"Jackson and Other Holes"
Travel post about going to Jackson, WY, Yellowstone, and the Grand Tetons with the HS friends group.
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---
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title: Jackson and Other Holes
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date: 2024-10-28T16:16:28-06:00
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categories: Travel
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tags: [Friends, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, National Parks]
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resources:
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- name: tetons-plane
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src: tetons-plane.jpg
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title: The view of the Grand Tetons on approach to JAC.
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params:
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alt: >
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Four craggy peaks rise into a low cloud layer. A streak of flow streaks
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off of the tallest peak like smoke from a candle. The foothills around
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these mountains are covered in trees.
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- name: tetons-airbnb
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src: tetons-airbnb.jpg
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title: The Grand Tetons from the Teton Valley, where our Airbnb was.
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params:
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alt: >
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The four Teton peaks appear dramatically above a cluster of buildings in
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the middle of a field.
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- name: jackson-drug-co
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src: jackson-drug-co.jpg
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title: Jackson's town square is full of quaint shops and local color.
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params:
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alt: >
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The Jackson Drug Company storefront at the corner of Cache and Deloney
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in Jackson, Wyoming. There are white benches out front and clusters of
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Halloween pumpkins decorating the doorway. The windows advertise ice
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cream, meals, and alcohol for purchase.
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- src: cowboy-bar-group-photo.jpg
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title: >
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The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar is quite a place. All the seats along the
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bar are saddles!
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params:
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alt: >
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Nine people sitting along a bar, smiling at the camera. The restaurant
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is full of old-timey western decorations. Behind the group is a set of
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pool tables with red felt.
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- src: sunrise.jpg
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title: >
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The sunrise this morning was stunning, with the mountains lit from
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behind.
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params:
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alt: >
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The Teton mountains lit from behind by the rising sun. The sky is
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colored dramatically in blues, pinks, and purples. In front of the
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mountains is a mist layer and sillouettes of several farm buildings.
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- src: prismatic-spring.jpg
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title: The Grand Prismatic Spring
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params:
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alt: >
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A large hot spring surrounded by flat barren fields. Around the rim are
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dramatic orange, blue, and yellow rings. Steam billows from the surface.
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- src: barry-profile.jpg
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title: >
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We spotted Barry the Bison grazing on the grasses along the Fairy Falls
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trail, on the way up to the Grand Prismatic Spring observation point.
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params:
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alt: >
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A bison in a field. In the background, steam rises from unknown sources.
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- src: grand-canyon.jpg
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title: >
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The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone
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params:
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alt: >
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A V-shaped canyon of solid yellow stone. A large waterfall pours water
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into a river running along the bottom of the canyon. Trees cover the
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canyon walls.
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- src: buck.jpg
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title: >
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This guy kept circling back to the ditch on the far side of this road to
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attack a traffic cone that, presumably, had committed some egregious
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offense.
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params:
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alt: >
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A young elk with a small set of antlers stands in the middle of a road.
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Cars wait for him to pass.
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- src: jenny-lake-panorama.jpg
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title: A panorama of Jenny Lake. Photobomb by Alex.
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params:
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alt: >
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A paraoramic photo of a clear, blue lake. Immediately behind it are
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tree-covered mountains. On the far right of the frame, a person makes a
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peace sign and sticks out their tongue at the camera.
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- src: leigh-lake.jpg
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title: Leigh Lake
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params:
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alt: >
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A still lake reflects the image of the mountains behind it. In the near
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foreground are various water plants.
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- src: signal-mountain-1.jpg
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title:
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params:
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alt: >
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A broad landscape perspective showing a river running through a thick
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forest.
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- src: signal-mountain-2.jpg
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title:
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params:
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alt: >
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A landscape perspective showing a wide flat plain, partially covered in
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trees. Roughly in the middle is a lake.
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- src: mormon-row-out-buildings.jpg
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title: >
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A couple of the farm buildings in the Mormon Row area. These were built in
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the early 20<sup>th</sup> century, and lived in until the 1970s!
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params:
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alt: >
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Two weathered cabin-style buildings. The Teton mountains are in the
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background.
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- src: mormon-row-barn.jpg
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title: >
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One of the barns at the farthest-out settlement along Mormon Row. Hard to
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complain about the view, but the wind out here was brutal.
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params:
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alt: >
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A two-story barn with a variety of siding on each level. The roof of the
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main part is a traditional barn shape. On the left is a small
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trapezoidal extension. The Teton mountains are visible in the
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background.
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- src: mormon-row-cow-path.jpg
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title: Following the cow paths through the fields.
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params:
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alt: >
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In a dead field of short grasses a small path cuts through. Farther
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along the path a person wearing a white shirt follows the cut. In the
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background are a few buildings and one person.
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- src: duck-butts.jpg
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title: Butts. Lol.
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params:
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alt: >
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Five ducks in a pond. Four of them have bobbed down into the water, with
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their tail feathers pointing up.
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- src: schwabacher-group.jpg
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title: Most of our group, minus Tess and me (taking the photo).
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params:
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alt: >
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Seven people almost all wearing sunglasses standing on a fallen tree.
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The tree has numerous branches off of the main trunk.
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- src: moose.jpg
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title: Oh my god, there's a moose on the loose!
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params:
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alt: A moose stands in a field of sagebrush near a single tree.
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- name: sunset-video
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src: sunset.mov
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title: The sunset from Schwabacher Landing
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- src: genevieve.jpg
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title: >
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The Most Noble Pig, proprietor (I assume) of Cafe Genevieve in Jackson,
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Wyoming.
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params:
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alt: >
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A framed painting of a pig on a dark background. The pig looks sideways
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at the viewer. The painting has a small caption plate saying "A Most
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Noble Pig". The painting is mounted on a wall covered in a busy
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wallpaper showing leaves, mushrooms, flowers, and pigs.
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---
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The fourth annual trip with a group of my high school friends took us to
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Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana, October 23–28, 2024.
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## Day 1
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We arrived at [Jackson Hole Airport][jac] (JAC) on Wednesday afternoon. This
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airport is the only one [located in a national park][jacwp]. That fact coupled
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with a flight path that brings planes in from the north means we got a stunning
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first look at the Teton[^1] mountains from the plane.
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{{< figures/image name=tetons-plane >}}
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We stopped for beers at [Snake River Brewing][snakeriverbrew] in Jackson,
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Wyoming before heading over the [Teton Pass][tetonpass] to our AirBnb, about six
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miles outside of [Driggs, Idaho][driggs].
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{{< figures/image name=tetons-airbnb >}}
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The [Teton mountains][tetons] are quite striking. I couldn’t get enough photos
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of them, especially with the pastoral foregrounds of farm buildings and fields.
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The photo above is from the deck of our Airbnb, on the opposite side of the
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range from the one I took from the plane.
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## Day 2
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Our first full day was a relaxed tourist day in Jackson. We had lunch at [Grand
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Teton Brewing][gtbrew] in [Victor, Idaho][victor], then drove over the pass to
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Jackson. The town is situated around a central square that's surrounded by shops
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and restaurants.
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{{< figures/image name=jackson-drug-co >}}
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We spent the afternoon wandering in and out of the local stores, and stopped in
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the delightfully kitschy [Million Dollar Cowboy Bar][cowboy-bar] for drinks and
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a round of pool.
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{{< figures/image name=cowboy-bar-group-photo.jpg >}}
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Dinner was pizza from [Pinky G's][pinkyg] in Victor.
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## Day 3
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We were up early today to drive into [Yellowstone National Park][yellowstonenp].
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{{< figures/image name=sunrise.jpg >}}
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We opted to spend our day in the west and south side of the park, touring the
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[Grand Prismatic][prismaticnps] [Spring][prismaticwp] and [Old
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Faithful][oldfaithful]. I enjoyed reading about the geology of the area, and how
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the volcanic activity below the surface drives the geysers, mud pots, and hot
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springs the park is best known for.
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The Prismatic Spring was a bucket list item for me, so I was thrilled to get to
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see it.
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{{< figures/image name=prismatic-spring.jpg >}}
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We hiked along the Fairy Falls trail to the overlook and spotted our first
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megafauna of the trip: a bison! He was grazing along the trail. We named him
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Barry.
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{{< figures/image name=barry-profile.jpg >}}
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From there we drove down the road to the [Old Faithful Visitor Education
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Center][oldfaithfulvec]. We’d just missed an eruption, so we opted to hang out
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until the next one. Meanwhile we had some lunch and wandered the visitor
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center's exhibit on the various geothermal features in the geyser basin.
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Our last stops of the day were the [Grand Canyon of Yellowstone][grandcanyon] –
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a name this group of Arizonans found somewhat bewildering – and Hayden Valley.
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The Canyon didn’t disappoint; is indeed grand.
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{{< figures/image name=grand-canyon.jpg >}}
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On the way out of the park, we came across a group of elk, including a
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particularly feisty young male who was determined to put a traffic cone in its
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place.
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{{< figures/image name=buck.jpg >}}
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We stopped for dinner at the [Slippery Otter][slipperyotter] in West Yellowstone
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before heading home.
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## Day 4
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The first of two days at [Grand Teton National Park][gtnp] started with
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sandwiches from a small deli in [Moose, Wyoming][moosewy]. This town, along with
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the airport, also sits within the national park boundaries. A little ways down
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the road we came to [Jenny Lake][jennylake].
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{{< figures/image name=jenny-lake-panorama.jpg >}}
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We also hiked around [Leigh Lake][leighlake], the next in a chain of lakes at
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the immediate base of the mountains.
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{{< figures/image name=leigh-lake.jpg >}}
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We wrapped up this day with a drive up [Signal Mountain][signalmtn][^2] and an
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unsuccessful moose-spotting drive down the Moose-Wilson Road.
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{{< figures/image name=signal-mountain-1.jpg >}}
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{{< figures/image name=signal-mountain-2.jpg >}}
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Before bed, a bunch of us enjoyed the hot tub and beautifully clear night skies.
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We found Jupiter and Saturn, as well as several constellations. The Milky Way
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was overhead as well. I *always* enjoy stargazing, and don’t get to do it nearly
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enough under dark skies. This was a real treat.
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## Day 5
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Our first stop in the park was Mormon Row, a chain of houses and farm buildings
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constructed by Mormon homesteaders in the early 20<sup>th</sup> century.
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{{< figures/image name=mormon-row-out-buildings.jpg >}}
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{{< figures/image name=mormon-row-barn.jpg >}}
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Seeing how these people carved a living out of a relatively harsh
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environment[^3] is awe inspiring.
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{{< figures/image name=mormon-row-cow-path.jpg >}}
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We drove further down the road to [Lower Slide Lake][lowerslide] to spend a
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little time relaxing and waiting for sunset. We skipped rocks and built cairns
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at the lakeshore, and admired the scenic views of the farms across the lake.
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Our last scheduled stop was an attempt to catch the sun setting behind the
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peaks. We drove out to [Schwabacher Landing][schwabacher] and hiked a little
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ways in. This spot was a gorgeous place to wait for the sun. A bunch of the
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group climbed into a fallen tree for a particularly silly group photo.
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{{< figures/image name=schwabacher-group.jpg >}}
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We also caught some duck butts!
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{{< figures/image name=duck-butts.jpg >}}
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I managed to take a time lapse video of the sun setting. It was going great
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until the wind blew it off its jaunty perch on a branch.
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{{< figures/image name=sunset-video >}}
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On the way home we took another shot at catching a moose along the Moose-Wilson
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Road, and this time we were successful! A short way down the road, we came to a
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clearing where not one but two moose were grazing in the sagebrush.
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{{< figures/image name=moose.jpg >}}
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Given our prior unsuccessful attempt, several of us had tempered our
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expectations going into this drive. That made seeing two moose so quickly into
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the drive all the more exciting.
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## Day 6
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Time to head home. 😢 We broke camp at the Airbnb in the morning and said
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goodbyes to a few of our group with flights out of Bozeman, Montana. Due to a
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complication with our rental cars, I drove twice over Teton Pass to get everyone
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to JAC who needed to be there.
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{{< figures/image name=genevieve.jpg >}}
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Trent, Tess, and I had a last lunch at [Cafe Genevieve][genevieve] in Jackson.
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Then, we returned the rental car and caught our flights home.
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## Hasta Luego
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This group means a lot to me. We’ve hung together through the worst of the
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pandemic, and make time every year to spend a few days together. There are
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challenges and small conflicts every year, but we always make it through and
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continue to put in the work to make these trips happen. I’m so grateful for
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that.
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[^1]: Tess informed me shortly after landing of the meaning of the French word
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_téton_. A fact that delighted me for the entirety of the trip. Two lesbians
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traveling to the middle of the country to check out "the great tits" is about as
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on the nose as it gets, isn’t it?
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[^2]: The view from the top of signal mountain is breathtaking, however I
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couldn’t help notice one of the water features bears a certain phallic
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resemblance.
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[^3]: Some of the signage here explained that the homesteaders picked this spot
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because the nearby butte sheltered them from the wind. Several of us found
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this fact unbelievable considering how windy it was that day.
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[jac]: https://www.jacksonholeairport.com
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[jacwp]: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jackson_Hole_Airport
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[snakeriverbrew]: https://www.snakeriverbrewing.com
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[tetons]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton_Range
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[tetonpass]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teton_Pass
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[victor]: https://victoridaho.gov
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[gtbrew]: https://grandtetonbrewing.com
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[pinkyg]: https://pinkygs.com
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[driggs]: http://www.driggs.govoffice.com/
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[yellowstonenp]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/index.htm
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[prismaticnps]: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/grand-prismatic-spring.htm
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[prismaticwp]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Prismatic_Spring
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[oldfaithful]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/exploreoldfaithful.htm
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[oldfaithfulvec]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/oldfaithfulvec.htm
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[grandcanyon]: https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/canyonplan.htm
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[slipperyotter]: https://www.yelp.com/biz/slippery-otter-pub-west-yellowstone
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[gtnp]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/index.htm
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[moosewy]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose,_Wyoming
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[jennylake]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/jennylakeplan.htm
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[leighlake]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/stringleighplan.htm
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[signalmtn]: https://www.nps.gov/grte/planyourvisit/signalmountainplan.htm
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[cowboy-bar]: https://www.milliondollarcowboybar.com/
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[lowerslide]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lower_Slide_Lake
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[schwabacher]: https://www.nps.gov/places/000/schwabacher-landing.htm
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[genevieve]: https://genevievejh.com
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