The day after Father’s Day – JJ and Gregg’s bday!! We headed over to Jenny Lake.
The evening before, J said he wanted to leave at 8:30am. We were all cool with that. He even said 8am which I was fine with but everyone just sort of agreed with 8:30.
I told G we were leaving at 7:45am.
Ha.
I woke G up at 7:24 since he was still sleeping and he showed up in the kitchen at 7:51! He wasn’t UPSET that I told him early but was definitely a little discombobulated. He was pleased that he had time for a big breakfast though.
So we headed out at 8:35am and immediately ran into Jackson traffic. It took us longer than usual to get around and then had a HUGE line to get into the park – we had to pay – and then when we came up, there were already people parking outside so we grabbed the first spot we could see and were prepared to walk in.
We sent the Elder car ahead of us so they could hopefully find something closer with Sharon’s handicap sign.
Luckily we actually saw them at the Visitors Center! We walked over to the boat line and HOLY CRAP, the line was insane. Over an hour wait to get on the boat.
Yikes! We had been discussing all the potential options of the hike. 1.7 mile mike around, 1 mile hike up, or boat right there…. or go past Inspiration point into the Cascade Mountains… so many options!
Anyway, the hour long wait solidified it! The 4 of us said we are walking! JJ and Gregg came with us.
Sharon and Truck were going to wait because they were slower and Sharon had a limit of 3 miles a day with her hip. Anyway, we set off!
Wow, it was so pretty!!
I really like Jenny Lake!
And after a mile, we passed Moose Lake and two people were like – there are two Moose in the Lake! So we could see them on the overlook or we could follow the half mile to the bottom of the lake.
When the universe is telling you something…
Two moose in the lake!! (One far off in the distance, top left… and closer, middle right)
Close up! Plus a video…
So cool!
It was really nice walking around the lake. I almost thought it was better than Avalanche Trail but it was SO CROWDED. Epically crowded. I would not have guessed…
I also got really overheated, sweaty and tired when we were ALMOST at the waterfall. I needed 3 minutes of rest. I needed to refill my water. I needed a snack. Something.
And J was very impatient about wanting to go forward. And I snapped a bit. It really threw me off. Like, I’m overheating, I don’t feel good, please just go ahead and leave me and stop being an asshole. So I had to stew on that for awhile. My kids were nice. Although Sam was like, Wow Mom, your sweat marks on your shirt are epic.
So we walked .2 more (uphill!) and then we hit the lovely waterfall. And shade. And I ate all my food. Om nom nom.
So lovely!
Much better after food! We walked a little bit farther over the super cool river…
And then decided to walk straight uphill for 5m and hit the beautiful point! Gorgeous!
At that point, G wanted to run up ahead to Inspiration Point and the 3 of us were like, nah. (JJ and Gregg bailed to the boat line awhile ago)
Why don’t my pictures turn out like Sammie’s cute ones? Oh well. I amused myself.
G went on and we were like, will he be okay? But there is one line to the boat and we knew it would be about an hour long so we wanted to get in it!
Yep. So long.
So we started chatting with the cute family next to us. We talk about walking back. I mean… we could do it but the boat would be nice. Sam was like, BOAT!
We made bets on when G would meet us. We got in line at 12:55 so I said 1:23, J said 1:18, and Sam said 1:20 and then moved to 1:15 and G got there at 1:13!!
Fast walker.
So we were chatting and the we hear a GASP! BEAR!
And we go HOLY SHIT. Video:
Closest bear encounter EVER! Meagan was ADORABLE and thank goodness for her. I got her number later because she loved my photos and I sent them to her with a venmo tip for saving us, haha. Sam literally was about to start running. At one point in the video you hear her go, “MOM” and you can tell.. that girl is gonna run.
But luckily, he went up the side. Whew!
That had our adrenaline going for a bit! I was okay, because I was behind J and the kids and then another 10+ people… but if the bear decided to go UP the path next to all of us, Meagan was saying “give him the right of way” like WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Ack!
So that was our conversation for the next 30 minutes, haha. We survived a bear, photo!
Tangent, the “clean up” feature on iPhone works REALLY well. Not perfect, but it got rid of this guy! My bag looks super weird though.
The 10 minute boat ride home was perfect. So nice being on the water, seeing the mountains behind us, etc.
This was the trailhead and one of the ferry boats. Highly recommend Jenny Lake but it would probably be better earlier – like anything would be – and less people!
Great shot of the Grand Tetons. So gorgeous!
We went home to the birthday party! The chef I hired – ugh. What a character. Anyway, he was there, cooking up a storm.
I had bought decorations. I had blown up these crazy letters in the morning.
But I had no tape.
I did the brave thing and actually ASKED for help and asked J to call the general market (which was 0.4 miles away) to see if they had tape and could he drive me down?
In my mind, it was much easier to have someone drive me down. I could hop out of the car, run in, grab it, and then be back. Teamwork right? Plus, I was asking instead of just trying to do it all myself and get resentful.
The whole thing was a little blah. When I get “in a mission” mode, I tend to move things along. I see the vision, I just want it to work out, and get it done.
To J’s credit, he didn’t tell me no… but there were examples of why there would not be tape and the store was going to close… he had to put his shoes on. (I was like just wear your crocs, I just need you to drive me down!)
Anyway, we got in the car. The car was big, it’s hard to maneuver. He did say, he didn’t like the stress of having to back the car out (I had to then run and get one of the guys to move the car because J wasn’t backing out or trusting me when I said he had multiple feet left!) The car’s gas pedal was very triggery. I get it.
But he drove me, I run in, and I give the gal behind the counter the most charming smile and ask for tape. She gives me THE MOST blank stare and shrugs and says, she doesn’t think so.
I’m about to ask her to steal some tape from behind her counter – because what business doesn’t have tape!? – when (must have been the manager!) walks up and says, Oh yes, we have tape (gives instructions). I run back. Scotch tape AND packing tape. WTH counter lady? Sheesh.
Anyway, success.
We go back. I’m a little tense. I definitely regret my tenseness when trying to tape up backgrounds, numbers, and Sam and JJ decided to come right next to me and start talking loudly about the bear – and I JUST WANT TO fucking get the decorations up and then I can sit and talk.
So I did say Stop Talking to Sam in a really rude way. Definitely regret that. Need to learn from it. They could have gone somewhere else to talk… Or I could have just not let it bother me.
Sigh.
Thankfully, J helped tie up the numbers in a really unique way. Sam and JJ helped – even though it was JJ’s birthday – and then we had decorations.
Happy freaking birthday! ha
Then we started on drinks.
SUCH the perfect afternoon!
Food was delicious.
We had a lovely time just sitting out in the outside air.
Sam did ask “do I have to wear anything in particular” and did I want her to wear pajamas? No I did not but some fights I just don’t care to fight.
The chef at the end of the night quoted me DOUBLE what he had said it would be.
I didn’t fight it. I feel really annoyed about it when I went to sleep and again the next morning. But again, another learning.
It’s “only” money, and at least I have it right now. And it was a lovely evening.
The next morning I got up to run my frustrations out and I got to see a moose!
He does not look real, does it? But he sat there ALL afternoon! So cute!
Everyone got a chance to see him.
And i got a chance to see the paragliders again, they are so brave coming down the mountain. It was fun watching them land in the grassy area too.
It’s REALLY nice running this trail. I went around some of the neighborhood too. And I’m getting REALLY fast times on my jogs. I did a 10 minute mile! Crazy! Even averaging 13 minutes as I go slower after.
And I’m totally not a runner. But maybe it’s the elevation? Or just how flat it is? I was getting this in Glacier too.
I got my run in and relax and then we left around noon to go on our scenic float!!!
Gregg had been wanting to get a picture in front of this bear all week (the bear was on the root with the raft too) so we got a few different picture opportunities.
We had Delaney, the best float captain. She was incredibly confident and the leader of the bus.
She spotted every single freaking animal. So cool!
Selfie!
We saw 14 bald eagles, a deer, a moose, not a beaver but something else… a muskrat? The beavers were sleeping but we saw all their lodges. We didn’t see a river otter.
The most adorable ducks – baby ducks too! I’m totally forgetting a bunch.
This trip has been crazy with animals, I’m working on a cute reel that has little mentions of all the animals. It’s entertaining me.
Anyway, so fun. Relaxing.
We had to get a picture at the end with Delaney.
We stayed in town for dinner and it was lovely. I was trying to stay up because Truck and I were going on an excursion that evening to see STARS!
I had a coffee earlier after the float and then I had an espresso martini. It was 4 hours before I was going to drive so I felt fairly safe, haha.
I got steak frites and then ended up keeping half my steak for the hike the next day.
Whew! The night was not over but I’m ending this recap.
