National parks, natural beauty and a bit of Disney wonder! COMPLETED - Page 32 - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
As of January 1, 2019, we have closed our forums. This is a decision we did not come to lightly, but it is necessary. The software our forums run on is just too out-of-date and it poses a significant security risk. The server software itself must be updated, and it cannot be without removing the forums.
So it is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our long-running forums. They came online in 2000 and brought together so many wonderful Disney fans. We had friendships form, careers launch, couples marry, children born ... all because of this amazing community.
Thank you to each of you who were a part of this community. You made it possible.
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There are other changes as well.
Why? Well, the world has changed. And change with it, we must. The lyrics to "We Go On" for IllumiNations say it best:
We go on to the joy and through the tears
We go on to discover new frontiers
Moving on with the current of the years.
We go on
Moving forward now as one
Moving on with a spirit born to run
Ever on with each rising sun.
To a new day, we go on.
It's time to move on and move forward.
PassPorter is a small business, and for many years it supported our family. But the world changed, print books took a backseat to the Internet, and for a long time now it has been unable to make ends meet. We've had to find new ways to support our family, which means new careers and less and less time available to devote to our first baby, PassPorter.
But eventually, we must move on and move forward. It is the right thing to do.
So we are retiring this newsletter, as we simply cannot keep up with it. Many thanks to Mouse Fan Travel who supported it all these years, to All Ears and MousePlanet who helped us with news, to our many article contributors, and -- most importantly -- to Sara Varney who edited our newsletter so wonderfully for years and years.
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If you miss us, you can still find some of us online. Sara started a new blog at DisneyParkPrincess.com -- I strongly urge you to visit and get on her mailing list. She IS the Disney park princess and knows Disney backward and forward. And I am blogging as well at JenniferMaker.com, which is a little craft blog I started a couple of years ago to make ends meet. You can see and hear me in my craft show at https://www.youtube.com/c/jennifermaker . Many PassPorter readers and fans are on Facebook, in groups they formed like the PassPorter Trip Reports and PassPorter Crafting Challenge (if you join, just let them know you read about it in the newsletter). And some of our most devoted community members started a forum of their own at Pixie Dust Lane and all are invited over.
So we encourage you to stay in touch with us and your fellow community members wherever works best for you!
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I so wanted to visit Glacier as well, but it didn't work out for this trip. I'm hoping though maybe on a future trip it will work out, as that's definitely on the list of places I want to see!
So maybe I'll be able to return the favor and provide you with planning advice!
Sunday 11 September – part two: this isn’t “narrow and winding”!
We hit the road again and made our way to Jackson Lake Dam, which gave us some wonderful views. I hadn’t thought about them needing them a dam here. :
Then we found the road that takes you up to the summit of Signal Mountain. I had read about this and my guidebook told me that it was “narrow and winding” and that did worry me, as I don’t do well with that combination on roads but actually, they have no idea of “narrow and winding”. If they want narrow, they should try some of the roads that we’ve been on in Cornwall in the south west of England before now. All along here, you could easily pass two cars and you certainly couldn’t on some of the Cornish roads. :
It took a fair while to make it up to the top, but when we did, it was worth the view. It wasn’t the view I was expecting. I thought that it would give us a stunning view of the lake beneath us, but instead, we were looking out in another direction completely. It was good, as it gave us the opportunity to see how big the park was, as it sprawled out beneath us. There was just so much of it and no road in sight anywhere, so how else you’d see this view, I don’t know.
As we stood there, marvelling at the view, and also feeling the effects of altitude a bit, we saw a bird swooping around. No-one there was 100% sure what it was. Some thought an eagle, but we didn’t know for sure. I got the best possible photos I could of it anyway.
We started to make our way towards Jenny Lake, stopping at various lookout points on the way, as the views were just amazing. However, having said that, they were all of the mountains. I don’t mean that to sound disrespectful, but after Yellowstone, which had so many different facets to it, the Grand Tetons felt a bit like a one-trick pony to me. As I say, it’s not meant to be disrespectful in any way, but I was starting to feel that perhaps the way to do this route is the reverse to us, i.e. starting with the Grand Tetons and then heading into Yellowstone. That feeling would be reinforced as the day wore on...
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I like craggy mountain views, so these shots look spectacular to me. I agree, if there was passing room on those routes, that's not a "narrow, winding road"! Those roads in Cornwall (or northern Scotland) feel too narrow for even one car!
I'm not great with birds, but I THINK the flying one is an Osprey?? And the little one on the ground looks like a female sage grouse. Very cute!
After having seen various mountains across the states, I still love the look of the Tetons. I have yet to see the Swiss Alps (aside from your photos, of course ). I'm glad you still had sunny weather, but it looks like it was a bit hazy that morning. Kind of a bummer!
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It's funny how people have their favorite park. Mine does happen to be the Tetons. We did get to hike it though. Almost got to our destination but there was too much snow on the trail and I was afraid we would get lost. A few days later we went to the Rocky Mtns which we hiked as well. When we got to our destination, my daughter said "this is it?" We were not impressed at all.
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Lovely photos. I think that was an eagle/hawk of some sort (no white on the bottom of the wings - so its not a vulture) - although I cannot quite tell which species of eagle or hawk it is.
You know, it's strange to have people talk about the views, when we have similar ones here all the time. When my parents come visit from Louisiana, they can't believe the views they get from our house. I guess I just take them for granted!
I am learning so much from your TR, and am sadly learning about stuff practically in my backyard! I am filing away much of this information so we can plan our own trip soon.
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it will work out, as that's definitely on the list of places I want to see! 
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but actually, they have no idea of “narrow and winding”. If they want narrow, they should try some of the roads that we’ve been on in Cornwall in the south west of England before now. All along here, you could easily pass two cars and you certainly couldn’t on some of the Cornish roads. 
). I'm glad you still had sunny weather, but it looks like it was a bit hazy that morning. Kind of a bummer!
Tricia
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