And we drive....

Who wants to go to the Tetons with me???

Bundled in our sleeping bags, beanies covering our ears, we woke to the breeze of the cool air drifting over Jenny Lake (JENAYY!). Nick boiled water for tea and oatmeal while we puttered around the campsite, preparing for another day. Ready to explore, we wandered down a wood-chipped path toward the lakeshore. It was fairly gray, but the sun peeked through the clouds just often enough to keep us smiling. Snow peaked mountains lined the lake edge, rocketing to the top of the sky from the flat Wyoming plains. Looking carefully, we could just spot a couple of backcountry ski tracks traversing down the bare rocky mountain left by some brave but talented soul. Too steep and harsh for most trees, I can’t imagine trying to ski or board down the beautiful peaks. Sitting on a large rock at the edge of Lake Jenny for 30 minutes, we quietly absorbed the beauty of the Tetons, breathing the clean, crisp air and stretching the stiffness of atrophy from our legs and arms.


Family Photo Time


Writing on the edge of Jackson Lake while Nick cooked Quinoa for lunch.


Exploring Our Nosies

We headed for Jackson Lake, skipping stones on the water watching bright blue patches of sky flirt with the clouds trying hard to be noticed and appreciated. After dumping oil in the jeep and grabbing some basic amenities (pork rinds, post cards, and quinoa), Nick cooked lunch, finishing just as the clouds finally covered the sky and rained marble sized drops of water upon our heads. Seeking shelter in the jeep, we passed around our community style cooking pot to each other after two or three bites. Around and around it went as it does during each meal; we only had two spoons and never bothered to grab plastic spoons from the store. Perhaps it seemed silly and inefficient, but I enjoyed our communal meal. We all did. Mealtime was always slow and easygoing. We usually conversed about one thing or another, joked about parts of our day, or made a game plan for the next few hours. It was hard to plan farther ahead than a few hours as it was. Yet traveling that way is far more flexible and fun than sticking to a strict itinerary. Zero obligations and a heightened sense of adventure from having few but not too few plans allowed us to interact with environments and people for as much or as little as we wanted. I can hardly consider traveling any other way—I’m ready for something even slower now such as a nice bike trip or a pilgrimage! We shall see where the world finds me next…


Some cool twisting trees....