2012/07 Western USA trip - Colter Bay |
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We took off up the Wind River canyon, with spires and mountains all around and an occasional glimpse of the distant Tetons. Eventually we 
came into the park from the southeast at Moran Junction and headed straight for Colter Bay, the largest campground. We were early enough to get a site for a couple of nights.
We took a walk down to the beach at Jackson Lake, and looked at the mountains through a forest of boat rigging, concluding that we needed to find a better viewpoint. I’d noticed on the map that there was a River Road marked as 4wd only, so I asked a ranger. “It’s a dirt road” he said as if that explained everything; there are plenty of dirt roads that don’t need 4 wheel drive. Anyway, it seemed like a good way to get away from the traffic and likely see more animals, so we were going to come back via the road that evening.
First though we took a drive up Signal Mountain, a tight fit for the camper, but with some good views of the lake and meadows and mountains. John and Edna were really keen to see a moose, and it was disappointing to have such a wide ranging view and not even see 
a distant moose dot. We did get a mule deer close-up but a moose would have been better.
We took the scenic drive along the edge of Jenny Lake; this was where Phil and I camped and hiked back in 2000. None of us was in for a 20+ mile hike that evening so we just strolled along the lakeside, taking in views of jagged Mount Moran and the Tetons.
Finally, it was time for the River Road. As we swung out onto the meadow, there was thunder, lightning, wind gusts, and some horizontal hail. Just for a few 
seconds we had seen some distant pronghorn, but then we could see nothing at all. It is a rock road, so traction wasn’t a problem but big
rocks were, so it was slow going. The road hugs the edge of a series of benches above the Snake River, so driving off the edge was a concern. We had to detour around a few places where the road had subsided, but the only bits which needed 4wd were the washed out ups and downs between bench levels. It made for an interesting couple of hours but we didn’t see much other than some rafters on the Snake River. We arrived back after sunset.