One of our favorite hikes starts with a boat ride across Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park.

We got a start in the morning, as did a number of others. Our boat, below, is returning  empty to pick up more hikers.  Later in the day, the boats will be full both ways and, in the late afternoon, will be packed with returning passengers while empty in the opposite direction.

Hidden Falls is one of the most popular destinations in the park.  When we visited back in the 70s and 80s, there were lots of places all around and right up to the falls where people could sit, rest, and have picnics.  Unfortunately, all of the “lovin’” of nature, was causing the area to erode unnaturally.  So the park service undertook measures to restrict access to specific areas. 

Today, access to the area of the falls and along the trails  is restricted and has returned to a much more natural setting.

Beyond the falls is the trail to Inspiration Point.  Part of it is a bit unnerving to those nervous with heights.

A ways beyond Inspiration Point, the trail opens up into Cascade Canyon.  We went about a mile past Inspiration Point.

In an earlier post, I asked, “What caused this ravine?”

Very simply, it was caused by traffic of people traveling to the western part of the United States with wagons.  Specifically,  the ravine started as a set of wagon ruts cut through the grass and sod by heavy iron-shod wheels.

The hill where the ravine is located is called Windlass Hill where, according to legend more than factual history, wagons were eased down the incline using a windlass.  It is located at a point  where emigrants on the Oregon Trail (also the California Trail) left the dropped into and valley along the North Platte River that is called Ash Hollow.

In the photo below, you can see where the trail curved to the left at this point.  The bridge in the lower picture is where the top photo was taken from.

We have been gone from home for about 16 days now and, so far, we have camped four nights in campgrounds with wireless internet. 

The other 12 nights have been in places where no internet was available except for what we brought with us.  On eight of those, we have been able to get online from our camper.

Our internet access is through our smart phones that we got when we signed up with Verizon at the end of April.

The primary feature that we were looking for at the time was something that would allow is to go online while we were traveling.  In addition being a phone, camera, and all the smart phone applications, the Palm Pre Plus can serve as a mobile wifi hot spot.

When we saw that the Palms were being offered with free mobile internet, we decided to go with it, even though we did have to pay for the data package. 

It ended up costing about $50 more a month than we had been paying for our old phones.

However, the service is good enough at home that we dropped our DSL and the old home phone service that we had had for 29 years. 

There is a 5 gb monthly usage limit on the mobile internet.  However, since the service is free, we got it on both phones, so, in effect, we have a 10 gb monthly limit.

On the road, mobile wifi has varied in quality.  Right now, we are sitting in a campground in Grand Teton National Park, several miles from the nearest cell phone tower.  Sometimes the wifi is good on one side of the camper, sometimes on the other.

We have found that the mobile wifi drains the phones battery quite quickly, so we always try to have it connected to a charger when the hotspot is turned on.

In the photo above, I’m sitting in the driver’s seat of our Navion IQ motorhome, at my computer.  My work surface is a little table that slides out of a little built in dresser.  Karen’s is a table that stores on end and, when deployed, is supported on the side by a frame.

We’ve been busy – sightseeing, hiking, shopping, running to the grocery store, taking care of laundry, refilling the fresh water tank of our motor home, etc., etc.

Today we had the opportunity to take in some art at an art show in Jackson and at a museum north of town – more on the museum at some later time.

There was a lot of really neat art – and it was an art show, not an “arts and crafts show.”  There were a couple of exhibits that really caught my fancy. 

One of them was the steel sculptures of Craig Michael Palm, who lives with his wife and sons in Rogers, Minnesota.

Close up of the “hair” on the buffalo’s head:

A metal moose:

Another work that caught the attention of both Karen and I was a heavy wooden bed frame by R. C. Hink of Ketchum, Idaho.

There was a lot of other nice art of many different kinds, with artists from all over the country.

Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas, January 6, 2007 

Gallery – Petit Jean State Park and Petit Jean Mountain

(click on image for larger version)

Petit Jean State Park and Petit Jean Mountain information:

Cedar Falls Trail (2 miles, 2 hours to the falls and back) is the most popular trail in the park.  The trail begins through the Mather Lodge breezeway and returns to the same point.  Rated as moderate to strenuous, in its first half mile, this hiking trail descends over 200 feet into Cedar Creek Canyon over switchbacks and steps cut from rock by the CCC over 65 years ago.  Those considering taking this trail should take into consideration that the trail returns back up the same steps and switchbacks.  The park staff recommends shoes and boots that provide good ankle support and a firm grip and only those in good shape should take this hike.  The last half mile follows Cedar Creek to one of the state’s most impressive sights, Cedar Falls, which cascades more that 90 into the canyon.  During the wet times of the year, the flow over the falls can be very spectacular, often dwindling to a trickle in the hottest and driest part of the year.  Cedar Creek was added to the register of Arkansas Natural Areas in 1977.

See more of our Image Galleries at Haw Creek.

While this ravine looks natural and much like others in the area, it’s origin was not from natural causes.

Here’s a view from higher up on the hill:

The first picture was taken from the bridge, looking up hill.

What caused this ravine?

This is the route we’ve traveled to this point.

Travel Journal

On Wednesday, we traveled from Dubois, Wyoming to Grand Teton National Park.  This has been one of our favorite places since we first visited here in the spring of 1973.  It’s been one of my favorites since I visited with my sister and grandparents in 1963.  We’ll be here a week.

Sightings:

A Moose at Moose, Wyoming
On the bank of the Snake River
Across from Park Headquarters

Pronghorn (aka Antelope)

More critter pictures to come.  We saw a couple of herds of buffalo today, but didn’t stop to get any photos.  We figured that there would be plenty of bison opportunities before we head back east.

Critter Crowd on Snake River bridge at Moose, Wyoming.

Large animal sightings along pubic roads invariably result in a crowd.  All of this was from someone sighting one moose.

(Each travel journal post is published on Exit78 and Haw Creek Out ‘n About .)

Travel Journal

Going through Nebraska, we almost always stop at Lemoyne, on the north shore of Lake McConaughy, the largest lake in the state – almost 22 miles long and and more than 30,000 acres when full.

As a kid in Nebraska, I spent quite a few weekends – and sometimes longer – at my grandfather’s family’s cabin at Lemoyne.  I knew the immediate area and the shoreline pretty well.

When we stopped in September 2007, it had been several years since the last time we had been there and the lake had been low that time.  In 2007, it was even lower, lower than I had ever seen it.

Where’s the lake? 

I had seen the lake quite low back in the 60s, low enough that I could walk most of the way out and wade across the stream at this point to get to the base of that hill on the other side. 

This time, though, the lake had been low enough that trees had grown up along the stream.

The long drought, though seems to be over and the lake level is at a much higher level.  When we stopped at the same point last week, this is what we saw:

There’s the lake!

The trees out in the lake will die, unless the western states go back into a drought and the lake level drops again. 

While the level is higher than it has been in years, it is still several feet below 100% capacity.  To the left of the boat dock, there is a large limestone rock, completely out of water when I took this picture, that I can remember being totally under water and 20 to 30 feet from shore and, even then, the lake level wasn’t at it all time highest.

Lake McConaughy, sometimes referred to as “Big Mac,” is the most popular recreation area in the state of Nebraska.

(Each travel journal post is published on Exit78 and Haw Creek Out ‘n About .)