Colter Bay

On Wednesday we packed up and drove north to Colter Bay. Colter Bay is located at the northern edge of Grand Teton National Park about an hour's drive from Jackson Hole. My parents are working in the Colter Bay area this summer, where mom is working in the office for the campground and dad is working in the RV park office. We had reservations at the Jackson Lake Lodge for Wednesday and Thursday night and were planning to return to the town of Jackson on Friday before flying home on Saturday. Scott and I had not explored this area much in the past so we were excited about experiencing a different aspect of the park for the latter half of the week.

This is the view looking off the back patio of the lodge. The views of the mountains were gorgeous with the lake in front of them. Jackson Lake is the largest lake in the park.
This photo was taken in the lobby of the lodge, and is the closest we ever got to a grizzly (thankfully!). Amelia and John got a kick out of how large the bear was in relation to them.
Wednesday night we enjoyed happy hour in the crisp mountain air at mom and dad's RV site. We played Skipbo on the picnic table while having a drink and tried to keep Amelia and John from touching every button/lever inside the RV. You would think after a dozen visits to the RV that this would no longer be a problem.Since we returned from Wyoming John has asked me when he and Amelia will be allowed to "go camping" with grandma and grandpop. I told him that they might consider it when he can learn to keep his hands to himself in the RV so that he doesn't drive his grandfather nuts touching things.

John is wearing handcuffs from his wild west outlaw kit he selected as a souvenir in Jackson. A good way to keep John's hands from touching RV devices is to lock them up in cuffs!Later that evening mom and dad took us for pizza at Leek's Pizzeria. You can't see the lake and mountains here because of the angle and the trees, but let's just say that we had a gorgeous view while dining on the outdoor deck eating our delicious pizza!Thursday was another day of outdoor adventures. With wonderful weather like this, how can you not help but want to be outside all day?
We began our day at the Colter Bay marina where we embarked on a scenic cruise of Jackson Lake. The cruise was a 1 1/2 hour narrated tour, during which our guide shared many interesting facts about the park and surrounding area. The views from the boat were stunning, of course, and in these photos you can see just how still the lake was. I finally got a "mountains reflecting in the water" shot like the ones my parents have posted from their summer adventures!
After the lake cruise and a lovely picnic lunch outside at the RV, we headed back to the marina. My parents had graciously volunteered to take Amelia and John for the afternoon so that Scott and I could enjoy activities that weren't as kid-oriented. We rented a kayak!That's us in the kayak below with the mountains in the background (great shot - thanks mom!). How much more perfect could the scenery be?This was my view from the front of the kayak. The lake was not as calm as it was earlier in the day, particularly in the channel as motor boats entered and exited the marina on their way out to the main body of Jackson lake.And this is a shot of Scott paddling carefully in the back. Because it was impossible to turn around properly, I held the camera up over my shoulder and snapped randomly. Not a bad shot, if I can say so myself!
And just as we were getting into the groove of paddling the kayak, I completely freaked out (screamed!) when a large brown object flapped in the still water just ahead of our position on the lake. The first thought that went through my mind was "alligator", though I know it is completely ridiculous since there are no alligators in the lake.

Know what it was? It took us a few more "flaps" to figure out that the brown object that had scared me to death was the tail of an otter! We floated quietly near the edge of the lake and discovered a group of otters fishing and resting nearby. In the photo below you can see four otters, three of which are perched on a log submerged in the water.Once I had calmed down we enjoyed watching the otters swim for fish. You can see the curved angle of the fish in the mouth of the otter below towards the left.Later that evening we enjoyed a cookout back at the RV site. Mom and dad's neighbors, Dick and Sherry, joined us for a lovely dinner of grilled hamburgers and fresh corn on the cob. Notice that Scott is wearing fleece while dad and Dick (Wyoming "natives", at least for the summer in my dad's case) are wearing warmer weather clothing. The temperature was probably in the 50s or 60s at dusk, a far cry from our 100+ degree evenings in Texas!The kids enjoyed roasting marshmallows for smores after dinner. Sherry gave them enormous and very fat marshmallows for their treats!

We had extra marshmallows so after making smores, each child was allowed to burn one in the fire. John was especially excited to watch his marshmallow burn in the bright orange flame!