On this fine, crisp morning,
We bundled up…
And set off to enjoy the scenery
Winter is pretty.
Wyoming is gorgeous
The Sleeping Indian
(Also known as Gunsight Mountain per The King of Wyoming)
Made a unique appearance this morning
While it is gorgeous first thing in the morning,
We aren’t out here just for the landscape…
We’re here for THEM:
We took a wagon ride though the Elk Refuge this morning
And got really up close and personal
It was supposed to be a sleigh ride,
But they are way behind on snow—
But the wagon was fine.
Our horses didn’t seem to care
The elk have just started to show up in the last few days
(They are late because it’s been so warm).
They aren’t used to the wagons yet—
They all just turned and stared at us
We learned a lot about the elk.
There are a few bulls out there
But the mature ones apparently get together in a Bachelors’ group
And hang out by themselves.
These are cows, calves and some younger bulls.
The strongest cows lead the migration every year—
She takes the same path year to year and everyone follows her.
These elk come from multiple areas, a lot from Yellowstone.
We also learned that antlers grow in with the same pattern every year—
It’s like their fingerprint.
It gets more intricate over the first few years and then stays the same.
They shed each side one and a time.
And people pay $22 per pound for a rack—
And way more if it’s a matching set.
Bulls spend all their energy in the fall fighting and protecting their harem
And lose a bunch of weight, putting them at risk of dying in the winter.
Weird. Poor planning there, Nature!
Pretty cool!
Then it was off to lunch at Piste,
On the top of Rendezvous Mountain
A long way up!
Some amazing views of Jackson Hole
You’d think we’d never seen snow before
With as much rolling around and sliding in it we did waiting for our table
With our bellies full,
Mom and Dad thought we should go play in the snow for a bit.
You can’t come to Jackson and not go to Grand Teton NP!
Some walked,
Others just laid in the snow
Either way,
It was glorious outside
A great way to spend the first day of 2024!
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