Granite Hot Springs Pool and Too Much Sage Brush

We enjoyed another breakfast at the picnic table with the panorama of snow-covered peaks against the totally blue sky and the varied colors of the paragliders.  We watched to see when / where the paragliders would first come into view and then watch as they drifted across the fronts of the peaks and then finally land in the grass field next to us.

We left Teton Village and headed in to Jackson where we headed south on to Highway 89 / 189 / 191.   Each of the highways turned off until we were finally just on Highway 191 which got us here to Rock Springs, Wyoming.

About 18 miles south of Jackson we turned off on to a gravel road which took us the 10 miles to Granite Hot Springs Campground and the Hot Springs Swimming Pool.  The gravel road wound along the sides of the hills above Granite Creek which was roaring along with lots of swirling white water.  The road had many rocks sticking up to scrape the bottom of the car or potholes (particularly where culverts were starting to collapse.  We stopped to look at Granite Falls cascading over the rocks.   We have camped in the campground years ago and Michael was in the hot springs pool when he was four years old.

Falls of Granite Creek

Looking up Granite Creek to the pool

The swimming pool is fed by a hot spring; the water is about 98 degrees.  The pool is a somewhat circular shape with the hot springs water coming in to the pool through a large pile of rocks.  There are submerged rocks and ledge along the far side of the pool that you can sit on.  The pool is back up in Granite Creek Canyon and there is a high rocky cliff on one side and tree-covered slopes that go up to a snow-covered peak on the other side.  The white waters of Granite Creek roar down the slope near the pool.  A young deer come up along side of the fence around the pool.

Even though the pool is not really advertised and is at the end of a 10-mile long gravel road, there was quite a crowd (maybe 45 people) in the not-so-big pool.  We chatted with a couple from San Diego, California, a Mennonite family from Indiana, a youth group from nearby Jackson that were camping there, and a family from Utah who live in a two room log cabin that is solar powered.

When we first arrived there weren't as many people as there were later.  You still couldn't really swim laps because of the small, irregular size of the pool.  But I could swim back and forth.  Most of the time I sat or lay on the submerged rocks near the entrance of the hot water or on the far side of the pool.  The temperature of the water made it ideal to stay there forever - you never got chilled or too hot.   But eventually we had to leave so we could continue on our way.

Going back out the gravel road we passed numerous slopes / fields of a bright dark yellow flower which is called arrow balsamroot.   We have seen many other wild flowers - purple lupines and white western buckwheat.

The first half of our drive provided beautiful views of the different mountain ranges - the Teton, the Gros Ventre range, and the Wind Rivers.  We would drive around a curve and a new view of mountains would appear.   We went through Pinedale where the road goes off to the trail head for the hikes that we did in the Gros Ventres - the first time was when I was pregnant with Michael (thought I was experiencing more altitude sickness than usual).  We went back there when Michael was four years old both times with Doug and Hazel and other friends (including Uncle Chuck)

The second half of our day's drive was up on the high plateau, in the "high desert" according to the signs.  It is just mile after mile of sage brush which is low to the ground and a pale green color against light brown ground - not exciting to watch for 2 - 3 hours, particularly after spending so much time enjoying the mountains.  Did see two pronghorn antelopes close to the highway.  They look like large deer but have black and white markings on their face and have antlers that just slant straight back.

Gros Ventre and Wind River mountains in the distance; they eventually disappeared over the horizon, leaving just the sage-covered terrain in view

Got into the Days Inn here in Rock Springs early and had a good steak dinner next door at the sports bar.  Tomorrow we will be heading eastward (and home) on I - 80.  It was sad throughout today to think that we were saying good bye to the Tetons and the snow-covered mountains of the west and having to head home.