Jackson, Day 3

One of our friends who had visited Jackson told us about FRX Coffee, just a few blocks away from the Antler Inn near the base of Snow King Mountain.  “There is a coffee shop you must go to in Jackson Hole!!  The guy is amazing and totally made our trip that morning.  It’s across from the ski slopes.”  She even sent us a picture of the owner.

We found the place easily enough, looking forward to chatting with this free spirit, but were told that Frank was not in.  Martha wrote back: “We stopped by to see Frank around 9:30 this morning, but the woman working there said it was too early for Frank to wander in!  I showed her the photo you sent me, and she said he loved hanging out with his customers.  It was a cool little shop.”  It was indeed, and we would have liked to have met Frank.  I especially liked this sign posted prominently in the shop:

We drove north out of Jackson toward the Grand Teton National Park, stopping at a pull-off on the road where volunteers from the National Elk Refuge had set up a display of animal hides and elk antlers.  I was surprised how heavy these antlers were – 20 pounds each, and reaching a spread of four feet.

Our first stop along the scenic loop road was Jenny Lake, a jewel of a place nestled beneath the jagged peaks of the Grand Tetons.  This quote was posted at the Visitor Center by a surprisingly poetic military man who had explored the area:  “There are no foothills to the Tetons.  They rise suddenly in rugged majesty from the rock strewn plain . . . The soft light floods the great expanse of the valley, the winding silvery river, and the resplendent deeply carved mountain walls.” – Lieutenant Gustavus Cheney Doane, leader of a small exploring party, 1876.

We took a walk down to the lake and then another trail back up to the parking lot.  These beautiful yellow flowers were everywhere – showy goldeneye, according to my plant identification app.

I noticed that there were people from many countries here, especially Japanese, and we enjoyed hearing the many languages all around us.  The beauty of this area was a destination for visitors from around the world.  Most of them looked very fit, as well, as if they were accustomed to being outdoors in places like this, enjoying nature. 

We continued on the drive, passing String Lake, the many peaks of the Grand Tetons towering high above us.  The highest peak east of the Mississippi is Mt. Mitchell (6684 feet), and we have climbed others nearly as high, especially Mt. LeConte (6593 feet).  By contrast, many of these peaks are over 12,000 feet, including Grand Teton (13,775 feet), Mount Owen (12,928 feet), Teewinot (12,325 feet), Middle Teton (12,804 feet), South Teton (12,514 feet), Mount Moran (12,605 feet), Mount Wister (11,490 feet), Buck Mountain (11,938 feet), and Static Peak (11,303 feet).  (Thank you Wikipedia for those very precise numbers!)

 

A little farther along, we stopped at the Chapel of the Sacred Heart on Catholic Bay.  This beautiful woodland chapel was built in 1937 and still offers Sunday services during the summer.

 

We continued on, and suddenly pulled over to take a photo of a herd of bison.  We had seen bison in Theodore Roosevelt National Park at a distance, but this was much closer and they were on the move.  It was as if we were transported back in time to a Western movie.

 

I grew up calling these animals “buffalo,” but on this road trip I learned that the two are distinct animals.  According to Wikipedia once again:  “Old World ‘true’ buffalo (Cape buffalo and water buffalo) are native to Africa and Asia.  Bison are found in North America and Europe.  Both bison and buffalo are in the bovidae family, but the two are not closely related.”  (The word buffalo is derived from the French “bœuf,” by the way, a name given to bison when French fur trappers working in the US in the early 1600s saw the animals. It came from what the French knew as true buffalo, animals living in Africa and Asia.)  Bison are big but they are also fast.  “They can run up to 35 miles per hour and are very agile.  They can spin around quickly, jump high fences, and are strong swimmers.”  Do not anger a bison!  I am a runner and my top speed is much slower than 35 mph.  And I cannot jump high fences.

 

It had been a full day for these two travelers, but it was not over yet.  Event Planner Martha had reserved us seats in a production of “Annie Get Your Gun,” a musical which I do not recall ever seeing, at the Jackson Hole Playhouse.  This historic playhouse, originally built in 1915 as a livery stable, is the oldest building in Jackson, and the dinner theater show was very entertaining.  The actors in the production served us a delicious dinner before the show in the well-appointed lobby, periodically bursting out into song while they were carrying out the plates.  It was one of the most professional and entertaining theater productions we have seen. 

 

 We returned to the Antler Inn, only two blocks away from the theater, for our final night in Jackson.