Jackson Hole, WY

Having once lived in Jackson Hole,WY in the mid-1980's, I really wanted to visit the area again and explore some of the beautiful sites. Darla and the girls weren't quite sure what to expect, but really loved the area after we arrived. Jackson Hole offers so much, we could have easily spent our entire summer there.

We stayed at the Jackson Hole Campground near the Teton Village. The campground was undergoing some cosmetic upgrades during our visit, but it was only a minor inconvenience, mainly because the hot-tub was getting a make over. As far as convenience and location, it seemed to be the best option. We really enjoyed the bike paths that covered a large portion of the greater Jackson area. There must be close to a hundred miles of paved trails available. In addition to bike paths, there are plenty of trails for hiking. One of our favorite hikes was Jenny Lake. This 7 mile hike is very nice and offers several side trails that offer spectacular views and beautiful waterfalls.

One of the highlights of the hike was "chasing" down a male (bull) moose. We were nearly trampled by a female moose (cow), at the beginning of the hike. Both were beautiful, but the "bull" was a must see. We were given information about him by a fellow hiker resting on the main trail. In order to see him, we would have to start a steep climb up the mountain range of the Tetons. I wasn't so sure we were going to be able to see this elusive beast without exhausting ourselves first. We had already spent most of the day hiking the perimeter of Jenny Lake and still had a ways to go. Darla was really excited about the moose and pressed on despite her recent knee surgery. The effort was well worth it.

He was a beauty Jackson Hole, WY 2012

He's back behind the girls eating....

We really liked all there is to do in the area, the climate is mild with cool evenings and a rodeo every Wednesday and Saturday. The girls and I went to the Wednesday evening event and it got chilly after the sun set.

One cool place we spent several hours just "hanging-out" was at a local indoor rock climbing studio. Is that the right word? Is it called a studio or a gym, not sure. Anyway, it was lots of fun. When we checked in, the young gentleman that helped us get settled evidently thought the girls would lose interest and only stay a short while. Over three hours later when we checked out, he made the comment that he thought we had really gotten our monies worth:)

So yeah, Jackson Hole, WY was a great experience for us. No doubt, it is one of our most favorite regions of the USA. I'm sure we will visit again, the sooner the better.....

 

How We Finished Cont.......

So, our last post did not quite highlight our reamining time on the road. So instead of writing a long post, we will just post photos and make comments about the pictures and where they were taken.

The photos below were taken during our time in Sequim, WA. This was a great little town. Our highlights were of course the concert we mentioned in the last post and our 11 mile hike along the beach to visit the New Dungeness Lighthouse

Believe it or not, we were able to take our motorhome on a ferry from Port Townsend, WA, a short drive from Sequim, WA where we were staying, to Coupville, WA near Whidbey Island, WA. The cost was about $80.00 for two (2) vehicles. Much cheaper than driving south then north. The photos below are actually from our trip to Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, WA. The girls loved the ride and enjoyed hot cocoa and we enjoyed a nice hot cup of coffee. Very relaxing and a beautiful day.

Did you know, we almost went to war with Great Britain over a PIG !!!

After our fun time in the Anacortes, WA area, we headed further north past Seattle,WA to a little town called Monroe. Our main reason was to stay outside the busy Seattle area, but close enough to see the sites. It worked our nicely.

Here is a band we observed playing at the Pike Market Place

Beyond the Pike Market Place, we really just drove around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and sampled some foods. Mostly we enjoyed the nice swimming pool and hot tub back at the campground.

Our next stop, was Coeur d' Alene, ID, the city by the lake, established in 1887. On the way, we were able to stop by and visit with the Holford's. We met them a few months earlier during our stay in Las Vegas, NV. They were a blessing to us while Darla had her knee surgery. We spent a nice few hours visiting over a wonderful bar b que dinner. 

The next day, we arrived at one of the two state parks we spent the next few days visiting. Both were very nice and had beautiful lake views. But our most memorable event of the two was our new found friend.

What a gift that our girls got to befriend this wild bird and hand feed it. Totally an awesome time.

How we finished..........

Warning, lots of photos :)

Click here to hear the concert we were invited to by Baka Beyond.

I know it has been a loooong time since the last post. From the time we last posted until now has been a whirlwind. Our last blog had us leaving the northern area of Oregon and entering into the state of Washington.

The weather turned a bit soggy, but we kept going, enjoying the outdoors and swimming whenever there was an opportunity. Our first stop when we crossed the Washington border was a little state park called Cape Disappointment. Actually it was a very big state park with very nice paved sites. The weather was overcast, windy and rainy. A perfect day to get out and visit a lighthouse. Along our travels, we had the fortune of visiting several light houses, our favorite was the Newdungeness Lighthouse near Sequim,WA. More on that in a moment. Cape Disappointment was named by an English fur trader by the name of John Meares in 1788. He was "disappointed" when he could not find the river described by Spanish explorer Bruno Heceta in 1775.

The area known as Cape Disappointment is located on the southwestern most location of Washington and juts out into the Pacific Ocean. One interesting note, this is the location that Lewis and Clark ended their long journey to the sea.

The water flowing out from the Columbia River is twice the volume as the Mississippi. The force of the water creates a buid-up of silt that forms at the mouth of the river forming what is known as the Columbia bar. It was considered very dangerous to enter the Columbia River due to the sand bar and rough water.

Our next stop was Forks, WA. Those of you who are familiar with the movie  Twilight will recognize this area. The town of Forks is nothing to write home about. We enjoyed it for other reasons, such as the rain forest, La Push and a nearby hot spring called Sol Duc Hot Springs.

We had a great time. The weather cleared out leaving us beautiful days and we met a very interesting group from the UK that invited us to a wonderful concert.

Cape Disappointment 2012

Rough waters Cape Disappointment 2012

Yes, we still had a blast! Cape Disappointment 2012

Access to the beach near Cape Disappointment 2012

Lots of ships wrecked along this stretch of beach

Playing on the drift wood Cape Disappointment 2012

Lighthouse in background Cape Disappointment 2012

The Olympic National Park is a massive park and we just did not have enough time to see all of it this time around. However, we did get a chance to visit the beautiful Hoh Rain Forest and meet a great group of musicians from the UK. We are often asked, what is/was our favorite park or place that we have visited. Usually there is a long silence and we just look at each other not sure what to say. They are all beautiful in their own way and have left a mark on our hearts. Not to mention the people we have met along the way.

The rain forest was no exception. It was just breathtakingly beautiful. The girls had a blast running through the forest and finding little places to hide.

Hoh Rain Forest 2012

Olympic Nat'l Park 2012

Enjoying the Olympic Nat'l Park Hoh rain forest 2012

Hoh Rain Forest 2012

Someone thought we were on the trail of "Moses"!!!!

Taking a time out

Yes, it is that beautiful.

Best friends, Hoh Rain Forest 2012

Exploring Hoh Rain Forest 2012

One unexpected surprise was our good fortune to meet a musician group from the UK. We spent the day at Sol Duc Springs and met this group while soaking in the springs. Darla struck up a conversation with Su Hart the lead singer of the band Baka Beyond. She was very gracious and invited us to attend their concert as their guests. They have a passion for the rain forest and spend a great deal of time in Cameroon helping the Baka people. Su Hart and her husband Martin have spent over twenty years (since 1992) of their lives assisting the people of Cameroon. Their music is a mixture of Celtic and that of the Baka people, creating a style that is rich and soothing, and sometimes crazy :)

We of course accepted their invitation and what a treat it was. Incidentally, we also ran into them along the trail to Sol Duc Falls. Now I have to say, with Su and her husband Martin along with the band playing music as we walked along the trail, I felt like we were in the midst of an African rain forest. Simply beautiful............

What can I say, we did not snap a picture with them, nor did we get a concert photo, here is a link to their site and a sample of their music. Baka - Beyond

This post is getting long, I told you we were busy, I'll call it quits for now and resume another post tomorrow, here are a few photos of La Push, WA.

Please check out Baka - Beyond and purchase a CD, proceeds are sent to the Baka people of the rain forest. If you can ever see Su Hart and the band Baka Beyond, I highly recommend it.