It's About the (RV) Journey....: Looking for Moose.......

The famed Jackson Lake Lodge is about 5 miles from our campground and the facilities are open to the public. (They also have a medical clinic, which came in handy when Jess had strep throat the last time we were here a million years ago)! Below is the picture window in the upstairs lobby. What a view! Outside is a viewing deck and tables to sit at. Of course, you can get drinks, coffee, etc. inside and bring it out to enjoy the view. There are also ranger-led programs right there as well. We went to a 9 am ranger-led program on viewing wildlife, thinking we could learn a thing or two. Unfortunately, this is the one ranger we ever came in contact with that did not seem to absolutely love his job! He basically set up a spotting scope and told us to take a look and let him know if we saw anything. Then he sat on a bench and drank his coffee. Hahahha. We were standing on the outskirts of the program, and just slowly worked our way away from the program to explore on our own!

We did enjoy the beautiful mountain view, but did not see any moose! The views are just stunning!

lobby at Jackson Lake Lodge-can you see the view out the window?

form the viewing deck...looking for moose

the view is gorgeous

We checked out Oxbow Bend one more quick time to see if we could spot moose....well, the view was spectacular! (No moose). It was a beautiful day for kayaking too!

great view from Oxbow Bend

kayakers on Oxbow Bend

We drove on a little one-lane gravel road that followed a river and led to an area known to have frequent wildlife sightings, and we explored at several break out points. Again, the views were stunning, and the area so peaceful....but no moose! Another woman was on the hunt for bald eagles, and was as disappointed as we were when she didn't find any.

a little more remote spot for wildlife spotting

no moose...no eagles either

another stop along the river in that same remote area

my new favorite flower

peaceful water habitat

looking.....

heading to Pilgrim Creek Rd near our campground

Next, we drove down 3-mile gravel Pilgrim Creek Road, a part of the national forest, that dead-ended in a beautiful location. The river wound around a forested area with willows, perfect habitat for moose. Other visitors to the park had seen bull moose there, so we wanted to check for ourselves. In the area, there also was a pond with a border of willows. How perfect for moose, right? Well, we did not spot any. Again, we did enjoy the scenery and the peaceful habitat, and we sure have fun looking for wildlife.

Pilgrim Creek

Let me just mention here, for the record, that we aren't the only ones in the Tetons looking for moose!! Hahaha. We've spoken with so many people that were "on the hunt" for moose and didn't see any. Apparently, there is a moose that hangs out under a bridge near the visitor center....the joke is that the rangers pay the moose to pose for the tourists. Well, we haven't seen that one either. Hahaha.

this is one cool spot!

very remote back here!

gravel road...about 3 miiles to get to the river

We came back to the campground after our morning of exploring, and after a quick lunch, decided to hike to Swan Lake and Heron Pond-a 3 mile or so round trip hike through the forest to each of these ponds. The trail head is located next to the marina here in the Colter Bay complex, so we could just walk there from our campsite. Of course, the flowers and the view of the marina were a bonus!

Colter Bay Campground

more favorite flowers near the trailhead

aren't they pretty?

Colter Bay marina

hiking to Swan Lake and Heron Pond

beautiful views

nice hike!

let's not get lost now, huh!

heading to Heron Pond

nice forest trail

The trail was well used, at least in the beginning. There seemed to be a lot of "unofficial" trails that caught us off guard. We only had to backtrack once though! We enjoyed the views on this trail, and of course the wildflowers, but again, we did not see any moose at the ponds. We really thought for sure we would. Both ponds were covered with lilypads, and the vegetation around the ponds were perfect for moose.

Heron Pond

Beautiful

nice trail

forested area

more wildflowers...a little different than a month ago

following the hiking book!!

great views

We thoroughly enjoyed the hike through the forest...it was nice and cool....and we were lucky to beat the thunderstorm by minutes! The view of the mountains, with the waterfalls and streams, was especially breathtaking. We had to tear ourselves away from the view on the;way back down the trail, what with the thunder and all!

heading through the forest

nice and cool in here

love these lodgepole pines and soft grass underneath

Swan Lake

HHmmmm/....this is the wrong trail

lots of lily pads

admiring the waterfalls on the mountain

back at the marina

heading back to our campsite-great hike!

We were lucky to finish the hike without getting soaked. A storm rolled through but cleared up after dinner. So...we decided to take a quick ride for wildlife viewing. I know...we are obsessed! Hahaha. Its our new hobby!! We headed out to Willow Flats, which is 5 minutes drive from the campsite. No moose, but we did watch a beaver busily building a dam. Now I see why the expression "busy as a beaver". This guy never quit!

sunlight streaming in?

just as pretty in bad weather

beaver building a dam

working hard

back view of the dam with the beaver swimming away

observing in the flats

nice mountain views!

Before the night was over, we took one last walk to our swimming hole, just down the path from our campsite. We were admiring the mountain views when we realized....the view of the waterfall/river that we were admiring on the hiking trail was right in front of us!