We have just returned from a family vacation to Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. We had a great time and saw a lot of great sites and interesting wildlife. We even got some nice snow in June which was a bit unexpected but was a nice bonus for the kids as they are Florida girls. We arrived on Sunday June 2 and stayed in the Tetons and Yellowstone through Wednesday June 12. On the night of arrival (Landed around 8pm) the girls were already quite impressed with the wildlife we saw between the airport in Jackson Hole and our hotel, Jackson Lake Lodge. We saw a ton of elk, some pronghorn antelope and even a coyote. That night I made a trip to get my first ever Milky Way shots. I shot at Oxbow Bend, one of the mountain overlooks and the Mormon Row area. I am pretty happy with my first effort.

My Milky Way photos were ended when my camera fell off of my tripod when the ballhead broke. Luckily the camera was fine, but the tripod and the ballhead were toast. The next morning I shot a few shots of the Moulton Barns on Mormon Row, although without a tripod. Once returning to the hotel to get my family we worked our way down towards Jackson Hole with stops at Signal Mountain, String Lake, Jenny Lake and the Chapel of Transfiugration. In Jackson Hole I was able to purchase a new tripod and ballhead and we loaded up on some groceries. We then rode the aerial tram to the top of Rendezvous Mountain. It was quite chilly up there and the girls played in the snow for a little bit but then were ready to go. On the way back we hit the traditional stops such as Mormon Row, Schwabacher Landing, and Cunningham Cabin where I got one of my favorite family photos ever.

Day 3 I woke up early again and this time found a Grizzly Bear just north of the Jackson Lake Lodge. It was close enough that I actually texted my family to get ready and went and picked them up so they had the chance to see it also.
Afterward, we headed for Jenny Lake and did the hike to Hidden Falls. It was a little long for the 5 year old, but she made it and we took the boat back. We made a stop or two on the way back to the hotel. Everyone had a little downtime and we headed to Colter Bay for the boatride to Elk Island for dinner. It was nice with good food, but a bit expensive.

Day 4 My oldest daughter decided to get up with me to shoot the sunrise at Schwabacher Landing.

Then it was off to Yellowstone National Park.