Leaving Jackson Hole after we whisked through (it is was very early and nothing was open, not even the visitors center), we headed north to Grand Teton National Park.  Before you arrive at the toll booth, a side trip to Craig Thomas Discovery Center puts the natural wonders of the area in perspective.  The land seems open and vast, a series of mountains with wildlife tucked away.  Friendly Park’s Rangers are happy to explain what there is to do and see, but the exhibits themselves are worth a few minutes to understand the forces and creatures (human and otherwise) that have created this area. The architecture of the Discovery Center is gorgeous and on a grand scale, befitting the land of which it represents.

Once on the road again, we paid our toll ($25 for a week pass that also gave us access to Yellowstone National Park) and saw deer just a few miles up the road.  It is telling that the sign said, “Elk, moose and buffalo crossing next 20 miles.”

A short side trip to Jenny Lake

We decided to take a little respite from driving and visit Jenny Lake.  The views were breathtaking and the area had very few people.  This was in late May, but the area was still chilly and we wore warm clothing.  (A pleasant change from the temperatures in our home state of Arizona where temperatures were soaring to the 100-degree mark.)

We walked along the lake, watched the boat (rides are available, but there is a fee and we didn’t want to spend the time or money) leave a wake in the water and enjoyed the stillness.  There were few people about, so we could really appreciate the scenery.

We’ll let our photos tell the story of our visit to Jenny Lake.

A camping store and a few amenities are available at Jenny Lake, but they are near the parking lot, not on the lake’s shore.  Fortunately.

When at the store area, you become aware of the fact that bears can be frequent visitors. The garbage cans have a special opening that would prevent bears from getting to the refuse.

Lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge

We grabbed lunch at the semi-rustic Jackson Lake Lodge in the restaurant.  The tab for two came to around $20 for our hamburger meal.  Most memorable was the very friendly wait person who took our order.  It seems that people are really eager to work at these locations as a “working vacation.”  The views are spectacular from the Lodge, but the prices to stay are spectacular, too. We saw rates of up to $300 a day for the rooms, which are fairly modest park lodging. (No television, no radio, no A/C – not that it would be that necessary, no wireless access in the room, but it is in the lodge.)

Jackson Lake Lodge Lobby

View from Jackson Lake Lodge

Leaving Grand Tetons

Eager to get to Yellowstone, we headed north.  There is some road construction, which can make the road only one lane so that cars take turns in each direction.  This can slow things down. We were lucky and didn’t have to wait for the ½ hour delay that the posted sign warned about.

We still saw a lot of snow clinging to mountainsides.

We have been so eager to share the most dramatic visits first, so now we’ll head back to civilization and visit Idaho for a few weeks.  Urban, but great!

Come back next time and we’ll visit Boise, Idaho.

Take, for instance -

McKenzie Pass Scenic Byway – and Truck StopIf you decide, during the two to three months a year it is open, to take Oregon Route 242 from Eugene to Bend, be prepared! It is white knuckle the whole way.

Restricted to vehicles shorter than 35 feet in length, even for a regular-sized car, the road is a major challenge.

You know those signs with the lower speed limits posted with squiggles showing how the road will wind around? Well, Route 242 must have more of those signs than almost any road I’ve ever been on.

Curves on Oregon Rt. 242

However, a novice truck driver decided that he’d like to use Rt. 242 coming from Sisters, Oregon on the east. Too late, he discovered that his full-length semi would never make it on the road, so he tried to turn around. Only his truck wound up jack-knifed in the road, blocking all traffic in both directions.

"Truck Stop" on Rt 242

When we happened on the blockage coming from the west, we settled in for a long wait and did wait – nearly an hour. And we wondered why there was a sudden rush of traffic a few miles back coming from the east. Obviously, the drivers had turned around to take the long way around to get to their destinations.

And, before we hit the “truck stop,” we had a drive through some of the eeriest landscape you’ll ever see. Volcanic rubble stretching for miles serves as a foreground for mountains, some which have snow on their mountaintops all year long.

Take a break and stop at…

Dee Wright Observatory

With dead pine dotting the landscape, take a few minutes to walk the short trail to the Dee Wright Observatory. From the vantage point it provides, the Observatory gives a 360-degree view of the whole panorama with two of the Three Sisters, Mount Jefferson, Mount Hood and other mountains.

Dee Wright Observatory - formed from volcanic rock

It can be windy and cold taking the path, but the view gives you a totally unusual view of a very strange and unusual landscape.

Mountain view from Dee Wright Observatory

There are some rustic rest stops in the small parking lot, but no services. Before you take Rt. 242, make sure your tank is full and you have water and supplies.

And, once you’ve visited Bend and decide to head over to points west in Oregon, you might want to take the…

Over the River and Through the Woods Scenic Byway

Yes, there really is a road called the above. Signs for miles proclaim that. Indeed, once you have taken this road, you may need to take motion sickness medicine. The road has numerous curves that wind back and forth dizzyingly. There are almost no shoulders for most of the route. Fortunately, some of the route has been repaved, so it is smooth.

Unlike Rt. 242 that is not paved during winter months and is closed, “Over the River and Through the Woods” – Route 20 – is used year-round. And it is tough because people are coming at you on the two-lane road very quickly around numerous blind curves.

Watch out for falling rocks – we saw some on the edge of the road. Signs warn you of them, and, yes, there are sheer faces where rocks could choose the moment you drive through to cascade down the slope.

Why drive on these roads? Well, there aren’t that many ways over the mountains.

Make sure you are ready for these challenges. I was not even the driver and I was exhausted after the drives!!

Tomorrow…Come back to learn about our Friday Favorite in Eugene.