Days 12 & 13
July 8 & 9, 2014


July 8 - Day 12
Leaving Hot Springs, South Dakota
traveling to Alta, Wyoming within Grand Teton National Park

Good-bye to Hot Springs at 5:00 a.m.

On the road in Wyoming-- the colors of the hills were all reds, purples, and yellows.

We are almost there.....

That's big sky!!

We arrived at Grand Targhee Resort at around 2:30 p.m. which was 9 1/2 hours of driving. Our lodge is about 45 minutes away from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, on the other side of the mountain. We had to get to our resort in time to watch the World Cup game. We thought it was a joke when we looked at the score and it was 5-0. We have a family bet and I took Germany to win it all. The losers have to buy the winner a chocolate bar and do 20 push-ups. Too bad for Alex he chose Brazil.

Day 13 - July 9

It was an unlucky day and I didn't even know it. Alex woke up sick. His throat hurt and he had a fever. I had to bring him to Driggs, Idaho about 25 minutes away to the closest Urgent Care. He has a virus. He rested most of the day.

Ian and I went up the lift to the top of the mountain for a nature hike with the mountain naturalist.

Here we are at the top of Fred's Mountain (not to be confused with Mary's Nipple which is the next mountain over, not kidding) at our lodge.  We are at 9, 862 ft.

Yes, that is snow behind the wildflowers.

The Grand Tetons are in the background.

The naturalist caught butterflies to show the kids on the hike and told us all about the poisonous and edible plants/ flowers on the mountain.

Ian holding a swallowtail butterfly.

After lunch, I decided to take the lift back up by myself to hike down the Bannock Trail. The 3 1/2 mile trail was breathtaking and probably the most beautiful trail I have ever been on.

The boys were watching Argentina vs. Netherlands. Sadly, Ian had chosen Netherlands. The finals for our family bet is down to myself and Dave.

You can't see it in this photo, but the naturalist told us about watermelon snow. It is snow that has a reddish-pink edible algae growing on it and when you taste it, it tastes like watermelon. I wish we were close enough to try it. 

Checkerboard butterfly

A buttercup flower just on the edge of the snow and ice.

A plant just emerging from the melting winter snow.

Thousands of ladybugs hibernate in the cliffs of the Tetons and emerge every summer to migrate.

I only saw two other people the whole time.

Postcard photo!!!!!

I know it is cheesy, but this trail was so amazing it made me thankful for all that I have and that I got to go on this amazing trip with the three best people in my life.

(It may just be the high altitude and the red wine:)

Tomorrow we leave for our cabin in Emigrant, Montana. 

Alex is already feeling much better! Yeah!