Oh Tetons! Sagebrush meadows seem to abruptly end at the base of glacial mountains, no foothills to anticipate their rise, nor keep much distance from them. They are in your face. Every angle brings new majesty to attend to. Where the sagebrush and mountains collide, there are lakes, big and small, shallow and deep (shallow enough for the water to get “warmed” by the summer sun after the lakes have melted.

We saw ospreys, seagulls, and eagles, bison, bears, pronghorn, elk, moose, trout, tadpoles, and friends from the badlands.

And for having such a view, such an experience of them, it has made me, more than ever, desire to be in the backcountry. We dabbed our toe only in trails less traveled but the sneaky parts of these mountains call my name for another day.

• We stayed: Upper Teton View boondocking (five stars!); Colter Bay RV Park (five stars for our proximity to Jackson Lake)
• We explored: Jackson, WY (two highlights were the public bouldering park at the base of Snow King and the Valley Book Store) Bridger Teton National Forest, Grand Teton National Park
• We hiked: Hidden Falls/Inspiration Point (slightly overrated and way too many people), String Lake, Taggart Lake
• We ran: Lakeshore Trail, Heron Pond and Swan Lake Loop
• We fished: the Snake River, south of the Jackson Lake dam but our favorite spot was on the Oxbow Bend
• We swam: Jackson Lake (every single day/five stars), String Lake (also five stars)
• We ate and drank: Teton Tiger (major five stars), Persephone Bakery, Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream, Snake River Brewing, Melvin Brewing (our favorite), Roadhouse Brewing, Grand Teton Brewing
• We read: Teewinot: A Year in the Teton Range and Wapiti Wilderness (both five stars; great companions to read during our time there)