Aug 1st - Grand Tetons to Jackson, WY

​The dogs tried to wake up Hank at 4 a.m., but he held out, snug under the covers until the 5 AM alarm sounded. By 5:30 we were in the car on our way back to Jenny Lake to catch the sunrise.

We were not disappointed. The proximity to the mountains reduced the effect of the smoky haze from the California wildfires. The morning sun was like a soft spotlight on the peaks. Please enjoy some of Angie's amazing photos below. We saw five elk - three cows and a couple of calves - crossing the road in front of us on our way to the lake.

Hank had to pay $5 for a shower, but the space and ample hot water were luxurious. We enjoyed a leisurely morning before taking a short drive to our next campsite. The smoke was a bit worse on this day, making it a bit easier for us to tear ourselves away from Coulter Village. 

Our home for the next two nights was a campground in a forest oasis on the bank of the Gros Ventre River surrounded by a sea of sagebrush. We were pleased to see we could continue to enjoy views of the Tetons, though they are a bit more distant. However, our campground lacked hook-ups or any of the other remarkable amenities of Coulter Village.

Our dogs have enjoyed as many as three workouts a day at some stops along our journey. But due to restrictions on pets in Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, that was reduced to one (two if you count long walks). So, as you can imagine, they were restless to burn off some energy. Angie found a lake in a national forest a few miles up a gravel road from our campsite. National Forest rules are much less restrictive regarding dogs. The dogs had a blast swimming in the cool water on this 87-degree day. Charlie, who seems more otter than dog, swam her butt off. We saw a couple of large elk bucks along the road on the way home.

We found a dog friendly restaurant at the bottom of the slopes at Snow King in the town of Jackson, Wyoming. We had a delicious dinner of roasted brussels sprouts and steak salad. We enjoyed walking through town, just narrowly missing a gun fight re-enactment near the town square. We were surprised to see that most of the parks in town don't allow dogs. What a stark contrast to Buffalo, WY, and Deadwood, SD, where you could take dogs into the restaurant with you.