Today was a grand day to be outside. The weather was marvelous for a fall day in the Tetons, and the sunlight illuminated the golden sagebrush and aspens perfectly from dawn till dusk.
Morning Moose
We started our morning very early by leaving our condo in Wilson and driving north on Moose Wilson Road, typically a good place to see wildlife. We didn’t have much luck on that drive, though we could hear the elk bugling in the distance, and caught a few glimpses of them in the darkness. At the town of Moose, we cut over onto US-89, and backtracked south, then turned east on Gros Ventre Road (pronounced “groh-vahnt“, thanks to the nonsensical language that is French), which follows the Gros Ventre River northeast away from the Teton mountains.
As the road drew closer to the river’s edge, we saw a small crowd gathered at one of the pullouts – a good sign. Sure enough, there was a massive bull moose eating his way up the river weaving in and out of the small streams of water at the Gros Ventre’s shallow edges.
We followed the bull upstream for quite some time, walking along the ridge on the riverbank opposite him. It was a bit like hunting – we were weaving in and out of the thick sagebrush, trying to keep up with his long stride, and trying to get a clear view for pictures.
We didn’t quite realize how far we’d gone. At some point, Dad decided he would go back and get the Jeep, and then drive back up the road to come pick me up. It took him 30 minutes to walk on the side of the road back to the pullout where we had parked! In the meantime, I was freezing to death, and wishing I’d walked back with him. To make things worse, I also [apparently] managed to snag my right-hand glove (which was in my jacket pocket) on a bush, and lost it along the way. I did get a few more good pictures of the moose before he disappeared east into the Gros Ventre Wilderness.
Sagebrush Suspension
We continued north up the road, taking a sharp turn west at the town of Kelly, and taking Antelope Flats Road back towards US-89 and the main part of the park. Even though we were planning to go back into town for breakfast, our plans quickly changed when we saw two more moose eating in the sagebrush in a field beside the road. There was a bull and a cow moose this time. It’s their “courting” season, when males will spend time, at a distance, with a female as part of their courtship ritual.
The sagebrush is incredibly thick, but we tried to navigate it to get a closer look. I went on ahead with my camera and tripod, trying not to get tangled up. At one point, I looked back and didn’t see Dad anymore, so I assumed the brush was too thick for him to navigate, and thus he’d headed back to the car to warm up and wait on me. What I didn’t know was that Dad had gotten tangled up, and had “bit the dust” in the sagebrush. In his words, “I got tangled and didn’t have any option left but to fall down”. Turns out, the sagebrush was so thick that he never even hit the ground, and was “hanging in suspension” on top of a thick bush. Dad said it was actually quite comfortable, and he was quickly back on his feet and retreated to the Jeep relatively unscathed.
After finding a dry creek bed with a little less vegetation, I managed to get a little closer, but no matter where I moved, the moose refused to face me. So, you can enjoy pictures of their sides and backsides.
Restaurant Repetition
Back on the road headed towards Jackson, we were trying to decide where to eat breakfast. We settled on going back to Nora’s Fish Creek Inn, since our dinner there was so wonderful last night. On the way back into Wilson, we saw yet another bull moose at the intersection of Coyote Canyon Road and the Teton Pass Highway, but I wasn’t able to get a picture, and traffic was so bad going the other direction we were not able to backtrack. Honestly, we though it was a sign or statue at first (a lot of people have things like that in their yard), and realized too late that it was indeed another living, breathing bull moose.
At Nora’s, we got a variety of breakfast items and shared. Dad got an order of biscuits and gravy with home fries and a sourdough pancake, and I got the trout and eggs with home fries and a buttermilk pancake. The trout was the star of the show once again, and we decided we liked the buttermilk pancake better than the sourdough one. It was nice to eat and drink coffee by the warm fire, and we thoroughly enjoyed our second meal here.
Nora's Fish Creek Inn
Wilson, WY
An amazing restaurant. Great food, casual, and fun service. We enjoyed the live blues and jazz in the evening.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Back to the bakery
After breakfast, we were thoroughly stuffed, so what better to do than visit a bakery? We’ve been to Persephone Westbank (over in Wilson) multiple times, but this time we decided to go to the original location in downtown Jackson. We purchased several baked goods (all for later), and walked around downtown to stretch our legs, do some unsuccessful early Christmas shopping, and enjoy the crisp morning air.
Persephone Bakery
Jackson, Wy
A very good bakery with a good variety, and more to eat than just pastries. We have been multiple times, and will continue to visit on future trips.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Downtown Donut
Just as we were about to wrap up downtown and head back to the car, I spotted a coffee shop that piqued my interest – Snake River Roasting Company. Both agreeing that we could use a little more caffeine, we dropped in, only to be welcomed by a beautiful case full of baked goods, most notably huckleberry donuts. We ordered two cortados (equal parts espresso and steamed milk) and decided to split a donut, but managed to restrain ourselves from purchasing any other pastries.
The donut and coffee were both very good. Wrapping up our downtown visit, we headed north back into the park.
Snake River Roasting Company
Jackson, WY
Good coffee and pastry selection. Pricey, but pretty typical for Jackson Hole.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Leigh Lake
After a quick stop at the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center to grab a trail map and some info, we drove up to the String Lake parking lot, and after finally finding a spot, we began our hike to Leigh Lake.
First, the trail passes shallow String Lake, a long, winding C-shaped lake that is fed from discharge from the much larger Leigh Lake. The out-and-back hike from the parking lot to the overlook where we turned around was about 4.2 miles in total, but it was a very easy, shaded, and scenic hike along the lakeshore.
Part of the way around Leigh Lake, we found a nicely shaded spot with a couple “sitting rocks”, and stopped to enjoy a couple beef jerky sticks and pack of trail mix. After taking some pictures of the lake’s crystal-clear water, we turned around and headed back to String Lake and the parking lot.
After the hike, we refueled in the parking lot with a couple snacks from Persephone: a cranberry maple whole-wheat scone, and a chocolate chip walnut sea salt cookie.
Summit Scenery
Although we had an upcoming early dinner reservation, we calculated we had time for one more quick adventure. We drove up to the summit of Signal Mountain, which has panoramic views of the Jackson Hole valley. Making a very quick stop at the top, we then drove back to downtown Jackson for an early dinner.
Delicious Dinner
Back in downtown, we waited outside Gather, where we had a reservation right as they opened at 17:00. While we waited for them to open their doors, we peeked in a few other nearby shops. We started out by splitting a salad, the “Beet & Blue” (arugula, pickled braised beets, crispy fried beet strings, blue cheese crumbles, candied pecans, blue cheese vinaigrette). For our main courses, we split elk Bolognese (elk, bison, wagyu, house made red sauce, vertical harvest tomatoes, house made pasta, grilled baguette, grated Pecorino) and the bison brisket (braised bison brisket, elk chorizo winter hash, smoked tomato bourbon glaze, over easy duck egg, and local microgreens). All the food was very good, but we opted to skip dessert in favor of the remaining pastries from Persephone.
Gather in Jackson Hole for Food & Drink
Jackson, WY
Great food and service. The menu is more on the modern/unusual side, but it’s a good place to have a meal.
* – Would definitely visit again
** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area
*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there
Scenic Sunset
Now back in the park, we began to drive around, looking for more wildlife and watching golden hour and the sunset. First, we pulled into a turnout off Teton Park Road to take some pictures of the golden light hitting the mountains.
Next, we drove back into the Antelope Flats area, this time cutting across to “Mormon Row”, a line of old houses and barns from early settlers to the area.
Rendezvous River
Leaving Mormon Row, we drove towards Wilson and stopped at Emily Stevens Park and Rendezvous Park for a view of the Snake River at sunset, and hopefully a moose sighting. We saw a couple elk, but no other wildlife.
Midnight Moose
Back near our condo, we decided to drive around the neighborhood on the off chance we might see some wildlife in the dark. Our efforts were rewarded with a sighting of the local moose pair crossing the road in front of us in the dark.
Condo Confections
Back at the condo, we ate our two remaining pastries for a late-night dessert. We had a cinnamon brioche and a kouign amann; both were fantastic.
Video
Here’s a video from today’s adventures.
The Best Things we Saw Today
Isaac
The best thing I saw today was… “the bull moose at the Gros Ventre River”.
The best thing I ate today was… “trout at breakfast”.
Jerry
The best thing I saw today was… “the big bull moose walking alongside the river”.
The best thing I ate today was… “a tie between the elk Bolognese and the chocolate chip walnut cookie”.
Conclusion
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Tomorrow we’ll finish up Jackson Hole and the Tetons, and head west into Idaho.
– Isaac & Jerry
3 Responses
The golden hour and sunset pictures were beautiful! My favorite time of the day!!
I really enjoyed the video of your walk on the trail beside the lake!
Your pictures are fantastic. Enjoying your adventure.
I’m so impressed with Jerry church the hiker. I wish I had the dates for each of your days. I’d love to know how close we were to being on your trail.