New Years in Jackson, WY
We spent the close of 2011 out in Jackson Hole. Since we were there in 2010 we’ve been hoping to return and see some of its wintry wonder. Our first foray in Jackson was brief, with a bison burger at the Cowboy and a night camping under the Tetons. We inappropriately fitted it all to the tune of Johnny Cash’s Jackson. Yes, yes, we know. This New Years my parents and Aus braved the cold with us - what?!, no beach in winter?! - and we continued on with the Jackson tune. Feel free to hum along as you read.
While we didn’t do anything outrageous like heliski, there were many reasons to pile on the snow gear and head out into the dry, chilly air. We took snowmobiles to Granite Hot Springs where we dunked our frozen mitts in the outdoor pool. We huddled under brightly-colored wool blankets on our carriage ride through the National Elk Refuge, a broad expanse against the hills with 2,800 elk roaming about.
We drove to Grand Targhee for some skiing in their fresh powder (Jackson had very little), and I outgrew my snowplow after some lessons on the bunny slopes. Matt, Aus and I felt we could almost reach out and touch Grand Teton from the top of the ski mountain; there were also views into the border of Idaho and off into Montana. Targhee is more of a locals mountain, and on the day we were there, it was filled with pre-schoolers fearlessly cruising around on their mini, 2’ skis.
But the real highlight was a day tour of Yellowstone in an old 1956 Bombardier snow coach named Kitty with our Irish guide, Mike. In addition to the gorgeous natural features of Yellowstone, we spotted elk, bison, bald eagles, and coyote through the coach’s two sun roofs - Dad is still holding out for a wolf! Mike also regaled us with stories of cowboys, brain-tanning and his red-headed mormon wife. He was a wonderful wilderness guide.
On our final day, we cruised slowly by Bighorn, nuzzling up against each other in fields outside the Elk Refuge, and took a drive into the Grand Teton National Park. When we weren’t picnicking, we made sure to get in some of the local steak, burgers, and river fish that Jackson has on offer. Some of our favorites were Trio, the Mangy Moose (in Teton Village) and Rendezvous Bistro. We’ll be posting the Yellowstone photos next. Enjoy!
The view at dusk from outside our suburban-style cabin at Spring Creek Ranch.
Snowmobiles en route to Granite Hot Springs.
Granite Hot Springs. Matt had to hop onto my snowmobile after his wouldn’t start and we had to — gasp — leave it at the Hot Springs. There was also the one hour debacle in the packed parking lot of the trailhead where Matt attempted to park the ginormous trailer we had rented while having no space to turn around. A couple of burly Wyoming men finally came by and helped unhitch and turn the sucker around by hand! But it was all worth it for that dip in the outdoor pool as the snow was just coming down.
Tree tunnels on our ride back.
Birthday wishes at Rendezvous Bistro.
Harvey chillin’ on the 1st.
Frizz head.
Elk Refuge carriage ride with some beautiful draft horses.
A path through the Refuge.
Good antlers; bad antlers.
Whatcha looking at?
A wintry sky.
View from above the National Wildlife Museum. It was an incredible display of wildlife art, including a whole room of Rungius and an exhibit on George McLean.
Bighorn sheep.
The majestic Amangani Resort.
Snake River.
Big sky.
