Wehner Vacation 2013: June 2013

Sunday, June 30, 2013

JUNE 29: GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK

Miles: 107

We enjoyed our time today in Grand Teton National Park. We started out at Jenny Lake by taking the shuttle boat to the western shore and hiking part of the Jenny Lake Trail to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. On the way, we saw a moose with her calf. After a quick snack, we took a 10-mile 2-hour rafting trip down the Snake River to the Teton Visitor Center.

We went back to the hotel to get cleaned up and walked to Pizzeria Caldera for an early dinner. We ate on their rooftop deck.

In the evening, we stopped for ice cream, went back to the park and drove some of the back roads to Teton Village in search of wildlife. We found moose at two locations and saw some antelope, deer and a marmot. When we got back, Cara put the kids to bed and I got gas and went food shopping for our time in Yellowstone.

Saturday, June 29, 2013

JUNE 28: SALT LAKE CITY UT TO JACKSON HOLE WY

Miles: 297

Today we took the scenic route from Salt Lake City to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson is at the south entrance to the Grand Teton National Park. We took a detour north of SLC to see the Great Salt Lake. The lake was underwhelming. We drove through Logan, UT and stopped for lunch and to see Utah State University. We continued through the northern Utah, southeastern Idaho and southwestern Wyoming. We crossed the Utah-Idaho line at Bear Lake. Just after we crossed the Idaho-Wyoming state line, we were personally welcomed by the Wyoming State Patrol. Unfortunately we left SLC a little later than planned so we had to cut out the planned visit of the Snake River Bridge and Fall Creek Falls in Idaho. We drove through the Targhee National Forest on our way to Jackson. We checked-in and enjoyed the town in the evening. We had dinner at the Snake River Brewing Company and shopped while walking around town. We really like the town, more than most ski towns we have visited.

Logan, UT

Friday, June 28, 2013

JUNE 27: SALT LAKE CITY UT

Miles: 127

Today we toured the Salt Lake City area. I had low expectations for today but we actually really enjoyed our visit to SLC. Salt Lake City is not extremely exciting but has a lot going for it. The city is very clean and has fantastic mountain backdrop. We visited Temple Square (Church of Latter Day Saints), Capitol, City Hall, Ensign Peak Park and had lunch at the Red Iguana in North Temple. Afterward we made our way to Park City and the 2002 Winter Olympic Park. On our way back, we bought more groceries and hunted and found the Tree House in Bountiful... which was lame. Tonight the kids watched a movie while we organized for tomorrow morning's departure.

JUNE 26: BRYCE CANYON NATIONAL PARK to SALT LAKE CITY UT

Miles: 307

We spent the morning at Bryce Canyon National Park. Bryce Canyon is much smaller but more colorful than the Grand Canyon. We hiked the Navajo and Queen's Garden Trails from the rim at Sunrise Point to the bottom and back at Sunset Point. The hike was strenuous for the kids but not beyond their ability.

From Bryce Canyon we drove to Salt Lake City. Along the way we enjoyed the drive through some of Utah's central back country. We grabbed some fast food for lunch along the way and stopped for ice cream and visited BYU in Provo. We arrived in Salt Lake City, checked-in and picked up provisions. Cara and the kids had dinner, went swimming and watched a movie at the hotel. I went to a laundromat and did the laundry for the second, and hopefully last time, of the trip.