We had tried twice already to visit the Laurance S. Rockefeller Preserve, but each time we arrived too late to find a place in the limited parking. This morning we headed out earlier and found ourselves in a bison jam along the road. These guys couldn't decide which side of the road they wanted and nobody was going to nudge them along with their car, so we waited for what seemed like a half hour, though it was probably not more than 5 minutes, before we could continue.
Along the Moose-Wilson road, Joani spotted an owl perched in a tree. We stopped at the next available pull-out and walked back. He was still there waiting on us! Of course, as people saw us with our cameras out they stopped on the road and created a jam. I'm not sure we have ever seen an owl in the wild - Joani gets all of the credit for spotting it from a moving car.
I assumed this was a Barred Owl, but research says not in the Tetons.
It looks like this may be a Great Gray (or Grey) owl, (similar in looks, but larger - with yellow eyes.)
Consulting the map, we chose to head to the lake on the Woodland Trail and return on the Lake Creek Trail. That was the opposite of what almost everyone else did, so we enjoyed a lot of quiet time to ourselves. Like the Bradley and Taggart Lakes trails, the Phelps Lake hike was very popular, but the big difference was that the number of people at any one time around Phelps Lake was limited (and strictly enforced) by the parking.
While hiking, we heard of some bear sightings, but insects and flowers were the only wildlife we captured in pictures.
Green Darner Dragonfly
The lake, of course, was beautiful and we both agreed the length and difficulty of the hike were just about ideal for us (moderate effort, 3-mile round trip). I'm sure the combination of sun, clouds, high 70's and low humidity helped to make the hike more enjoyable as well. There was a trail making a complete loop around the lake, but at 7 miles we opted to just enjoy the view along the south end of the lake. The panorama captures the expanse of the scene. There was a calm inlet off of the main lake where the water was like glass.
The flower below was so unusual, I set up the tripod and tried a lot of different exposures, but I still don't think I adequately captured what we saw.
Yellow Columbine
Joani's camera has a fantastic macro capability, as you can see with the fly and ants enjoying the tiny flower below.
As we moved around the bottom of the lake looking more towards the east the color of the water changed. I was amazed by the range of color we could see from this point - deep purple farthest away, then shades of blue, turquoise, green and finally yellows and brown at our feet.
Leafy Aster
I see a fish complete with bubbles. (Wait, fish don't have bubbles, do they.)
I think it must a Betta fish building his "love" nest
The loop hike ended back at the Rockefeller Preserve visitors center. Inside, there were some nice multimedia presentations displaying the beauty of the preserve through the seasons. Another room allowed you to immerse yourself in the sounds of the forest. Along one wall there was a large (maybe 6 x 10 foot) mosaic that was a picture of Phelps Lake
As we headed back to the car, we saw angry gray clouds billowing above us. They had come in from the west over the mountains and appeared ready to burst. I stopped for some pictures of the Rockefeller Preserve building when the thunder started to roll. It required some quick stepping to get to the car just as the first large raindrops started to fall.
LSR Preserve visitors center, 7,573 sq. ft., opened in 2008.
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