Moose

With all of our Grand Teton plans quickly checked off our list, there was only one thing left to do before we started our journey home, spot a moose.  Yes, the infamous moose.

Even with all of the wildlife that we had spotted in Yellowstone and here (a bald eagle, buffalo galore, osprey, deer, elk, pika, fox, black bears, grizzly bears, bear cubs, gophers, badgers, bighorn sheep, wolves, swans, antelope, coyote, cows, horses, a red tailed hawk, bush squirrels and some pelican too), the one thing that escaped us was the moose.

Everyone in Yellowstone said that for sure we would see moose in Grand Teton.  Well, on our first day here, our timing was off for moose, so we wanted to make sure to wake up early this morning and catch the moose while they were out for a little breakfast.  (We even passed up making one last campfire breakfast to do some moose spotting.)

There are two main spots to watch for moose in Grand Teton, but luckily for us, Ranger Dan had offered his advice to go to Oxbow Bend.  So, Oxbow Bend it was.

We went, we parked, we sat outside, we took pictures…and we saw no moose.  Not even an antler.  We waited, we spoke to the moose Gods, we pleaded with Mother Nature, and still no moose.  We contemplated leaving, but then we dug deep for more patience, and still no moose.

After a good while of sitting in silence, practically dying for a moose to show up, we decided to throw in the towel.  No moose, but it was a beautiful morning – the crisp, fresh mountain air and views of the Tetons were a pretty good consolation prize for no moose.

And just like that, our trip had come to an end, and we were ready to start our long drive home.  We said our goodbyes to the Tetons, and to the moose that never showed up, took in one last breath of that fresh mountain air, and hopped in the car.

Moose or not, we both agreed what an amazing adventure we had had.  Both here and in Yellowstone, we saw more and experienced more than we had anticipated.  Stocked with amazing and hilarious stories of our adventures, it was the perfect time for us to head back to our own home on the range.