More Tetons

We added two more days to our stay in Grand Teton National Park after we had been here for a few days because we enjoyed it so much.  This allowed us to take long walks, and to sit quietly and watch and listen for long periods of time.  Because we didn't feel rushed, we watched moose, antelope, elk harems, red dragonflies, cliff swallows, a very large herd of bison, and even a river otter. 

In the last couple of days we have taken long walks through forests and dales, with more amazing views:

Waterfalls!

Why do we humans never tire of waterfalls?

I love the smell of mountain streams.  They smell like trout!

There's a lake through the trees:

and have seen golden-mantled ground squirrels, red dragonflies, and a river otter:

This photo is terribly fuzzy, but take my word for it, it is a river otter.  We watched him dive and resurface for half an hour.  He had whiskers!

A real buffalo herd!  There were several hundred:

Trumpeter swan:

I was here 35 years ago for two days, and have always wanted to return.  What I remember most were the mountain peaks, of course, but also the wildflowers. We were here in June, and the flowers filled the meadows with riotous color - blue lupin, Indian paintbrush, and yellow flowers of various kinds.  This time I didn't expect the same number of blooms, but I have been pleasantly surprised by what I have found.