A Taste of the Old West -- Jackson, Wyoming

Days 4-5. Leaving Craters of the Moon, we drove through Idaho Falls, Idaho and on to Wyoming. I took this picture thinking it was a potato storage barn. Idaho = potatoes, right? But I haven't been able to find an "official" picture to verify it. If you know what this little half-buried house is, please post. In the meantime, it pleases me to think it's a potato barn.

Instead of driving over the Snake River Range, we decided to go south between the Snake and Caribou Ranges to enter Wyoming. The country is gorgeous! This part of our drive felt like a day trip to the mountains--comfortably cool, sunny skies, relaxing pace.

We were heading for Jackson, Wyoming at the base of the Grand Teton Mountain Range, a picturesque mountain town that is home to many art galleries and lots of western culture.

 Here is Greg in front of a cowboy-on-bronco statue, and under the antler arch at the town square. The antlers are shed by the elk in spring, and collected by the local Boy Scouts.

I made only two reservations in advance for this trip—Jackson, because it's close to Yellowstone, and New Hampshire, because we would need to stay in one place for several days. My former self—having had to spend the night in the car one too many times for lack of calling ahead—would have booked everything in advance. But this was my new, free-wheeling, adventuresome self. The first time that I traveled with my sister towing the trailer, she insisted on no reservations, so we weren't restricted to a predesignated course and time frame. Early each morning, we drove to wherever we were going to stay and found a campsite immediately. Then we unhitched the trailer and went sight-seeing. I was flabbergasted at how well it worked!

Greg and I ended up staying in Jackson for two nights--the first time we stayed over in the same place since leaving home. It made a nice break and we loved the town. So many galleries and boutiques, and always a tip of the hat to the old west.

One Western aspect that gave us pause on occasion was the number of animal heads hanging on walls in stores, hotels, and even restaurants. We looked up, after being seated in a steakhouse the first evening, into the moldering beard of a huge bison head hanging smack dab over our table. Wish I'd had my camera. Amid giggles, I asked Greg if he wanted to move. We didn't, but I caught him surreptitiously looking for stray hairs in his dinner, and I don't think he expected them to be from the cook!

We made a few other furry friends in town, too. Some of them even got smiles out of Greg!

The weather in Jackson was wonderful. Not too hot, not too cold, sunny and clear during the day; sweaters in the evening. The resort area of Jackson Hole, and Teton Village at the lower entrance to Grand Teton National Park were only a few miles to the north, but we needed the rest, and we would be driving through the park on the way to Yellowstone. So we spent the two days lazily wandering around town, breakfasting twice at a popular restaurant called The Bunnery,  just a jog from our hotel. Of course, that meant suffering horrible misquotes from Hamlet--Get thee to a bunnery! Groan.

We were sorry to leave Jackson behind, especially because the weather changed the day we left, as you can see from this picture taken on the road. The Tetons were completely shrouded, a big disappointment. I was glad that we'd been able to see some of the peaks from Jackson before the weather changed.

 Join us next Saturday, when Greg and I make a tense, whirlwind trip through Yellowstone National Park in the snow--a winter wonderland with steam heat!