As you know by now, if you have read our last post as to the sale of the motorhome and the purchase of our new home in Star Valley Ranch, Wyoming... we are homeless at the moment. You see, we had to turn in the motorhome to LaMesa right away on March 16, 2021, and the closing on the new house is not until April 19th, 2021. So we had to move into a log cabin motel in Etna WY for a little over a month. In the meantime we have taken the opportunity to start shopping for some new furniture (some new and some used from Misty's List--Facebook), as welll as doing some sightseeing and enjoying the winter weather and activities.
On April 2nd we had gone to Idaho Falls ID to look for mattresses and furniture ideas. The 2 custom designed log beds (valued @$7,000 each stay with the house,but we weren't sure if the mattresses stayed too, so we went to look for mattresses in case they didn't, or were not comfortable to us or were just too used... later we found out that they are leaving the mattresses too, so we'll wait to check them out first. We didn't have the camera with us and there weren't any wild critters around.
On April 8th, the weather turned nice so we decided to go to Jackson (Hole) partly to go shopping at Albertson's (Safeway) and partly as a sightseeing tour to see what Jackson and the Tetons looked like with snow in winter. The temperature was about 45 degrees (F) and the wind was not too bad at around 12mph gusting to 18mph. The sky was clear and sunny, so all in all, a nice day for early Spring. However, AGAIN we forgot to take the camera and only had our cell phone cameras, We did see the elk at the feedlot in Alpine, and some moose in Jackson (by the airport) but couldn't really get any good shots as the critters are usually about 1000ft to a mile away. To see them closer, one has to take to the trails (on foot) but pets are not allowed on the Park trails and we weren't going to leave Roxy behind.
Then on April 10, 2021. Mary was looking through Misty's List (a group in Facebook... sort of like a local Craigslist) for possible furniture items that we could use to furnish the house and came across a Total Gym XLS, which retails for @$1,000, listed for sale for just $250 and in excellent condition. It was the seller's father's but he rarely used it and then passed, and she just couldn't get motivated to use it either. So we figured it would be good for us to get into and stay in shape for hiking; plus, as we are going to be here in winter, it would be worthwhile to have it for something to do on those -20 degree days where going out would be just brief walks to take Ms. Roxy to take care of her business.
It was located in Driggs ID, which is about 70 miles away from our motel in Etna WY, but we figured we would go up the other way (west side) onHwy 26 and 33, get it and then detour our return to see if we could find more Elk and more Moose, as the previous trip we only had the phone cameras, which were no good at long distances and therefore the images of elk and moose, which are typically about 1/2 - 1 mile away, were not that good. By the way, all this exploring is great, as we are preparing numerous routes to take our friends who visit on, to show them our paradise. Below is the route we took and shows where the critter sightings were.
One of the first thrills we got was seeing a huge herd of Elk in a large field which looked a lot like a winter Game & Fish elk feedlot, as there was a hay barn nearby, which the elk stayed close to.
By now most of the Bull Elk have lost their antlers (they shed them every year and grow a new set through th summer and into fall), but there are still a few stragglers which can be seen with their head gear still on.
Interestingly, we had just read an article on WyoFile.com about John Fandek, Wyoming's longest-serving Elk Feeder on one of Wyoming's Game & Fish's 22 winter elk feedgrounds. His is the Black Butte feedground, a 525-acre refuge at 7,700 foot elevation, which is north of Cora and Pinedale, directly East of our Star Valley Ranch, on the other side of the mountain range to our East. Yes that's a profession that's not for just anybody. On a good day John works from about 9am till 2-3pm, but that's because he knows the routine and has it down to a science. The less experienced may take the whole day to do the same work, as so much more is involved. One has to shovel the snow to unblock the gates and the alleys; and they have to load their own wagons with the small bales of hay, which weigh about 80 lbs each. He usually gets up at around 6am and his methodology is that if it's still below 0 degrees (F), he waits for the sun to at least come up; otherwise he starts early. He drives a couple of miles to where he keeps a snowmobile; then he rides over 3-4 miles of rolling snow-cvered prairie to a fenced and covered hay stack yard and horse corrals; then gathers two draft horses called Lill and Pepper; hitches them to their trough and gives them their morning hay. John gets up every morning during the time span of his duties, which is about 145 days in total. In 2005 John managed an average of 259 tons of hay to feed 410 elk for the winter. Today, Black Butte stores about 625 tons of hay and he feeds about 950 elk. An full-grown elk eats about 10 lbs a day, but being sensitive to colder days, the colder the day is, the more they eat. It's very interesting what all goes into these winter elk feedlots, and we thank the men like John Fandek who do that, because these Elk are magnificent animals, which without these feedlots would not prosper and would die in extreme cold.
John Fandek
The next amazing sight was the view of the Palisades Reservoir, now snow-white, due to being iced over from one side to the other, it's entire length. We're not sure that the ice is strong enough to carry anyone's weight (as in other lakes) and because we have not seen anyone on the ice. However, it may be that it is also due to the lateness of the season, as already the ice is returning to liquid form along the edges and in softer areas where the currents are stronger, below the ice.
This is not at night. It was taken at the same time as the rest above. It's an adjustment of the features on the camera which Bill was playing with and getting to experiment; but if we hadn't told you, it looks like a night shot doesn't it?
Further up the road a distant view of the lower Tetons start to become visible.
Center background, is Grand Teton (the tallest at 13,775/6ft) with different zooms.
Driving to the lady's house om the Idaho side, we saw the Grand Tetons (collectively), and tested Bill's camera (a Nikon Coolpix P900) with 83-power zoom lens. The summit (below) was 16 miles (as the bird flies) from Hwy 33 in Driggs where the below photos were taken with that camera. No doubt a suitable camera for capturing wildlife shots without having to get too close to them, eh?
If the shark-fin of Grand Teton is leaning LEFT (North), then the viewer is on the Idaho side (West). IF it is leaning RIGHT (North) then the viewer in in Wyoming.
Houses in this area (Wyoming, Idaho and Utah), such as the one below, are typically large (2,500 - 6,000 sf LA) in the countryside, as well as some in the cities. Also they typically use country facades in their design, like this one that used a grain elevator as its entryway, between the garage and main house. This one you can't see, but their view (behind us) is of the Holy Trinity (commonly known as the Cathedral Group, which are Grand Teton at 13,775ft, Mt. Owen at 12,928ft, Teewinot at 12,325ft, Middle Teton at 12,804ft, and South Teton at 12,514ft elevations at their summits).
Going through Teton Pass (8,432' in elevation at the summit) this felt like being on a roller-coaster ride, where the tracks just disappear and your stomach goes up into your throat, even from the truck some inclines are actually scary, as you can see in this photo, where the road just falls off into a sudden and quick descent of 10% or more, needing a lot of runaway truck ramps. Thank goodness we have good breaks and a Hill Assist feature on the truck.
And then...
you see...
the beautiful valley below.
After they ski down (or run out of snow) they have to walk back up on narrow ledges, for another rush.
The views
and rides
can be enjoyed on skis and by car
(OK... so our windshield needs washing)
Isn't this spectacular?
And now it's only at about 50-70 miles from HOME, for us.
Wilson is a small town at 6,148 ft elevation with a pop of 1,463 (2010) Census, now at 1,482. between the Teton Pass and Jackson. The famous Moose - Wilson Road is between the towns of Moose and this town, also between Jackson and Teton Village. A lot of Moose is often seen in this area, so be careful when driving on it because there are a lot of trees, narrow roadways and perhaps a moose at the next turn.
These are not wild... just horses, but we loves horses.
Coming into Jackson...
Above, the (Elk) Antler Arches at each corner of the Central Park in Jackson. As you can see most of the snow has melted by now (mid-April) in Jackson. However, during the winter the central pond is converted to an ice skating rink. The enchanting lights through the antler arches and old-world charm of the skating rink provides a quinessential retreat to yesteryear, for all who go to the Town Square. Ice skates are available to rent $10 visitors or $5 with a Local ID, or one can skate for FREE with your own skates. It's open 4pm - 9pm Wed - Fri and 12noon - 9pm on Sat - Sun. That's something we'll be looking forward to this coming winter (not skating, but being there to watch it).
And beyond Jackson, headed toward Kelly (and Mormon Row) one passes by the National Elk Refuge, where several herds of Elk hang out. Below, a heard about 1/2 mile away.
Just past Kelly, seeing the Tetons from the Wyoming side (remember we told you about which way the shark-fin on Grand Teton leans... yep this time to the right... but still North). So Bill tested his camera once again, showing the distance to the peak from where the truck was...
Closer...
Closer...
To the top (16-18 miles away).
Leaving Kelly, at Mormon Row, Mary (again) spotted 3 Moose running through an open field. It looked like a Papa, Mama and last year's Baby. They would have stopped, but 3-4 other cars had spotted them too and kept wanting to get closer to get better photos, so they would keep moving to stay at a good distance from the cars. Contrary to Elk, Moose are a more solitary lot, usually seen by themselves (or with just their immediate 'family').
Here, they're about 1/4 mile away, while crossing the road.
Here is a good example of how to tell the males from the females...
They BOTH have the 'beard', actually called a 'bell', which is actually a dewlap (excesss skin), but the bull's is always larger. During the rut a bull will rub the cow with his chin (also called 'chinning') and the dewlap transfer's the bull's scent to the female. In human terms, we guess this is the equivalent of NECKING, eh? The only other way to tell for sure which is which, is to get up close enough to check out their sexual organs. However, this is highly discouraged (except with a camera), as the usually don't give any warning that they are going to attack and they can move at a brisk 35mph and have powerful heads and hooves. The bulls get especially testy before and after the rut, and the cows when they have their young nearby.
Here the male is ahead (notice his 'bell'), followed by last year's calf (the smallest) and then Mama (cow) taking up the rear. A new born a calf can stand up immediately on its own and can weigh about 35 lbs. at birth, and they grow very quickly.
Finally...
about a mile away the bull stopped running, apparently satisfied that they were safe.
This is one of the hardest photoos to take, as usually the moose will have its head down (feeding), when standing up. Below, is their typical pose whether facing forward, sideways or with the infamous 'ass-shot'.
Sorry for all the Moose photos, but we just find these such formidable crittersand not all that easy to locate. Moose, are the largest members of the deer family (ungulates, or hoofed mammals) identified by their long, rounded snouts, huge flattened antlers (males), humped backs, thin but powerful legs and massive bodies. They live in Canada and the northern United States, as well as in Europe. In Europe they are called Eurasian Elk. In North America (Canada and US) they are called Moose. Their height (hoof to shoulder) range between 5 to 6.5ft. Males are bigger and heavier than females, weighing in at 794 to 1323 lbs, while females weigh in at 595 to 882lbs., according to the National Museum of Natural History. They have short tails, a hump on their shoulders (like the grizzly bear) and large ears that can rotate to give them stereophonic hearing. Their fur is generally dark brown or black and provides excellent insulation from the cold. The Bull moose has massive antlers that can grow to 6' feet wide from tip to tip. These are used only for fighting other bulls for a mate and are shed yearly, after the mating season, which runs September to October. They live only in areas that have seasonal snow cover and cannot tolerate temperatures over 80 deg. (F) for long periods, because they don't have the ability to sweat to keep cool, and their digestion creates a large anmount of heat. In the summer they usually go to higher elevations, where the temperature is cooler. The gestating cows should be just about ready to drop their calves, as we have already seen that the bovine cows have their tiny babies already. However, the gestation period of Moose is 243 days, so if their mating season is September to October, they may drop them in May-June.
Returning to Jackson, a view of a downhill slope at Snow King Mountain.
Hereford cows with their young calves, on Hwy 89 near Jackson.
