July, 2016 Wyoming, day 3

Mile 2309-After we dined on a delectable breakfast of cold pizza from last night’s dinner we marched our happy tails back to the Gros Ventre Campground.  

The Tetons are Grand! And my arm isn't that long!

We are going to camp tonight GOSH DANG IT! I am going to sleep on the ground!  There will be a thin layer of canvas between myself and all of the predators that nature has to offer!
 It reminds me of my favorite 90’s Lifetime made for tv movie, “Mother, May I Sleep With Danger?”featuring young Hollywood starlet Tori Spelling. This mother is going to sleep with danger, Dadgummit!
Fortunately, or unfortunately (depends on your affinity for the outdoors) there was an available camping spot. The girls were responsible for putting up our tent and they got along AND worked together! 

After we got settled, we drove over to Jackson Hole to ride the ski lifts and Gondolas up to the top of the mountains.  
Mile 2317-The Aerial Tran took us up 4,139 vertical feet to the most beautiful mountain views! We saw little Pica jumping around on the rocks and lots of Marmot.  


After having lunch at the top of the mountain we set out for our first hiking trip.

Mile 2325 We took a boat ride across Jenny Lake and hiked 2 miles straight up to Inspiration Point, elevation 7200 feet. I can’t even. It was sublime. Beautiful water falls, huge trees and views that took my breath away.  Of course, it is always a challenge to corral Master Thomas who hikes in the style of a Mountain goat who just found his Spidey Sense. He doesn’t really fancy walking the way normal folks would. He prefers to ricochet from rock to rock and then leap off all herky-jerky.  It required a lot of  “redirection”.
 

Protective mom hand always upon the lit'list Bullington

Yes. That is thousands of feet dropping off on the other side of that unpredictable rocky foot path. 

We made it!

I heard that there was some good Taxidermy in the Jackson, Wyoming Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.

 We couldn’t take the kids in the bar, so we ate downstairs in the steakhouse. I snuck up to peek at what  they had to offer. There were zero chipmunks in canoes. ZERO. But, they had a wolf taking down a big horn sheep.  The bar stools are saddles, so that’s fun when you don’t have three kids waiting on your return from the “bathroom”.

Stop nibbling on my horn, Wolfie. I'm just not that into you.

Mile 2335 We wanted to get back to the campsite before darkness fell and it was gaining on us! But, we kept seeing all of this amazing wildlife on the way home! And, thanks to my daddy, I am a real good wild life spotter. We saw a mama moose with her baby, a daddy moose with a full rack, and Pronghorn.  I‘ve never seen Mr. Bullington gun-it backwards down the shoulder of the road until I shrieked, THERE’S A MOOSE WITH A RACK!!

Mommy moose with baby (you'll have to trust me, you can't see the baby)

Big Daddy Moose

We scurried to get organized once back at the campsite, we played cards by head-lamp and sat around the fire.  The temperatures were dropping, but we bundled up like only Southern people can do.  We were basically wearing snowsuits, while all of the tan, young camping folks milled about the campground in their sandals and hemp necklaces. As I write this Thomas is snoozing by the campfire in daddy’s lap and the girls are giggling in the tent. As you might have predicted, all of that giggling from the tent resulted in mommy's undergarments strapped to a soccer ball and hung from the "roof?"  Maybe camping isn’t so bad…..I’ll let you know tomorrow!