March 2019 Daily Journal for GTNP & JH

“March comes in like a Lion, out like a Lamb”

750line

March 1st  – Friday

If you have been watching the February 2019 Daily Journal for GTNP & JH, you will already know that February was an unusually snowy month for Jackson Hole. Many of the major roads and most of the secondary roads have been closed due to the heavy snowfalls and blowing snow. As of mid-day March 1st, the valley is finally coming out of the stranglehold. US Highway 89/191 had been closed for four days, but is now open. The National Elk Refuge Road had been closed even longer, but it is also open again.

 Oxbow Bend

After several big storms in February, Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park might best described as a “Winter Wonderland”. I made a morning run to the northern portion of the park this morning. I never expect to see a lot of mammals in that area. , Most of them move south (Kelly area and National Elk Refuge) for the Winter. There are always “chances” to see River Otters, Ermine, Coyotes, and Foxes, but I never count on it. Going north usually means putting on your “landscape hat” (but keep a camera body and telephoto lens ready for wildlife). In late September, would expect dozens of photographers on either side of me while at this spot at Oxbow Bend! Nikon D850 and Nikon 70-200mm lens, Handheld
Bald Eagle
Bald Eagle: I took this photo yesterday along the highway. Today, I drove around 100 miles and never saw an Eagle. I mention this here to illustrate how much difference one day can be over another. (Actually, that is the case all year!) Nikon D850 and Nikon 200-500mm lens, Handheld.
Continue reading "March 2019 Daily Journal for GTNP & JH"

Our Move to Wyoming: A Tongue-in-Cheek Diary

 

Alsenglow

AUG 12:  Moved to our new home in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is so beautiful. The mountains are so majestic. Can hardly wait to see them with snow covering them. I love it here.

Bands of Light at Oxbow Bend

OCT 14: Wyoming is the most beautiful place on earth. The leaves are turning all the colors and shades of yellow, red and orange. Went for a ride through the beautiful mountains and saw some deer. They are so graceful — certainly they are the most wonderful animals on earth. This must be paradise. I love it here.

Mule Deer

NOV 11: Deer season will start soon. I can't imagine anyone wanting to kill such a gorgeous creature. Hope it will snow soon. I love it here.

John Moulton Barn

DEC 2: It snowed last night. Woke up to find everything blanketed with white. It looks like a postcard. We went outside and cleaned the snow off the steps and shoveled the driveway. We had a snowball fight (I  won). Afterwards, we built a wonderful snowman. When the snowplow came by, we had to shovel the driveway again. What a beautiful place. I love Wyoming.

Snowman

DEC 12: More snow last night. I love it. The snowplow did his trick again to the driveway. I love it here.

Mailboxes

DEC 19: More snow last night. Couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work. I am exhausted from shoveling. Stinking snowplow.

Snow

DEC 22: More of that white crap fell last night.  I've got blisters on my hands from shoveling. I think the snowplow hides around the curve and waits until I'm done shoveling the driveway. Jerk!

Daytime Shoppers

DEC 25: Merry Freaking Christmas!  More friggin' snow. If I ever get my  hands on that S.O.B. who drives that snowplow, I swear I'll kill the jerk. Don't know why they don't use more salt on the roads to melt the freaking ice and snow.

DEC 27: More white crap last night. Car won't start. I think I'm going snowblind. I can't move my toes. Haven't seen the sun in weeks. Been inside for three days except for shoveling out the driveway after that snowplow goes through every time. Can't go anywhere; car's stuck in a mountain of white stuff. The weatherman says to expect another 10" of the garbage again tonight. Do you know how many shovels full of snow 10" is?

Teton Range with Morning Clouds 

DEC 28: The freaking weatherman was wrong. We got 34" of that white crap this time. At this rate, it won't melt before August. The snowplow got stuck up the road and that jerk came to the door and asked to borrow my shovel. After I told him I had broken six shovels already shoveling all the junk he pushed into the driveway, I broke my last one over his freaking head. 

Snow Days 

JAN 4: Finally got out of the house today. Went to the store to get food  and on the way back a stupid deer ran in front of the car and I hit it. Did about $3,000 damage to the car. Those freaking beasts should be killed. Wish the hunters had killed them all last November.

JAN 12: Can't get there from here. There was an avalanche in the Snake River Canyon. It's closed. Teton Pass is closed — again. Ice jams flooded Hoback Canyon. Highway 89/191 has blown in and closed between Moose Junction and Moran Junction. The power went out for an hour yesterday. 

JAN 15: The dog got out of the house. I slipped on the ice trying to retrieve it. Tweaked my back. Had to go to the doctor. Resting now, with the aid of a few pain pills. Darla is having to shovel.    

MAY 3: Took the car to the garage in town. Would you believe the thing is rusting out from that stupid salt they put all over the road?

MAY 10: Moved back to Oklahoma. I can't imagine why anyone in his or her right mind would ever live in that god-forsaken state of Wyoming. 

Original Author: Unknown/Anonyous

A friend “faxed” us a variation of this diary not long after we moved here in 1986. You can find a lot of other versions by searching for southerner moves north joke. (Of course, many of them are quite fowl mouthed!) The version I found had Pennsylvania instead of Wyoming.

Other Notes: Actually, we did move to Jackson in August of 1986. Actually, I hit an elk while returning from a fishing trip. The the repair bill was over $4,300. We’ve actually had to throw away three of our snow shovels this year. We bought a heavy duty snow blower a couple of years ago, which helps a lot. The town snow plow regularly leaves 24″-30″ of heavy, crusty snow in front of our driveway. Without the snow blower, I am sure we would have trashed a lot more shovels. The photo of me above was taken a few days ago while shoveling 30″-36″ of snow off the roof. And, actually, we still live here and love it!  (but after over 32 years, it’s good to get out of town once in a while)

In Winter’s Grip

A Collection of Frosty Photos Taken in January and the First Week of February of 2019.

Summer and Fall visitors miss out on seeing Jackson Hole and Grand Teton National Park cloaked in “white gold”. The snow we receive during the Winter months fills lakes and supply the much needed water to the streams throughout the rest of the year. Skiers flock to Jackson Hole to tackle the area’s slopes, but most of the rest of the area is relatively sleepy. Other than having the shovel snow or run the snow blower to get out of my driveway, I like January and February. Winter can be challenging, but it can also be rewarding! Grand Landscape It’s so nice to have the Teton Range as a backdrop. The Grand can occasionally reveal itself as a ghostly relic of days when the earth’s crust was being violently sculpted. Other times, the peaks scream for attention. Continue reading "In Winter’s Grip"