The park has a Multi-Use-Path that runs from South Jenny Lake to Moose, WY. Since it parallels the Teton Pass Road through the plains, it seems to only be used by bicyclists. On our trip for supplies, we saw construction from Moose to Jackson. According to the ranger at Jenny Lake visitor center, by next year the MUP will extend all the way from Jackson Hole to Jenny Lake.
Anyway, we rode what there is of it now. After sitting by the lake with our morning coffee and a leisurely breakfast, we left for South Jenny Lake. Word is the area is so popular that the parking lots fill by 10 AM. Luckily, it seems so late in the season that we had no problems at all, finding the back lot almost empty and a spot in the RV area that kept our refrigerator side out of the sun. Keeping our frig cold has been an ongoing struggle and keeping it out of the sun seems to be the key. After looking around at the store and visitor center, we unloaded the bikes and headed off towards Moose, eight miles away. It was a pleasant ride along the plains, not too hot and not too windy. The general tendency was downhill, but not noticeably until we got near the Snake River crossing, where the path dropped into the flood plain.
We stopped at the Menor Ferry Historic District, where the original buildings have been preserved. It includes a log chapel from the 1920s, an operating general store with period-style goods (unfortunately, the fresh wood-stove baked ginger snaps weren't ready yet), the ferry and two dwellings, log cabins each. The ferry is a reproduction of the original ferry. It operates on an elevated cable across the river, using the current to drive the boat back and forth by angling the bows against the current. The ferry wasn't working. The river was so high this year that they were delayed in launching it and, once they did, one of the open pontoons got flooded. The river is running so fast that they haven't been able to pump it out. So it sits against one shore, half-sunk.
It was then onward to the end of the MUP, the Moose business district (a small area of stores and restaurants, mostly owned by the same family). With three eating establishments to choose from, we went for the deli and bought two sandwiches, which, when they arrived, were enormous. After lunch, I picked up a latte at the espresso cart outside the deli and we visited the stores, a gift shop (of course), a hiking and climbing equipment store, Moosely Mountaineering, a fly fishing store (which also arranged fishing trips) and a bike store, which also rented bikes. One of our guide books mentioned Moosely Seconds, which was supposed to be a vendor of second-hand hiking and climbing gear, but must have been out of date. While Moosely Mountaineering rented gear, they didn't seem to have a second-hand emporium.
After another stop at the new visitor center, the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center, to finish looking at the exhibits, we headed back towards Jenny lake—uphill this time. Way off to our right, in the eastern mountains beyond the plains, we could see huge plumes of smoke from a forest fire. We found out later that there were 4,600 lightning strikes a few nights ago (must have been when we had the hailstorm in Yellowstone) and there were several fires caused by them. This was the Nowlin Fire (they are all named) and it covered (when we saw it) about 400 acres.
After a photo stop or two and a peek into the American Alpine Club's Climbers Ranch (cheap lodgings, if you can get a reservation and, presumably, are a member), we returned to Jenny Lake, picked up trail maps for some later hikes and headed off to the showers. The showers, unfortunately, are about 25 miles away at Colter Bay Village, which seems to be the center of the park, with a lodge, an RV park, a campground and a tent village, along with stores, laundry and showers. We were looking for the showers. Much like Canyon Village in Yellowstone, they were a little pricy at $3.75, but with unlimited water.
Thoroughly clean, we stopped at the visitor center and Indian Arts Museum before going back to our campground. The museum is closing at the end of this season and the collection will be put in storage until a new museum is built. The collection is quite extensive with many decorative artifacts from the 19th century, mostly. But the museum itself is tired. It looks like a 50s or 60s era design and many of the exhibits are poorly lit and strangely presented. The collection is terrific and will definitely shine in a more modern environment, if the new visitor center at Moose is any guide.
After returning to Signal Mountain, we went off to the Trapper Grill for dinner, finding a table on their deck overlooking the lake. With our big lunch, we decided to split a half-order of the "Mountain of Nachos", recommended by Backpacker Magazine. The half-order was still huge, but we found enough room for a great piece of blackberry pie with ice cream for dessert—finally a good piece of pie. They have a great menu at the Trapper Grill and seeing what came out to other tables, we'll likely return.
Tonight's ranger talk was on the wolves of the Teton Valley. It attracted more families than geology. There are four or five wolf packs which inhabit the park and the national forests beyond it and they seem to keep them well documented. It wasn't quite as well presented as last night, but a good talk with lots of wolf pictures.
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