Back to Winter - almost

I made it to the Tetons.  In New Mexico, when I left in late March I was doing my hikes in shorts and a T-shirt, and sometimes just shorts.  From there, I went to southern California, then up the eastern side of the Sierras, in warm, sunny weather all the way.

When I got home to Oregon, the weather gave me my second taste of snow with a brief flurry that sugar-coated the trees.  The Cascades were sleeping under a white blanket but elsewhere, it looked like late spring.

Here in Wyoming, I am struggling to find manageable hikes.  I tried two yesterday, turning around within 900 feet on each because of snow cover.  No matter - the views are my main reason to be here.

From the main road overlooking the Snake River, the Tetons rise from a flat plain.  The abrupt change from prairie to peaks is the foundation for the scenery.

Located just south of Yellowstone, the Tetons share most of the wildlife found in the larger park to the north.  So far, I am seeing bison every day.

How does a bison scratch its nose?  Well, you find a log, then go for it.

Three days ago, the late afternoon skies became threatening.  At one point, the dark clouds provided a stunning backdrop for the sage and trees painted silver-white by the sun peeking through a break in the cloud cover.

The next morning, I arose at sunrise long enough for a quick shot from my campsite of the morning sun painting the peaks.

Colter Bay at the north end of the park is set on Jackson Lake.  It is still frozen, but a narrow stretch of water between the shore and the ice, on a still afternoon, made a delightful mirror.

 

Now, as soon as enough snow melts from the trails, I will get more hiking in...