After our days in Yellowstone, we headed south to Grand Teton National Park.  We had a brief visit, but it was enough to get a taste for its magnificence and hope to return again sometime.  We pulled into the park around lunch time and the views that met us were absolutely amazing!  The lake was completely still and the reflection of the Tetons couldn't have been more beautiful.

We stopped along the road, soaking in the views for most of the afternoon. We checked into the lodge (yes, we decided to step it up a bit after camping in Yellowstone) and then continued on our way, driving some of the most recommended scenic roads.  We escaped from the people and cars for a bit during our hike out to Leigh Lake.  It was quiet, sunny, and beautiful.  We wished we had had a little canoe or raft to float out onto the water in.

We stayed in the park for two days and two nights.  Both nights and both mornings were dedicated to sunsets and sunrises.  It made for very little sleep! We wanted to see as many angles under as many different lighting conditions that we could.  The first night was sunset from the top of Signal Mountain and the second was from Oxbow bend.  Neither sunsets were incredible, but in the Tetons they didn't have to be in order to still be inspiring.

Our first sunrise was from the Mt. Moran look out point and although hazy, beautiful.  It got us up and out the door early, which meant we also got on the trail early.  We did a 10 - 11 mile hike up to Amphitheater Lake.  Our early start meant we saw few hikers and beat the afternoon clouds.  We did catch some rain on the way down, but it could have been much worse.   The coolest part about our hike that day was 30 minutes away from the trailhead on our way back.  Right in front of us (within 50 feet) was a mama bear and her two cubs. They were all black bears but she was very light in color and her cubs were completely different from each other.  They crossed the trail in front of us a couple of times, played, frolicked, ate, paid no attention to us.  The cubs were darling and it was so fun to see them!

Although exhausted from the hike and the early morning, we still kept going!  We went to the visitor center, drove Moose-Wilson road (and even saw a couple of female moose) and Antelope Flats road and then back to the lodge for dinner before another sunset.

The next morning came early! (4:30am).  We signed up for a sunrise float on the Snake River and that started at 5:30am.  It was an early start but totally worth it.  The morning was gorgeous, the view of the Tetons from the river was awesome and we even saw a couple of bald eagles, their nests and eaglets.  Definitely a highlight!  And we got totally lucky!  No sooner than did we get off the river, hit a couple of more lookouts and return to the lodge to check out than it started POURING rain!  It was our signal that our time was up and we needed to head over to Idaho Falls for part two of the Merrick vacation fun - Connor's wedding!