Reggie Visits the Grand Tetons

Dad told me we are planning to leave our summer home in Idaho soon so we must do some more photography while the leaves are turning to gold and red. Of course, he knows that I can’t see gold and red very well, but I enjoy riding in the car with Dad. So yesterday we left in the car before the sun woke up with all of Dad’s photography equipment. I know because I have to find a place to lie down amid all of the stuff he brings.

Our adventure began almost as soon as we left the RV Park. A big Elk ran out in front of the car and Dad almost had me in the front seat after stopping so fast. Then only a minute later another one did the same thing. Whew, we didn’t hit anything and I was OK but geez, can’t the Elk see our big white car coming? It was too dark and the Elk were too quick for Dad to get a photograph, which I think made him mad!

We were headed for the Grand Tetons according to Dad. He said it was a National Park. When I heard him tell me I was saddened because I knew the rules in a National Park kept me from getting out and running around free. But I still enjoy the ride and I know Dad will let me out a lot, even if it is on a leash.

We drove through the forest and Dad let me out to sniff while he photographed. I smelled bears, elk and moose back here!

To get there we took a rough dirt road that cut between Yellowstone and the Teton mountains through the forest. Dad called it Flagg Ranch road. (I never did see any flags on it.) Dad said I should be looking for Deer and Elk and I was happy to do that for him. Dad was more interested in all the beautiful red and gold colors from the foliage on the forest floor and the aspen trees. We stopped a few times for photographs and because this wasn’t in a National Park, I got to run around free.

I found this Deer, and he was surprised to see me.

We did see some some deer and because Dad was trying to photograph them, I didn’t bark. He gave me a treat afterwards to show his gratitude at my silence.

I had to wait in the car a lot because this is a national park, but I could smell from here.

The Tetons are giant mountains that rise up very high and are very pointy and this big river runs through it. I think I have said before that I don’t get excited about such scenery like Dad does. If a place smells good to me, I can get excited, but not about high mountains. So, forgive me if I’m not as enthusiastic as Dad is over this trip.

Dad stopped at several places and took pictures and some of the pictures were of me with the mountains behind. I like this because I get a treat every time I pose for a picture. There are two big mountains, one called Mount Moran and another is the Grand Teton, which Dad says is almost 14,000 feet high (I’m not sure what that is in number of paw lengths.)

Teton Glacier is a big hunk of ice cube moving down the mountain.

Dad says there are several glaciers hanging on the side of the mountains. Glaciers are giant ice cubes that move down the mountain all year around because it is so cold up there. Dad says the mountains are very young and they are so tall because some big thing in the Earth is pushing them up and at the same time, dropping the valley floor beneath them even lower. I didn’t feel the floor dropping so I’d take what Dad says with a grain of kibbles.

Four people lined up to photograph me and all I got was one old treat!

When we first got to the Grand Tetons (from the North) we saw a big lake that is formed by the Snake River (there are no snakes in the river so don’t get excited guys). Dad called this lake Jackson. (Why do humans make names for everything? A lake is a lake, a river is a river, standing water and flowing water… geez they sure complicate things don’t they?)

We stopped at Jackson Lake. Boy would I like to swim, but National Park... no dogs!

Next we went to a bend in the river that Dad called Oxbow bend. He likes it because it has a nice reflection of the fall leaves in the water. Dad climbed to a high hill and left me in the car to watch him. He wanted to photograph the bend in the river from above. Everyone else was down next to me photographing the river and there was Dad climbing through the Sagebrush and weeds to get an even better picture. I’d sure like to have gone with him, but National Park, you know!

Dad climbed to the top of a hill and took this photo of Oxbow Bend of the Snake River (while I waited).

We stopped at several places to take pictures of the Teton mountains. At one place that Dad took my picture, four humans came up to him and asked him if I would pose for them. He said OK. (He didn’t ask me!) It was a bummer because the way I count, I should have received 4 treats instead of the measly one he gave me for that. Humans just don’t understand our nutritional needs! But it was nice to be the center of so much attention.

Another place where there is standing water that gets Dad so excited is something he calls Jenny lake. I looked for my sister Genny, but she wasn’t around. So why call it after her? Dad let me out on a leash for a while to take my picture and it was a nice place to sniff. I left my mark on one of the stone walls, check it out the next time you are there. Jenny Lake is right at the base of this really tall mountain and Dad says it’s beautiful. I usually have to take Dad’s word for stuff like that. We just don’t agree on what is beautiful.

Jennie Lake is a shaded place right beneath a big mountain. Dad let me sniff around a bit... on a leash.

One time we stopped along the Park road and photographed a lone coyote. I let Dad photograph him before I started barking. That was the least I could do. Dad was paying for the gas.

I was pretty excited to see this coyote. I waited until Dad took this picture to bark my head off, then he ran away.

Dad says that the Teton National Park has a lot of Moose but we didn’t see any on this trip. I would have liked to see them, but from the car. They are scary and so big that I’m glad to watch from the car.

Horses were grazing in the National Park, and without a leash!!!! not fair!

We also stopped at this really small church that Dad called the Chapel of the Transfiguration. Dad made a lot of photographs of this building with the colorful leaves and the mountains in the background. Dad called it picturesque. I lifted my leg on the fence outside.

This little chapel was pretty according to Dad. Smell's here were mediocre!

Of course, all the time we were driving I got to stick my nose out of the car window. It was really nice weather and although I couldn’t see the Moose, I did smell them and the coyotes. It’s really tough in one way to smell all these things outside the car as we move along. I have the urge to lift my leg as we are driving at every smell (I wouldn’t do that to Dad’s car, but the urge is there). You humans need to know that it is our urge and you should stop often to let us get it out of our system (so to speak).

Well it was getting late in the day and we headed back on the other side of the Teton mountains to home. Going home was much faster because we didn’t go through the forest. I slept most of the time, except when Dad stopped for another photograph of the mountains. I didn’t mind because I got to hop out and sniff around some more.

Mount Moran reflects in the Snake River. I got to see this view for an hour from the car while Dad photographed his head off!

Well, this is all for this week. All in all, the Grand Tetons is a great place to visit, especially for humans. Dogs will enjoy the smells. I’ll probably be there same time next year, so let’s plan to meet there!

Arf,

Reggie