Awesome Mountains

I've been visiting Grand Teton National Park for the first time ever. My bad! For twelve years I lived in Denver, and for much of that time I had a schedule that, once a month, enabled me to get off work at 8 AM Thursday and not return until 4 PM the following Tuesday. Why I never drove up here during that time is beyond me! But, on this occasion the Venerable Pinniped was able to correct a mistake, and I finally made it up here. It's breathtaking! The mountains soar above the landscape, towering, jagged, primeval. There are three large lakes at their base...Jackson (pictured here), Jenny, and Leigh. It's absolutely gorgeous!

Jackson Hole is over 6000 feet above sea level, and skies are crystalline much of the time. This was certainly the case when I was there. The mountains were sharp...especially early in the day when the easterly sun clarified the peaks, as in this shot.

This is Mount Moran, at the northern end of the Tetons. Of particular note on this peak is the black band of basalt near the summit, known as the Black Dike. This rock was wedged into the mountain by volcanic forces after the peak had originally developed. The patch of ice near the dike is the Skillet Glacier. Near the summit, the Black Dike actually protrudes outward from the rest of the mountain; blow the pic up for more detail.

I took a bunch of Teton pics today...can't blog all the good ones. This is a sample, taken at Leigh Lake. To be honest, although I enjoyed Yellowstone...it's beautiful, interesting, and diverse, it didn't knock my socks off. Grand Teton NP does. So do Yosemite, Crater Lake, Mount Rainier, Hawaii Volcanoes, and Craters of the Moon. Next time I visit this area...which will be soon...I'll probably stay more days around Grand Teton than Yellowstone.