Grand Teton National Park was the final destination on our epic road trip this year. It was a fitting grand finale. In all of the places we visited our primary focus was on seeing the animals but, the scenery simply cannot be ignored.

 

During our week of September 22-29, the aspens were turning a vivid gold. The towering Grand Teton Mountain provides a commanding background. This image was shot near the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center at Moose Junction.

 

 

Since we were travelling south into the Tetons from Yellowstone my first real view of the mountain range was at the Coulter Bay Visitor Center. Mount Moran, center, rises 12,605 feet above sea level and is home to several glaciers as you can see here.

 

 

The weather during our week was constantly changing. Most mornings were too overcast to get great sunrise shots but, the heavy clouds provided some drama nonetheless.

This was shot near the Cunningham Cabin Historic Site.

 

 

We got a couple of days of light snow as seen here near the old Cattleman’s Bridge site.

 

 

 

 

Other days were warm shirtsleeve weather like this shot around the corner at Oxbow Bend. I tried on a couple of occasions to get sunrise pictures here but, no luck. The clouds persisted in chopping off the top of Mount Moran.

 

 

No visit to the Tetons is complete without taking a drive down Antelope Flats Road and Mormon Row to see the old barns there. The peak of Grand Teton Mountain is seen here just left of the roof.

 

 

Another old barn.

This time Grand Teton is in the far right of the frame.

 

 

 

One of the snowy days we drove to the top of Signal Mountain. That’s Jackson Lake at the foot of the mountains. It’s by far the largest lake in the park and covers over 25,500 acres.

 

 

 

 

Another view from Signal Mountain looking northwest toward Jackson Lake.

 

 

 

 

 

This was also shot from Signal Mountain but, it’s an easterly view looking toward Moran Junction.

 

 

 

 

We had been shooting Moose near Gros Ventre campground and decided to drive beyond Kelly,WY and further out Gros Ventre Road.

 

 

 

It was a very windy day but, we found several beautiful spots along the Gros Ventre River where a hole in the clouds would open up and highlight the yellow aspens for a moment.

 

 

 

Lower Slide Lake is not actually in Grand Tetons NP but, it’s beautiful enough to be a park. Here again the light would come and go as holes in the heavy sky moved by.

 

 

I’ll always cherish my trip this year to the Badlands, Mount Rushmore, Needles Highway, Custer State Park, Devils Tower, Yellowstone and the Tetons. It truly was a trip of a lifetime and would not have been possible without the help of several family members. I especially want to thank my brother-in-law, Frank Severence. He provided his Toyota Sequoia and did most of the driving. Here he’s telling a Teton Park Ranger which way to go.

 

Another heartfelt thank you must go to my sister-in-law, Barbara Severance. She provided a nice calming influence between the two alpha males in the car for those 7,000 miles. She’s also one of the best critter spotters and creative photographers around.

 

 

Our last morning in the Tetons was spent looking for Elk near Windy Point. I took a final gaze up at the beautiful mountains and captured this image as we prepared to head back east to Hampton, VA.

 

 

It was a long but fantastic trip. We saw so many wondrous sights that it’s difficult to remember them all. Good thing I took a camera and have thousands of images. I can relive the journey whenever I want to.