When we woke up this morning, it was quite chilly, so I turned on the furnaces. Then I turned on the burner under the tea pot and started the generator. The generator refused to start. Then the furnaces quit, and the flame under the tea pot decreased (though it did not stop). Ken went out to check the propane tanks.
The one we’ve been using showed 1/8 tank on the gauge. He flipped the switch and turned on the other propane tank. We have not been able to get that tank to function, so it was a long shot, but it worked. We were relieved that we didn’t have to wrangle a 40 lb. propane tank and take it to town for filling. (Evidently Ken’s removing and reinstalling the hose the other day actually did work—just not immediately.)
We’re still concerned about the propane. The tank that was empty this morning had been showing pretty much full. We ran the generator for a short time yesterday. It must take enormous amounts of propane.
After breakfast we packed up our laundry and drove to Jackson for the Saturday farmers’ market on the square. There were lots of vendors, but only a few were organic, and the prices were extremely high. Everything is more expensive in a resort town. We picked up a few things and then went to do our laundry at the Broadway Laundry, the same place we went last time we were in town. It seems to be the only laundromat in town.
We stopped at Jackson Whole Grocer, but didn’t buy much. They didn’t have the bulk items I was looking for, and their produce prices were quite high. We did most of our grocery shopping at Albertson’s. On the way back to camp, we stopped at the Exxon station to fill up with diesel. It’s a rather unusual service station. Instead of a convenience store, it appears to be affiliated with a pawn shop and a sporting goods store.
After a late lunch, we drove to the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve. We stopped briefly at the Visitor Center. We spent some time here the last time we were in Grand Teton NP, but it’s well worth a repeat visit. Mr. Rockefeller had a vision of nature as potentially healing and spirit renewing. Part of the agreement when he donated the family land to the Park Service was that there be no commercial activity and that the number of visitors at any one time be limited. The center itself is a place of peace and connection with the multiple ecosystems that make up the park.
We took the Lake Creek Trail out to the shore of Phelps Lake and then another trail back to the Visitor Center. As we walked towards the lake, we encountered several people on the trail, but the numbers dwindled until we had the place almost to ourselves. Phelps Lake is a beautiful, pristine, unspoiled scene. We stopped for a while to quietly enjoy the lake before starting the return hike.
Along the trail we saw two caution signs indicating that a bear was frequenting the area. Both were dated August 7. We didn’t see any bears, but we did make sure to make noise, either talking or whistle blowing at intervals. When we returned to the parking lot, ours was the last vehicle to leave. We drove back along the Wilson-Moose highway, a very narrow, winding road. We were hoping to see moose. We did see a rather large beaver that was the focus of attention from a group of avid photographers. The beaver nonchalantly continued eating despite the nearby admirers.
At the moose habitat turnout, we stopped, hoping to see moose there as we had on our last visit. It was twilight, and several other cars were stopped to look for moose also. We did see what we took to be another beaver swimming at a distance, but it could have been an otter.
A lady parked near to us told us that a moose had been seen regularly at the bridge near the Moose Visitor Center. When we were approaching the bridge, we saw that several cars were parked and people were looking at something. As we drove across the bridge to find a place to pull off, we saw a large dark animal moving below the bridge. We thought it was a bear, but it turned out to be a very large moose munching away near the shoreline. It was too dark to take good photos, but Ken got some decent ones.
It was late when we returned home and fixed dinner.
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