Teton Moods

Having recently returned from a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the nearby Grand Teton National Park I was anxious to put together a video of our trip. I've been going to the Tetons since the '70's when I went with my dad from whom I've inherited a bad case of wanderlust. I remember my first trip and my first views of this majestic mountain range. We had come over Togwotee Pass from the then-tiny town of Dubois where we had spent the night. Though I'm now a vegetarian my recollection is that I had the best steak of my life in Dubois. Don't know if that would be true today, but the next time you pass through stop and try some of that grass-fed Wyoming beef. 

Anyway, we had come over the pass only to see nothing but clouds, grey and menacing all along the Teton range. You wouldn't have known there were mountains at all for the overcast. As the weather prognostication was not favorable we spent the remainder of that trip in Yellowstone viewing geysers and critters rather than peaks.

Of course that trip just spurred my interest in returning to catch a glimpse of the Tetons and eventually I saw them on a clear and sunny day. Back then clear days were the norm whereas today you're lucky to not see these incredible mountains through a summer haze of wildfire smoke that seems to come earlier and last later than ever before. I've driven, hiked, biked, and kayaked (and now SUP'd) through this scenery and I still think the best views are from the saddle of a two-wheeled steed. Apparently a whole lot of folks would agree with me as the number of bikes, especially those new-fangled E-bikes, were all over the Park roads.

This year our first week saw nothing but sunshine and clear blue skies. Oh, and warm - actually hot for the area - temps close to 100 degrees. While folks in Seattle sweltered through history-making heat Teton country wasn't far behind. Still I knew from experience that the clear days would not last so kept my camera busy capturing most of the shots you'll see in the video below. The wildflowers were also taking a bow on this epic stage and I'm at a loss to decide which was prettier - the snow-capped peaks or nature's flowerful pallet of color. 

Crowds there were as well but we've visited enough to know some out-of-the-way spots where peace and quiet and solitude could still be found. The town of Jackson was mobbed as is usual during the summer but locals seem to take it all in good humor. The Town Square shootout was still going on (Monday-Saturday @ 6p.m.) and though a little hokey everyone in attendance (and there were a lot of everyones in attendance) seemed to enjoy the show. And of course the Stagecoach still does laps around the Square with passengers gawking out of the stagecoach windows at all the tourists taking pictures and gawking as the stage and two beautiful horses clip-clopping slowly by. An interesting side note: apparently the same outfit that offers the stagecoach also does sleigh rides through the nearby National Elk Refuge in winter (December-April). Sounds like a heck of an excuse to mosey up that way when the flakes start to fall. 

Not unexpectedly, the wildfire smoke did make an appearance during our last couple of days. The mountains are still beautiful shrouded in the hazy mist and the smoke makes for some stunning sunsets over the Tetons. The smoke makes all the photographers work a little harder but there are still great pictures to be had. 

One day we were in Jackson and were treated to a hailstorm. I've never seen so many shorts and halter-topped tourists scramble for cover but the storm thankfully dropped the temperature a good twenty degrees and I'm sure the local stores didn't mind the sudden influx of sodden shoppers trying to get out of the wet. I was most impressed, as you'll see if you pay attention in the video, by the young cowboy who stayed atop the Stagecoach hunkered down with his steeds while gravel-sized balls of ice rained down from leaden skies. There's a reason those cowboy hats have such wide brims...

Eventually the skies lightened up, the hail that had accumulated melted, and all the would-be cowboys and cowgals streamed back out onto the wooden boardwalks. The only place I noticed that didn't see this post-storm exodus was the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. I guess patrons there know a good thing when they drink it or perhaps they never even noticed there had been a summer downpour.

One would have thought that COVID was non-existent and the only masks that were worn were by some of the stuffed local residents. Social distancing was in full-effect however, if you count six inches as the measure instead of six feet. Looking at the license plates on the cars lucky enough to snag a parking spot around the Square I'd say most States were well represented though most seemed to come from the midwest. Same went in the campgrounds although a fair number of folks had flown in and rented their RV/Motorhomes with going rates around $2,000 for three days. One local mentioned that out at the airport they were charging $900/day for rental cars and couldn't keep them in stock. Just WOW...

So now we're back at home but if I close my eyes and don't listen for the sound of sirens, which seems to have become an integral part of Denver's soundscape, I can feel the hot wind (smell the sage?) in my hair and hear the sound of wind rustling through the prairie grasses. If I had my druthers we'd still be up there. The road that beckons is at its loneliest right after coming home, that's for sure. 

So where to next? The summers not over and I hear tell there's a border up north going to open in the next couple of weeks. Hmmmm, that itch in my gas-pedal foot might still get itched.....