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Posted by GA Tim (66.168.208.179) on 16:23:17 06/29/12
Day 13 June 20, 2012 Wednesday:
Our last full day of vacation. We were up very early for sunrise. We went down to Oxbow Bend but the thick clouds obscured the sun and ruined any chance for good photos. We drove around looking for any action but it was very quiet this morning. We headed back to the cabin to warm up and rest a little. We went back out at 8AM and noticed a lot of activity at the Jackson Lake junction. We had just passed the junction on the main highway (headed in the direction of Oxbow Bend) when we stopped and asked what everyone was looking at. A grizzly was spotted in the trees just along the road. It was headed back the other way so we made a quick U-turn and tried to get ahead of the bear. Just past the junction headed back north, I made another U-turn and pulled off the road hoping to catch the bear crossing. It did cross, and right behind our car! I don t know if this was 399 but it was tagged with orange tags visible from behind. We quickly turned on Teton Park Rd. and parked off the road to watch the grizzly run through the tall grass. It was really running, making its way towards the taller bushes. We went up the road, just before the no stopping zone and saw 610 and her cubs out north of the road. They headed in the bushes towards the lake so we drove up to the other side of the no stopping zone hoping they would come out the other side. Unfortunately they tried to cross the road far away from us and much closer to where we were sitting before. They went back to the north side of the road. We drove back to the other side of the zone and watched them in the open for a while before they again disappeared in the bushes. I talked to one of the rangers a bit the same older lady I had seen at just about every bear jam in the Tetons. The rangers in the Tetons seemed so much friendlier and relaxed.
After that excitement we headed south and saw nothing along the way. We made it to Dornan s and shared two small pizzas for lunch. That was great pizza and we would have ordered a 3rd but by then there was a huge line waiting to order. Later it occurred to me that I should have just asked a server to put in another order for us. We checked the stores for huckleberry ice cream but for some reason nobody in Grand Teton sells it. Why??
We went out again looking for the orphaned grizzlies and then walked a little ways back on the Taggart Lake trail. We decided to head back to the cabin early to get everything packed for tomorrow s flight home. It was a little sad to be leaving but at the same time we were really looking forward to coming home.
After we were all packed up we drove around again in the evening but there was no animal activity anywhere. We went back to the cabin, got some wine and walked around Colter Bay.
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