Month: September 2018
Location: Jackson Hole, Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park
Whenever I mentioned to people that I was doing these
travels, one of the questions would be, “Have
you been to Yellowstone?”. There are
several “National Parks” in the
country and I have been to some of those.
But ‘Yellowstone National Park’
remains one of the iconic landmarks that everyone expects you to visit. So, it was a given that I would be going
there as a part of my trip to Wyoming. Besides
that, I also wanted to visit ‘Grand
Tetons National Park’, which I was looking forward to more than ‘Yellowstone’. With 2 parks to cover, I would need
additional days and so I decided to take Thursday and Friday off, to make it a
really long weekend.
 |
| A great introduction to Jackson Hole |
I had booked my travel months ahead of time and took a
flight into Jackson Hole, Wyoming on a Thursday morning. Jackson Hole airport is the only commercial
airport in the nation that is located inside a “National Park”. Also,
rather that disembarking through a bridge into a terminal, passengers get off
outside, on the tarmac, with breathtaking vistas all around. There are moments when you realize that it is
going to be a good visit and being presented with these sights was it for me. I got into my rental car and started towards
downtown Jackson. It was a single road –
“Route 191” - leading there and the
rental agent gave me a map pointing towards delays owing to construction at a “roundabout”. Well, yes there was construction, but the
traffic was still moving. If they
thought this was a delay, they should see rush hour in Chicago! It was a beautiful drive, with the ‘Grand Teton’ range as a backdrop and
wide-open spaces all around.
 |
| My cozy room |
There was a “Visitor’s
Center”, welcoming people as the road approached the town. As I kept driving, there was a definite increase in the number of people as well as businesses. As with any town, there was a central “square” with a park, around which I
could see shops and restaurants. I
continued, though and saw that the road ended at the base of a mountain, with a
very steep looking ski slope. Prior to reaching
that, my “GPS” announced that my hotel
was around the corner. I was staying at
a place called ‘Antler Inn’, which
looked like a good old fashioned “Motel”,
though they were charging me a hefty rate.
My parking spot was right outside my room and while it looked shabby on
the outside, the interior was warm with wooden panels, resembling a cabin.
 |
| Downtown Jackson |
I dropped off my stuff and left to get some lunch. It was a beautiful day and walking down the
streets with hills around me, was surreal. It made me think that this would be
an outstanding place in winter, with snow on the streets. Jackson Hole, the region around the town of
Jackson, is in fact one of the preeminent skiing destinations in the country
and with the “National Parks” around,
its not a bad spot for summer visitors either.
Even though I was coming during the end of the tourist season, it was
still quite busy, as I made my way to ‘Café
Genevieve’. There was a wait for a
table, but I managed to squeeze in at the bar.
I wasn’t planning to get a drink, but then I saw something called “House Bloody Mary with Pig Candy” on
the menu. “Pig Candy” was another word for “Candied Bacon” and as good as that concept sounds, this one was
sickly sweet. I did enjoy my main entrée
though, “Huevos Con Chile Verde with
Chorizo and Poached Eggs”.
 |
| A mounted wagon alright! |
Having polished off my meal, I walked through the park
towards ‘Jackson Hole Historical Society
and Museum’. I went past some local artisan stores and arrived at a building that looked modest. Indeed, the museum had just one room of
exhibits on local culture, though there was another location a couple of blocks
away, and which housed some “Native
American” artifacts. The lady at the
counter told me to look for a building with a “mounted wagon” and that was exactly how the other location could
be described. This one was smaller than
the first one and it wasn’t long before I was on my way.
 |
| There's always time for chocolate |
Since I was done earlier than anticipated, I decided to pick
up my car and drive to another museum that was a mile or so outside of
town. On the way to the hotel I came
across a chocolate shop called ‘Coco
Love’, which would have been at home in a major city like Chicago or New
York. While there were some delectable
offerings on display, the thing that had brought me inside was a picture of a “Chocolate Covered Gelato Bar” and
that’s what I went with. I devoured it
by the time I reached my hotel and I picked up my car and left immediately.
 |
| The view from the deck of "Visitors Center" |
I was headed back toward the airport – “Route 191” being the lifeline in and out of town– and stopped at
the Visitor’s Center to look around. There were a lot of people waiting to talk
with the “Park Rangers” – we were in
a “National Park” - at the help desk
and after a while, I was getting a bit annoyed.
But the gentleman who helped me was one of the friendliest people you
would ever meet and immediately disarmed me.
We discussed an “Aerial Tram” ride
nearby and he encouraged me to go on it.
When I asked if there would be enough room on the tram if it was a busy
day, he mentioned that the cabin held 100 people, though the pictures did not
indicate that. We also discussed some of
the attractions of the ‘Grand Teton
National Park’ and it seemed like a great way to spend a day.
 |
| At the 'National Museum of Wildlife Art' |
The center also had some exhibits and a viewing area on the
2nd floor, looking at the Jackson Hole valley. Once again, what a sight. It is incredible to think that people living
here get to see this every day. One of
the extraordinary things for me was how “yellow”
the landscape looked, as opposed to the lush green that I had seen in Rapid
City South Dakota, as if this place was dry.
But even then, it was magnificent.
I got back in my car and drove a mile up the road to ‘National Museum of Wildlife Art’. I had seen this building, which looked like a
stone castle, on my way to town. It was
up a hill, meaning once again, the location offered spectacular views of the
valley.
 |
| Not much to do for me here |
I went inside and bought a ticket on what appeared to be a
slow day – well, it was a Thursday after all.
The museum was dedicated to artwork representing wildlife around the
world, not just Wyoming. While it was a
good place, I am not someone who is a big fan of wildlife, so I walked through
the galleries and then after stepping outside to gaze at the view again, left
for my hotel. There was a grocery store
across my hotel, and I bought some water which advertised itself as “infused with negative ions”, whatever
that meant, though it tasted like water to me.
Then, since I had plenty of time to spare, I went to my room and saw
some shows on my computer.
 |
| The entrance to 'The Rose', which was still closed |
As with all my travels, I had done my research on cocktail
bars and the unanimous consent on the top one was a place called ‘The Rose’. It was supposed to open at 5:30 pm and since
I always like to ensure I am early, I arrived at the location just after. Well, that was the easy part. I could see a sign and a flight of stairs leading
up, but once upstairs, the doors were locked.
There was another bar down below, which was busy, and I went inside to
ask if there was a “secret entrance”
through there. Well, there wasn’t and
then after asking a few other business’s around, I knew I was at the right
place. There wasn’t much that I could
do, so I moved on to the next place on my list, called ‘Silver Dollar Bar & Grill’.
 |
| A lovely evening in Jackson |
The bar was located inside ‘Wort Hotel’ and described itself as a “Western-themed” place, though it looked like any other bar to
me. I ordered a drink called “Wytai”, which was Wyoming’s version of “Mai Tai” I suppose – hence the lame
name. It was too sweet, though I had lot
of time and so sipped through it. The
countertop had “silver dollar” coins
on it, as a reference to the name and while the drink was questionable, I liked
the place. It was a beautiful evening
when I came out and the main street was busy with people. My next destination was ‘Local Restaurant & Bar’, which appeared to be slightly upscale
than the earlier one and extremely popular.
I got a seat at the bar and this time my drink – called “The Local” - hit the spot.
 |
| 'The Rose' - my kind of bar |
I still had 45 minutes before my dinner reservations, so I
decided to take another run at
‘The Rose’
and I was glad that I did.
Not only was
it open, it was exactly what I would have expected from a cocktail lounge, with
dim lights, plush seats, a beautiful looking bar and a quirky menu.
It was also quite empty, which suited me just
fine.
The place was affiliated to some theater, and I am sure it got busy during showtimes.
I got a drink called
“Wonder Boy” whose description read,
“Kid tested Mother approved”, because it was made with
“Peanut Butter washed Bourbon”, all of
which I could taste.
One of the
bartenders was on the side experimenting with recipes, which was a sign that
these guys took their craft seriously.
I
liked this place a lot and it was a shame that I had to leave.
However, like
‘Blind Lion’ in
Rapid City, I knew I would be back here for each of
the next 2 nights.
 |
| A great end to the day |
Speaking of “Lions”,
a couple of blocks away was Jackson’s contribution to “fine dining”, ‘The Blue
Lion’. They even put “cocktails and fine dining” under their
sign. It looked like a house on the
outside, which I have noticed is a growing trend for such restaurants in
smaller towns. Since my table wasn’t
ready, I was directed to, what appeared to be a small bar”, though the
bartender was at an elevated level. He
was also very busy and when he got to me, I ordered a drink called “Wyoming Whiskey Sagebrush”, which was a
“herb infused whiskey sour”. I was then taken to my table on the second
level and as far as “fine dining”
restaurants go, these folks did a great job, especially with their service, if
not the food. It was a nice dinner,
capped off by a dessert called “Russian
Cream”. The restaurant was at a
tricky location, not too far from the hotel, meaning calling for a ride would
be meaningless. However, the streets
were dark and would make for an interesting walk. I decided to just go for it and walked
briskly till I go to some busy areas and then back to my room. It had been a nice first day and set up the rest
of the weekend perfectly for my “National
Park” visits.
To Be Continued…
 |
| Jackson Hole Valley |
No comments:
Post a Comment