Into the Tundra

The animals who have lived in the Grand Teton Mountains since the dawn of time invited us into their home on this snowy morning. Well—sort of. The big horn sheep, who long ago learned that humans are no threat, allowed us to walk up close as the snow covered their woolly backs. A family of sharp-tailed grouse even posed for me. But the bison, moose and elk kept their distance. Still, we were able to capture some images worth keeping. Photos of the trumpeter swans and bald eagles were harder to get, but, nevertheless, we have the memories of their beauty. Dave, our guide, knew more facts about more subjects than most professors I have known. Moving to Wyoming from Alaska 28 years ago he has seen many changes here. He directed us to “The Local,” a restaurant that uses locally produced meat and produce as much as possible. Yet he was quick to tell us that Wyoming does very little farming. This state has a much harsher winter than even neighboring Idaho. Though it is one of the largest states, geographically speaking, Wyoming has the smallest population of any state. Even little Vermont has more people. Dave advised us to stop by the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill. Embedded in the top of the bar are over a thousand silver dollars. Many years ago the saloon burned down. Firefighters immediately chopped out the bar with axes and took it to storage and then started fighting the blaze. Now the old bar with its silver dollars intact is still in service. We had a wonderful bison burger at “The Local” made from the largest land mammal in North America. An adult bison weighs over a ton and stands about 15 feet long. A quick trip to the mall during which Glenda replaced her boots with warmer ones ended our afternoon. Now we have retreated to our warm cabin and are watching the end of this morning’s snowstorm.Read more