figured we would have a bit of fun before the day ended. Since it was unbelievably warm we ditched the coats (but kept the gloves and snow pants) and hung out in the warm (22*) winter sun.

The "Mountain"



Emma Sliding down "The Mountain"



Jack's turn

Lulu near the bottom.

The kids found a path down the "mountain" and turned it into their snow slide. I, in the heat of the moment, threw a snowball at Emma as she was perched at the top, and thus started an all out snowball war. She promptly took advantage of the opportunity, hiding behind the burms and lobbing down chunks of snow at Kevin and I. Lucy and Jack set their minds on making "snow beds" and let Kevin, Emma and I battle it out on our own. We hung out on the "mountain" for about 45 minutes and then headed on our way home, as we had other fun adventures in store!

Dubois Fish Hatcery

Saturday the 22nd was our first get out of Jackson hike in quite a while. It was also quite fantastic, even though we were not a complete group. Saturday morning started off with Emma suffering the ill-affects of the stomach flu. Which was a huge bummer for her, but turned into a sort of blessing (if being sick ever has one). She got to spend most of the day just resting with Grammy. (Read no little brother and sister bothering you about being sick, while your sick) So this hike we left her in the loving and capable hands of my absolute treasure of a Mother-In-Law, while the rest of us embarked on New and Glorious Adventures.

Walking the plank

This week for work Kevin had to make a delivery to Dubois, and while there, noticed how nice the weather was in comparison to Jackson. So when he returned he mentioned what a great place for a hike it might be. Looking into it we found a few places and were very excited to get out of the snow for a change. The drive to Dubois takes about two-two-and-half hours from Jackson depending on the weather. Just head North and keep going past the Moran Junction into Yellowstone. We originally set out to hike to Lewis Lake in the Shoshone National Forest. To get there you drive through Dubois and continue onto US-26 for a few more miles. You will see the typical brown national parks service sign pointing you toward Fish Hatchery road. Which is on the right hand side of the road if you are leaving Dubois headed towards Shoshone. Immediately the road forks, the road to the left is Trail Lake Drive, the road to the right is Fish Hatchery Road. Though our original intent was a lake down Trail Lake Drive, Kevin couldn't pass up the opportunity for a fish hatchery, plus Jack had to pee. So we went left.

The frozen marsh

Ice Hike anyone?

The Hatchery was pretty much vacant, we didn't see anyone there, and we even went into the back room to find a bathroom. Inside there were around 5-6 tanks with minnows in them. We picked up Lulu and Jack to see in them and they of course asked where the big fish were, which we set out to find. Seeing as there were no big fish inside we decided the next place to look was outside in the big tanks.In the doorway of the hatchery building there was some informational points about the hatchery and its purpose along with the types of fish they breed there. Good info for those who go.

we ended up climbing up this bank

Outside Lulu and Jack found the big fish. In big pools they had hundreds of fish swarming. The kids liked how the fish would swim away from whichever side of the tank they were on. (Cant blame the fish there). After we looked into every tank, even thoroughly examining the empty ones, and discussing their purpose. We finally set out on our hike.


The deer we spotted, can you find it?



Since the drive was long we didn't really travel to far from the car or the hatchery, and as it goes we started on a trail but didn't end up there. Near the front door of the hatchery was a split rail fence that seemed to lead to a path. We followed this and it shortly lead to some wooden planks laid through what would be a marshy area in summer; but was now just a path lined by dead leaves frozen in a slab of ice. We followed this trail only to be lead into a residential area. So we then went off trail, no more fussing around.

Kevin checking the Ice Bridge before we all cross

This is where it just blends, we went over frozen creeks, up sheer river banks, on a dessert hillside with caucuses, clambered through a wooded area. Watched a deer climb a mountain, found an antler. Crossed an Ice bridge over a stream. Turned around and went back. Although we weren't done yet, so we let each of the kids take the lead, Jack took us down to the creek and preceded to venture dangerously close to the frozen water. Lulu went for the woods, she wound us up, under, and through dense coverings, around trees and over dead fall. She even lead us within 20 feet of the truck but veered back into the trees instead of coming into the open.

Back to the Tetons

                                                                                                                                                                     

Togwotee Pass

We didn't stop and have lunch or a fire as it was a very quick hike and we felt we covered enough of the area. The hatchery also bordered a private ranch and weren't clear on the boundaries so we didn't want to have a fire. Once back to the truck we had Po' Boy sandwiches and apples, with water and juice boxes. The drive from Dubios to Jackson is a beautiful one, with such diverse and beautiful landscapes. From the red dirt hills of Dubois to the Ragged Mountain Peaks of Togwotee Pass, to the Teton valley and back to the Teton Range. The hike is beautiful regardless of the season.

A snow cactus