Hip Deep in Wildflowers

Hi All,

Today was our "back-country" day and we chose to hike around Two Ocean Lake. We talked to numerous hikers as we covered the 6.5 mile trail.

The Wildflowers were everywhere and literally hip deep.

Here's some Monks Hood

and a nodding sunflower.

Baneberry is one of the earliest to ripen 

The flower of the giant hyssop is very complex

and the showy fleabane is widespread.

Indian paintbrush is a brilliant red.

Acres of Wildflowers circled the lake.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone

Still More Mammals

Hi All,

It was a pretty quiet, rainy day on patrol. No bears in Jenny Lake campground but this fox put in an appearance.

After supper Sandy spotted two bull moose coming our way. This guy walked behind our coach

then browsed his way through the campground.

Back at the coach our bat began moving down the window. Carl lifted the windshield cover and the bat flew off to eat bugs all night. It will be interesting if he roosts on our windshield again tomorrow.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

All Kinds of Mammals

Hi All,

While patrolling Moose-Wilson Road yesterday morning we spotted this young mule deer.

Later, a camper at Jenny Lake photographed this small black bear in the campground. She did not get any food.

This morning, Carl noticed a dark spot on our windshield. Turns out it's a bat sleeping between the windshield and the mesh windshield screen (definitely outside).

Bats and bears, Oh my!

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Hiking & Hummus

Hi All,

We started the day with a hike around String Lake. It's a pleasant four mile loop with beautiful views and not too much elevation change.

Calm winds provided this beautiful reflection.

In the evening we went to the Jackson Center for the Arts for a showing of "Make Hummas not War". This Australian film provided an entertaining look at the Lebanese, Palestinian and Israeli claims to have invented and still make the best hummas.

One of the funniest scenes was the speculation that when the people in Gaza voted for Hamas, they thought they were voting for hummus.

Here's the graphic about hummus at the last supper!

After the film there was a hummus tasting contest. Eight professional chefs and six home cooks prepared hummus for tasting. 

Here are some of the home cooks. The woman in orange on the left made a sun-dried tomato hummus that was Carl's favorite.

We all voted for our favorite hummus in the home and pro categories. There was also a professional chef as a judge.

Unfortunately, the tasting ran long and we had to leave before the winners were announced. Great fun. Who would have thought that we'd find a hummus tasting contest in Jackson WY!

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone

Back to Work

Hi All,

We spent most of Sunday patrolling the Jenny Lake campground and String Lake picnic area looking for our problem bear and reminding folks to store their food when finished. We are trying to keep this bear from getting any more human food.

When we got to String Lake we spotted this mule deer doe sitting in the shadow of a small spruce.

Late this afternoon we were patrolling the Jenny Lake One Way road when we spotted this guy. Not surprisingly, we were not the only ones who spotted him so we worked a bear jam until he wandered deeper into the woods out of sight.

This bear has no ear tags so it is not our "problem" bear. However, he looks like the bear that was looking into the tent last week.

Back at the campground, our work day over, here come the moose.

This cow and calf wandered through site 176 which was unoccupied.

What a life!

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Another bad bear

Hi All,

We started the day hiking up Leigh Lake and talking to hikers and campers. After less than two miles we heard a report on our park radio that a bear was in the picnic ground near the trailhead where we had started. We headed back but another wildlife brigader got there first and chased the bear out of the picnic area. We then drove down Teton Park Road and encountered a huge elk jam with three bull elk very close to the road. No more hiking today. We put on our safety vests and worked the jam, keeping people from getting too close and trying to keep traffic moving. At one point the largest elk decided he wanted to be on the other side of the road.

We got traffic stopped and he crossed right in front of us.

Soon all three elk walked into the woods. 

We concluded our day patrolling the picnic area reminding people to put their food back in their cars as soon as they finished eating. 

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Overtime Moose

Hi All,

We spent the morning talking to campers and picnickers about proper food storage to keep bears from getting human food. Carl's mantra has become,"when a bear gets human food, it almost always turns out badly for the bear".

In the afternoon the moose came out. First we had a cow and calf near the road.  Then this guy was just below the bridge in Moose, WY.

It was a great chance to see a big bull moose pretty close and over 100 people stopped to see him. 

The only bad news was that we had to stay on duty an extra hour with this guy. Good thing we get time and a half ;-).

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Bad Bear

Hi All,

Bear patrols have been pretty quiet until today. At least two black bears have been cruising the campgrounds and picnic areas looking for food. At about 1 PM we were called to the Jenny Lake campground where a bear was sniffing around bear boxes and tents. He was gone before we got there but some visitors got this photo.

This photo deserves the caption,"This is why we do not keep food in our tent!"

Hope he does not get any food.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Vistas and Ungulates

Hi All,

Summer has arrived in the Tetons. It has been mid 80's during the days with crystal clear skies and low 40's at night.

The bears have been pretty quiet for our last few patrol days.

Saturday we hiked the old road to the abandoned 4 Lazy F dude ranch. It provided great vistas of the Teton range

as well as some interesting old buildings.

On the hike back a mule deer ran across the trail in front of us then stopped to check us out from the safety of the trees.

As we began our patrol this morning we spotted this beautiful bull moose.

Happy Fourth to all.

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502

Photographed and sent from Carl's iPhone

Fauna & Flora

Hi All,

Last Sunday evening we had a light colored black bear in our campground. We chased him away from the campground. Hopefully, he will stay away 

Tuesday we hiked to Hidden Falls, passing this cascade along the way.

The falls are beautiful with much higher flow than last year.

Every week new wildflowers blossom. Here's some columbine.

The south end of Jenny Lake.

Sticky Geranium

Love,

Sandy & Carl 

Living & Traveling in our Motorhome

Volunteering across America

greenbaum2@gmail.com

www.livingourdream2011.blogspot.com

617-435-8502