Jackson Hole / Yellowstone Recap: Days 1-2

DAY 1 – 8/20 (Thursday): Arrival!! Sit next to local, Dick Aurelio, on the plane who gives us several outstanding recommendations for our trip. After getting our bags and picking up our stylish yet rugged, silver Kia Sorrento from Alamo, we head into town and stop at Dick’s 1st suggestion: The Granary Bar at South Creek Ranch. There’s an amazing view of the Tetons through the window we sit in front of at the bar. Steven’s our server – a 23-year old from Rochester, NY who quit his job at Budweiser to move to WY and become a ski bum. His sidekick Matt went to Auburn and has been bartending all his life. They both offer additional itineraries for the duration of our stay. We order 2 burgers – 1) a buffalo burger with cheddar cheese and greens, and 2) a combo buffalo / elk burger that is essentially served raw. Those that know me understand that I enjoy my meat cooked well, as far from bloody as possible; however, my vacation, “when in Rome do as the Romans” attitude kicked in, and I have to say the squishy, bright red meat was actually quite satisfying. K downed a couple local beers – Snake River pale ale and lager, while I stuck to a glass of Malbec.

After a later dinner we checked into our hotel in Teton Village – Hotel Terra. It’s about a 20 minute drive from downtown Jackson Hole. Our urban studio is surprisingly spacious – Murphy bed, fully-stocked kitchenette, entry way and all. We pack for the next morning’s adventure then hit the sack.




DAY 2 – 8/21 (Friday): Wake up call for 7:00 am, depart for Grand Teton National Park around 8. Moose-Wilson Rd, is closed, so as opposed to taking the entrance that’s 1 mile from our hotel, we take a 30 minute detour through Jackson and past the airport to get to Moose. After a stop at the Visitors’ Center, we drive to Jenny Lake, take a boat ride across, and hike up to Hidden Falls, Inspiration Point, and through Cascade Canyon. The views are picturesque and remind me of South Lake Tahoe. We meet a precious family with 3 kids from DC, and offer to take a couple pictures of them and send via E-mail as their camera batteries have died. Our paths cross a couple more times on the trails, each time reminding me how excited I am to have a family one day to travel and hike with...


We stop near an opening in the shade in front of a small lake for lunch. My Eagle Scout hubby brought 4 MRE's (meals ready to eat) for the trip, and today tired cheese tortellini. While the taste was less than spectacular, I was intrigued and impressed with how comprehensive 1 small brown plastic bag could be. Absolutely everything we needed was enclosed. We shared pears, apple slices, crackers and peanut butter, skittles, and the main course. K filled a green plastic bag with less than an inch of water, it started steaming, and viola! 6 minutes later we had hot (ok – warm) Italian food! It did the trick of filling up our bellies.



After a quick crackberry break (yes – in the middle of the wilderness picture K with his sunglasses on forehead, typing away on his electronic leash), we were back on the trail. [As a disclaimer, aside from an urgent E-mail that he had to send at the airport on our way out, K has been very good at disengaging from work and I can tell that he’s happily mellow and de-stressed. The main purpose of his BB break was to send a tranquil, mountainous picture to his boss with the subject, “Are you jealous?”] We took the boat back across Jenny Lake, made it back to the Kia, and drove the rest of the Grand Teton Loop, stopping at Oxford Bend and Mormon Row (our first official bison viewing). After that we headed back into town and walked the square. We picked up tomorrow’s breakfast – turkey and swiss croissants – at the Bunnery, then had the best Thai food we’ve ever experienced at Teton Thai (stellar suggestion #2 from plane friend Dick). Our dumplings, my pad Thai, and K’s green curry with noodles were all extremely authentic and delicious. It was clearly a local hot spot and was crowded by the time we left. We stopped by Albertsons on the way back to our hotel and picked up a bottle of wine. We relaxed and took a shower (felt amazing to get the ripe, sweaty stench off our bodies – I’m pretty sure K overheard someone at a store in the square say out loud that we stink), then went to bed...