Climbing the Mountains

Our next stop was Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park, by way of Casper Wyoming. We gave ourselves an extra day to get there and we were glad we did. At Casper, we ate at the Wyoming Rib and Chop House, and besides our really excellent steak, had fried green tomatoes topped with lump crab meat and balsamic vinaigrette! It was unexpected and really yummy! The scenery was terrific, and there were places where we could see so far that we swore we could see the curvature of the earth. There was very little traffic, and the roads were straight and smooth. Some took us through small towns with interesting places to see. At one gas stop we met a couple who had taken their restored Chevy to the Sturgis Motorcycle rally, so we got some pictures. In Custer, we passed Ma and Pa’s New and Used Guns, and wondered if you could get one with the serial number filed off. We went through several miles of road with signs warning that they were Open Range and to beware of cattle crossing. At 80 miles per hour, we were glad we could see for miles! And then suddenly, what had appeared to be clouds revealed themselves to be the Grand Tetons. There was a lot of haze the first day, from the fires in California and Oregon, so our cameras couldn’t capture them, but our eyes could and they were astonishing. Finally, we pulled in to Teton Village, to the Teton Mountain Lodge and Spa, where we would spend the next four days. Since Yellowstone and the Tetons are so close, we decided to set our base there and scheduled several tours to cover both areas. Upon arrival, Bob and Penny were thrilled to discover that the Washington DC Driver’s Car Club was meeting at one of the hotels in Teton Village so Penny could have her picture taken with Porsche’s. Of course, that was only after Bob had taken her for a bath!

On our first full day, our plan was a float tour on the Snake River. This was with Mad River Boat Trips and our tour guide was Corry. This was a 13-mile float with Corry doing all the work, and telling us lots of stories and pointing out wildlife along the way. One of the areas we passed was a large ranch owned by Harrison Ford. Corry and his girlfriend, Haley, took care of Ford’s horses, including his horse, Cooper, which he rode in the movie ‘Cowboys and Aliens.’ You can look it up. Corry had lots of knowledge about the river, impressed us with his skills at climbing the Tetons, and climbing, camping and paddling adventures in many countries around the globe. He pointed out eagle nests, beaver dams and plenty of trout, and took us over a few very mild rapids just for fun. He also told us he had just closed on a house, so I expect his life will begin to change somewhat. It was a great trip. That evening we had dinner at Il Villaggio Osteria in Teton Village where we had lasagna and pomegranate Brussels sprouts. We are sharing our meals and this restaurant spilt our portions so hugely that we had a full portion to take back to the hotel, where we luckily had a refrigerator.

The next day we went on an all-day trip to Yellowstone with our guide Seth from EcoTour Adventures. This was a fantastic tour, and when I say all day, it really was. We began at 6am and it was all of 6pm when we returned to the hotel. We almost immediately spotted two bull moose, who were being followed on foot by two tourists. This became a standard for the day. Seth frequently called out to people who were so close to the wild animals that they were in danger, and also breaking the law, but to little avail. This is where you get those fascinating YouTube videos of tourists being chased by various annoyed wildlife, and sometimes injured. The ride to Yellowstone was about an hour and Seth filled us in on the economy of the area, especially as it relates to the working folks who make everything so interesting and comfortable for us tourists. The cost of living in Jackson Hole and surrounding areas is quite high, making it very difficult for the tour guides, wait staff, hotel support staff, and general service industry folks to live there. Seth, and we heard this from several other guides, camps in the national parks. Some have RV's and others are more rustic. The rules say they must move at least 5 miles every 5 days, so Seth has several camping sites mapped out and rotates between them. He told us that the billionaires are chasing out the millionaires in the area.

As we passed Jackson Lake in the Tetons on the way to Yellowstone, we were surprised to see the lake was very dry and down to the lakebed in many areas. Seth told us that Idaho actually owns this lake area and has been diverting the water to Idaho to irrigate the potato fields as they are under drought conditions. It will take a lot of snow in the next year or so to fill Jackson Lake again.

Because of the long drive to Yellowstone, Seth told us the story of John Colter, an explorer with Lewis and Clark, who is thought to have been the first person to see Yellowstone and the Tetons. As he returned to civilization, he told people of the geisers, bubbling mudpots and steaming lakes that he had seen, and most people thought him mad. They jokingly referred to his stories as 'Colter’s hell.' Ultimately, he was thought to be the first man to have discovered Yellowstone. One of the best things about having a guided tour is the stories they tell about the area.

Seth knew just where to take our group to see Old Faithful. There was a viewing area that was packed, but he knew a path below that area that was pretty deserted and offered a terrific view. As we expected, Old Faithful spouted right on time. Seth also showed us several areas where one might think it safe to walk out to what looks like a pleasant heated pond, but which is actually around 150 degrees, will take your skin right off, and the safe-looking ground will dissolve if you put one foot on it. We were glad he was with us. Old John Colter must have been a very cautious man to get out alive! We also saw an old bison lolling about near the entrance to Old Faithful, just taking a rest. The Grand Prismatic Springs were also beautiful, although could certainly be deadly, and we saw many mudpots and sulfur-smelling pools as we made our way through the park. One of my favorites was the Dragon’s Mouth Spring which is exactly what I would think a dragon’s mouth would smell like.

Yellowstone has its own Grand Canyon, and also its own waterfalls. The biggest Falls, known as the Lower Falls, at 308 feet, is the second most photographed attraction, Old Faithful being first. The best way to get the full beauty is to descend the ¾ mile roundtrip switchback path to the bottom and back to the top of the falls. Seth warned us that the path is not for the fainthearted, and one member of our group wisely chose to stay behind and view the falls from above. Sadly, that wise person was not me. I am not the steadiest person on my feet these days, but I decided as this was a once-in-a-lifetime event, I would be foolish not to make the trek. I was really more concerned with the trail down as it was mostly loose gravel and a few protruding tree roots, so I moved slowly, and managed to make it down without a fall. I did have several flashbacks to a trip several years ago in Puerto Rico, where I missed my footing and fell several feet onto my back on a rock, gaining a lovely bruise, but once I reached the bottom the view was as amazing as promised and I was glad I had come. Not so fast, Karen. You still have to get back up.

There were a few things I had forgotten. One is that, while I am not in bad shape, I am not in fantastic shape either. I can easily walk 5 miles in my neighborhood, and 15 miles in Disney World, but those are flat surface miles. Two is that I live at sea level, and we were not at sea level by a long shot, so the O2 levels were a bit different. And finally, I had a few years on everyone but Bob in our tour group. Seth again proved his professionalism by sticking with Bob and me and offering positive advice and encouraging frequent rest breaks and we made it, but I did worry that I might have bitten off more than I could chew for a while there.

As the tour continued we saw elk, grizzlies, moose, and beautiful vistas for miles. Yellowstone is a gorgeous park and well worth the trip. By the time we got home we were beat and the left-over lasagna was just what we needed.

On our final full day we had a sunrise trip to the Tetons scheduled, this time with Grizzly Country Wildlife Adventures and our guide, Jeremy. The day was much clearer, not nearly as much haze from the fires and we got some beautiful pictures of the sun climbing over the striking Teton range. We almost immediately saw a grizzly, a mom and baby moose, a herd of bison and a majestic elk by the name of Jake. Where Yellowstone is a park full of wondrous sites and wildlife around every corner, the Tetons climb into the heavens and remind me how truly insignificant we are in the grand scheme of the world. Rather than that making me feel unimportant, it puts any worries into perspective.

That evening, we decided to add one more adventure. We learned that Jackson Hole was having its final year rodeo with proceeds going to the Shriners hospital. As neither of us had ever been to a real rodeo, we thought we should take advantage of this one. It was September 11, so we were prepared for this to include some patriotic showings as well, which it did. We headed into town for dinner at the Silver Dollar Bar and Grill at the Wort Hotel in Jackson. The Wort hotel opened for business in 1941, and is a member of the Historic Hotels Worldwide. It houses 55 luxury hotel rooms, the Silver Dollar Grill, which is an upscale restaurant, and the more down-to-earth Silver Dollar Bar, which was just our style. In addition, they had a live band called Sghetti, and they were fantastic! One thing we noticed during our stay here is that huckleberries are big business. You find them in food, beverages and virtually all desserts. So I had the Teton Spritzer made with Huckleberry vodka, which was delicious. I also had the best brisket sandwich ever, doused in Wyoming Whiskey BBQ sauce that was to die for.

The rodeo was hilarious. I was worried that I would not enjoy seeing people thrown from angry animals, or worse, that it would appear that the animals were mistreated. But it truly seemed like great fun, and the horses, calves and bulls were fully in charge. As a rodeo neophyte, my favorite part was the bulls. The calves mostly beat the cowboys and only a few were fully roped. The horses seemed to be on crack and after throwing off the cowboys (which they did pretty quickly), they then ran and bucked wildly all over the arena taking the cowboys on a merry chase until they managed to catch them and get them back into the pen. But the bulls are fantastic. They come out bucking wildly, all muscle and bad attitude, throw off their wanna-be riders in seconds, then snort once or twice, lower their heads as if to say “Get. The. F*ck. Off.” then walk calmly and with complete dignity back into the pen. They are regal.

We were really glad that we had the chance to visit Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. The parks are incredibly beautiful, the people were lots of fun, the guides were well-prepared and added lots of information and value to the trip. And now it’s on to Glacier National Park. This one gives us a little apprehension as the temperature drops into the low forties at night, the hotel has very mixed reviews, and it is an almost 10-hour drive to get there. Wish us luck!