A screen saver kind of day

Emma and I were on the road shortly after 7:30 this morning for our excellent adventure of visiting Grand Teton National Park.  In order to get there, we had to drive about 69 miles through Yellowstone NP.  For you dog owners out there, I want to tell you that each time I’ve gone through the entrance gate with Emma, the ranger on duty has given her a dog biscuit.  How welcoming is that!  I was ready with the telephoto lens on my camera in case we encountered any wildlife along the way.  Surprisingly, not even a bison was out and about. 
I was looking forward to seeing big mountains, and big mountains is what I saw!  It was a glorious day, weather-wise, and it seemed like every picture I took could be used as a screen saver or background picture for my computer.  I was on a Rocky Mountain high!
 I had a real challenge not posting 100 pictures tonight.  The views were just out of this world.  The water of Jackson Lake was very calm this morning, resulting in great reflections.
I took a gravel side road to get these wildflower pictures.  I think the two on the left are lupines.  They kind of remind me of the bluebonnets of the Texas Hill Country.  I’m not sure what the name of the yellow flowers is. (click on any pic to enlarge)
Emma and I drove to the summit of Signal Mountain to have our lunch.  Dogs aren’t allowed on any trails or in any buildings in the park, but they are allowed at picnic areas and parking lots.  There was only one picnic table here, but I figured that qualified!  :)  It was right on the path at the top of the overlook.
These were the views as I ate my sandwich.  Can you imagine a better place to have a picnic lunch?  I wrapped Emma’s leash around the table leg and she crawled under the table to take advantage of the shade.  Many  people came up to the overlook as I ate my lunch, and Emma greeted every one of them!

The hoot of the day came when one woman returned from the overlook and said “What a well behaved dog you have.”  I almost choked on my bite of sandwich!  No one has ever said that about Emma before!  She’s such a wild child.  Do you think maybe she’s FINALLY growing up???  I can only hope.  :)
After my repast, we went back down the five mile incline and continued on our way.
Along the way, we took the scenic route to Jenny Lake where these shots were taken.  I wasn’t able to stop at any of the visitor’s centers in the park because all of the parking lots were full to over flowing.  I couldn’t leave Emma in the car to hike back to them because of the very warm temperatures, and of course she wasn’t allowed inside.  Maybe some other time.  :(
I bet you thought I wouldn’t get a bird picture in today.  Ha!  This Grey Jay, and several others, were hanging around the Jenny Lake pull off looking for handouts.

The loop trip today ended up being right around 280 miles, and it took us a little over nine hours to do it.  It truly was an excellent adventure today!  I’ll leave you with this parting shot of Grand Teton National Park…
Those yellow splashes in the foreground are blooming sage.  What an enticing aroma permeated this pull off.

Thanks for stopping by….talk to your later,  Judy