erynwells.me/content/blog/2024/jackson-and-other-holes/index.md

---
title: Jackson and Other Holes
date: 2024-10-28T16:16:28-06:00
description: >
  My fourth annual trip with a group of high school friends took us to
  Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks.
categories: Travel
tags:
  - Friends
  - Idaho
  - Wyoming
  - Montana
  - National Parks
  - Yellowstone
  - Grand Teton
resources:
  - name: tetons-plane
    src: tetons-plane.jpg
    title: The view of the Grand Tetons on approach to JAC.
    params:
      alt: >
        Four craggy peaks rise into a low cloud layer. A streak of flow streaks
        off of the tallest peak like smoke from a candle. The foothills around
        these mountains are covered in trees.
  - name: tetons-airbnb
    src: tetons-airbnb.jpg
    title: The Grand Tetons from the Teton Valley, where our Airbnb was.
    params:
      alt: >
        The four Teton peaks appear dramatically above a cluster of buildings in
        the middle of a field.
  - name: jackson-drug-co
    src: jackson-drug-co.jpg
    title: Jackson's town square is full of quaint shops and local color.
    params:
      alt: >
        The Jackson Drug Company storefront at the corner of Cache and Deloney
        in Jackson, Wyoming. There are white benches out front and clusters of
        Halloween pumpkins decorating the doorway. The windows advertise ice
        cream, meals, and alcohol for purchase.
  - src: cowboy-bar-group-photo.jpg
    title: >
      The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is quite a place. All the seats along the
      bar are saddles!
    params:
      alt: >
        Nine people sitting along a bar, smiling at the camera. The restaurant
        is full of old-timey western decorations. Behind the group is a set of
        pool tables with red felt.
  - src: sunrise.jpg
    title: >
      The sunrise this morning was stunning, with the mountains lit from
      behind.
    params:
      alt: >
        The Teton mountains lit from behind by the rising sun. The sky is
        colored dramatically in blues, pinks, and purples. In front of the
        mountains is a mist layer and sillouettes of several farm buildings.
  - src: prismatic-spring.jpg
    title: The Grand Prismatic Spring
    params:
      alt: >
        A large hot spring surrounded by flat barren fields. Around the rim are
        dramatic orange, blue, and yellow rings. Steam billows from the surface.
  - src: barry-profile.jpg
    title: >
      We spotted Barry the Bison grazing on the grasses along the Fairy Falls
      trail, on the way up to the Grand Prismatic Spring observation point.
    params:
      alt: >
        A bison in a field. In the background, steam rises from unknown sources.
  - src: grand-canyon.jpg
    title: >
      The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
    params:
      alt: >
        A V-shaped canyon of solid yellow stone. A large waterfall pours water
        into a river running along the bottom of the canyon. Trees cover the
        canyon walls.
  - src: buck.jpg
    title: >
      This guy kept circling back to the ditch on the far side of this road to
      attack a traffic cone that, presumably, had committed some egregious
      offense.
    params:
      alt: >
        A young elk with a small set of antlers stands in the middle of a road.
        Cars wait for him to pass.
  - src: jenny-lake-panorama.jpg
    title: A panorama of Jenny Lake. Photobomb by Alex.
    params:
      alt: >
        A paraoramic photo of a clear, blue lake. Immediately behind it are
        tree-covered mountains. On the far right of the frame, a person makes a
        peace sign and sticks out their tongue at the camera.
  - src: leigh-lake.jpg
    title: Leigh Lake
    params:
      alt: >
        A still lake reflects the image of the mountains behind it. In the near
        foreground are various water plants.
  - src: signal-mountain-1.jpg
    title: 
    params:
      alt: >
        A broad landscape perspective showing a river running through a thick
        forest.
  - src: signal-mountain-2.jpg
    title: 
    params:
      alt: >
        A landscape perspective showing a wide flat plain, partially covered in
        trees. Roughly in the middle is a lake.
  - src: mormon-row-out-buildings.jpg
    title: >
      A couple of the farm buildings in the Mormon Row area. These were built in
      the early 20<sup>th</sup> century, and lived in until the 1970s!
    params:
      alt: >
        Two weathered cabin-style buildings. The Teton mountains are in the
        background.
  - src: mormon-row-barn.jpg
    title: >
      One of the barns at the farthest-out settlement along Mormon Row. Hard to
      complain about the view, but the wind out here was brutal.
    params:
      alt: >
        A two-story barn with a variety of siding on each level. The roof of the
        main part is a traditional barn shape. On the left is a small
        trapezoidal extension. The Teton mountains are visible in the
        background.
  - src: mormon-row-cow-path.jpg
    title: Following the cow paths through the fields.
    params:
      alt: >
        In a dead field of short grasses a small path cuts through. Farther
        along the path a person wearing a white shirt follows the cut. In the
        background are a few buildings and one person.
  - src: duck-butts.jpg
    title: Butts. Lol.
    params:
      alt: >
        Five ducks in a pond. Four of them have bobbed down into the water, with
        their tail feathers pointing up.
  - src: schwabacher-group.jpg
    title: Most of our group, minus Tess and me (taking the photo).
    params:
      alt: >
        Seven people almost all wearing sunglasses standing on a fallen tree.
        The tree has numerous branches off of the main trunk. 
  - src: moose.jpg
    title: Oh my god, there's a moose on the loose!
    params:
      alt: A moose stands in a field of sagebrush near a single tree.
  - name: sunset-video
    src: sunset.mov
    title: The sunset from Schwabacher Landing
  - src: genevieve.jpg
    title: >
      The Most Noble Pig, proprietor (I assume) of Cafe Genevieve in Jackson,
      Wyoming.
    params:
      alt: >
        A framed painting of a pig on a dark background. The pig looks sideways
        at the viewer. The painting has a small caption plate saying "A Most
        Noble Pig". The painting is mounted on a wall covered in a busy
        wallpaper showing leaves, mushrooms, flowers, and pigs.
---

I recently returned from a trip with a group of my high school friends. This is
the fourth annual trip we've taken as a group, and we covered a lot of ground,
visiting three states and two national parks. Here's what we got up to.


## Day 1

We arrived at [Jackson Hole Airport][jac] (JAC) on Wednesday afternoon. This
airport is the only one [located in a national park][jacwp]. That fact coupled
with a flight path that brings planes in from the north means we got a stunning
first look at the Teton[^1] mountains from the plane.

{{< figures/image name=tetons-plane >}}

We stopped for beers at [Snake River Brewing][snakeriverbrew] in Jackson,
Wyoming before heading over the [Teton Pass][tetonpass] to our AirBnb, about six
miles outside of [Driggs, Idaho][driggs].

{{< figures/image name=tetons-airbnb >}}

The [Teton mountains][tetons] are quite striking. I couldn’t get enough photos
of them, especially with the pastoral foregrounds of farm buildings and fields.
The photo above is from the deck of our Airbnb, on the opposite side of the
range from the one I took from the plane.


## Day 2

Our first full day was a relaxed tourist day in Jackson. We had lunch at [Grand
Teton Brewing][gtbrew] in [Victor, Idaho][victor], then drove over the pass to
Jackson. The town is situated around a central square that's surrounded by shops
and restaurants.

{{< figures/image name=jackson-drug-co >}}

We spent the afternoon wandering in and out of the local stores, and stopped in
the delightfully kitschy [Million Dollar Cowboy Bar][cowboy-bar] for drinks and
a round of pool.

{{< figures/image name=cowboy-bar-group-photo.jpg >}}

Dinner was pizza from [Pinky G's][pinkyg] in Victor.


## Day 3

We were up early today to drive into [Yellowstone National Park][yellowstonenp].

{{< figures/image name=sunrise.jpg >}}

We opted to spend our day in the west and south side of the park, touring the
[Grand Prismatic][prismaticnps] [Spring][prismaticwp] and [Old
Faithful][oldfaithful]. I enjoyed reading about the geology of the area, and how
the volcanic activity below the surface drives the geysers, mud pots, and hot
springs the park is best known for.

The Prismatic Spring was a bucket list item for me, so I was thrilled to get to
see it.

{{< figures/image name=prismatic-spring.jpg >}}

We hiked along the Fairy Falls trail to the overlook and spotted our first
megafauna of the trip: a bison! He was grazing along the trail. We named him
Barry.

{{< figures/image name=barry-profile.jpg >}}

From there we drove down the road to the [Old Faithful Visitor Education
Center][oldfaithfulvec]. We’d just missed an eruption, so we opted to hang out
until the next one. Meanwhile we had some lunch and wandered the visitor
center's exhibit on the various geothermal features in the geyser basin.

Our last stops of the day were the [Grand Canyon of Yellowstone][grandcanyon] –
a name this group of Arizonans found somewhat bewildering – and Hayden Valley.
The Canyon didn’t disappoint; is indeed grand.

{{< figures/image name=grand-canyon.jpg >}}

On the way out of the park, we came across a group of elk, including a
particularly feisty young male who was determined to put a traffic cone in its
place.

{{< figures/image name=buck.jpg >}}

We stopped for dinner at the [Slippery Otter][slipperyotter] in West Yellowstone
before heading home.


## Day 4

The first of two days at [Grand Teton National Park][gtnp] started with
sandwiches from a small deli in [Moose, Wyoming][moosewy]. This town, along with
the airport, also sits within the national park boundaries. A little ways down
the road we came to [Jenny Lake][jennylake].

{{< figures/image name=jenny-lake-panorama.jpg >}}

We also hiked around [Leigh Lake][leighlake], the next in a chain of lakes at
the immediate base of the mountains.

{{< figures/image name=leigh-lake.jpg >}}

We wrapped up this day with a drive up [Signal Mountain][signalmtn][^2] and an
unsuccessful moose-spotting drive down the Moose-Wilson Road.

{{< figures/image name=signal-mountain-1.jpg >}}

{{< figures/image name=signal-mountain-2.jpg >}}

Before bed, a bunch of us enjoyed the hot tub and beautifully clear night skies.
We found Jupiter and Saturn, as well as several constellations. The Milky Way
was overhead as well. I *always* enjoy stargazing, and don’t get to do it nearly
enough under dark skies. This was a real treat.


## Day 5

Our first stop in the park was Mormon Row, a chain of houses and farm buildings
constructed by Mormon homesteaders in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century.

{{< figures/image name=mormon-row-out-buildings.jpg >}}

{{< figures/image name=mormon-row-barn.jpg >}}

Seeing how these people carved a living out of a relatively harsh
environment[^3] is awe inspiring.

{{< figures/image name=mormon-row-cow-path.jpg >}}

We drove further down the road to [Lower Slide Lake][lowerslide] to spend a
little time relaxing and waiting for sunset. We skipped rocks and built cairns
at the lakeshore, and admired the scenic views of the farms across the lake.

Our last scheduled stop was an attempt to catch the sun setting behind the
peaks. We drove out to [Schwabacher Landing][schwabacher] and hiked a little
ways in. This spot was a gorgeous place to wait for the sun. A bunch of the
group climbed into a fallen tree for a particularly silly group photo.

{{< figures/image name=schwabacher-group.jpg >}}

We also caught some duck butts!

{{< figures/image name=duck-butts.jpg >}}

I managed to take a time lapse video of the sun setting. It was going great
until the wind blew it off its jaunty perch on a branch.

{{< figures/image name=sunset-video >}}

On the way home we took another shot at catching a moose along the Moose-Wilson
Road, and this time we were successful! A short way down the road, we came to a
clearing where not one but two moose were grazing in the sagebrush.

{{< figures/image name=moose.jpg >}}

Given our prior unsuccessful attempt, several of us had tempered our
expectations going into this drive. That made seeing two moose so quickly into
the drive all the more exciting.


## Day 6

Time to head home. 😢 We broke camp at the Airbnb in the morning and said
goodbyes to a few of our group with flights out of Bozeman, Montana. Due to a
complication with our rental cars, I drove twice over Teton Pass to get everyone
to JAC who needed to be there.

{{< figures/image name=genevieve.jpg >}}

Trent, Tess, and I had a last lunch at [Cafe Genevieve][genevieve] in Jackson.
Then, we returned the rental car and caught our flights home.


## Hasta Luego

This group means a lot to me. We’ve hung together through the worst of the
pandemic, and make time every year to spend a few days together. There are
challenges and small conflicts every year, but we always make it through and
continue to put in the work to make these trips happen. I’m so grateful for
that.


[^1]: Tess informed me shortly after landing of the meaning of the French word
_téton_. A fact that delighted me for the entirety of the trip. Two lesbians
traveling to the middle of the country to check out "the great tits" is about as
on the nose as it gets, isn’t it?
[^2]: The view from the top of signal mountain is breathtaking, however I
couldn’t help notice one of the water features bears a certain phallic
resemblance.
[^3]: Some of the signage here explained that the homesteaders picked this spot
because the nearby butte sheltered them from the wind. Several of us found
this fact unbelievable considering how windy it was that day.

[jac]: https://www.jacksonholeairport.com
[jacwp]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Hole_Airport
[snakeriverbrew]: https://www.snakeriverbrewing.com
[tetons]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton_Range
[tetonpass]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton_Pass
[victor]: https://victoridaho.gov
[gtbrew]: https://grandtetonbrewing.com
[pinkyg]: https://pinkygs.com
[driggs]: http://www.driggs.govoffice.com/
[yellowstonenp]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm
[prismaticnps]: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/grand-prismatic-spring.htm
[prismaticwp]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prismatic_Spring
[oldfaithful]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/exploreoldfaithful.htm
[oldfaithfulvec]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/oldfaithfulvec.htm
[grandcanyon]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/canyonplan.htm
[slipperyotter]: https://www.yelp.com/biz/slippery-otter-pub-west-yellowstone
[gtnp]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm
[moosewy]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose,_Wyoming
[jennylake]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/jennylakeplan.htm
[leighlake]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/stringleighplan.htm
[signalmtn]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/signalmountainplan.htm
[cowboy-bar]: https://www.milliondollarcowboybar.com/
[lowerslide]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Slide_Lake
[schwabacher]: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/schwabacher-landing.htm
[genevieve]: https://genevievejh.com