Jackson, Day 1

Just around the corner from the Sapphire Motel was a place called Bagelworks, and as we had done in Medora at the Cowboy Cafe, we arrived before anyone else early on Saturday morning - those Eastern time-zone appetites were calling again!  There is nothing like a good, fresh bagel, covered thickly with cream cheese, and we were not disappointed when we sat down in a window seat.  The place started to fill up quickly as young people began to arrive, many of them, I thought, from nearby Montana State University.

We headed due south to Jackson, Wyoming, on the Gallatin Road, through a rugged canyon in the Caribou-Targhee National Forest filled with thick slopes of Douglas Fir.  This country was much different from anything we had seen thus far, climbing higher and higher in altitude.

We arrived in the town of West Yellowstone, and we were both struck by this tall Root Beer sign - a  favorite local beverage, I guess.  There are always plenty of curious things to see along the road! 

We arrived as planned early in the afternoon at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center, which is a not-for-profit wildlife park and educational facility.

It provided our first viewing of these two iconic Western creatures, which we had not seen thus far, and as it turned out would not see on this road trip.  Both are elusive in their habitat, and we especially did not want to be near grizzlies in the wild, which can be much more aggressive than the black bears to which we have become accustomed in Highlands.  They were amazing to watch, especially the grizzlies, which could move surprisingly fast for their bulk.

 

After leaving the Discovery Center, we climbed higher and higher through Douglas fir and spruce forests, finally topping out at a pass on the Teton Scenic Byway above Jackson at an elevation of 8421, our highest point thus far.  It was noticeably colder when we stepped outside for photos, and the road had numerous “Runaway Truck” pull-offs. 

 

I had always heard this area referred to as Jackson Hole and I wondered if it was the same as Jackson.  In fact, Jackson Hole refers to the entire valley into which we were descending, which is approximately 60 miles long.  Jackson refers to the Town of Jackson, which sits in the southern end of the Jackson Hole valley.  It was a busy place on Saturday night, and Martha had found us a good place to stay for the next three nights, The Antler Inn, an easy walk to everything.  High ski lifts were just down the street to the south, climbing the slopes of Snow King Mountain, and the bustling shops and restaurants were a block away to the north.

 

 
We spent some time exploring the downtown area, posing for this photo beneath the iconic elk antler arches, located on each of the four corners at the Town Square.
 

Each arch is made of 2,000 antlers, held together mostly by friction and gravity.  Jackson Hole is home to the National Elk Refuge (which we would visit in a couple of days), a protected sanctuary where hundreds of elk shelter during the winter months. Every spring, elk will naturally shed their antlers, and it is a local tradition for Jackson Hole’s Boy Scout troops to harvest shed antlers from the National Elk Refuge.

 

We also visited the famous Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, which was especially busy on Saturday night.

 

The bar stools here are saddles, and it was amusing to watch some of the young people dismounting with difficulty after a round or two of drinks.  There were also some pool tables set up in the middle of the room.  It was clear that the patrons of this place were just the opposite of some of the residents in places we had visited on this trip thus far, especially the poor rural areas of West Virginia.  One entitled-looking young man was a good example, strutting around in brand new boots, blue jeans, and a pristine cowboy hat that would never see the dust of a trail, laughing loudly as he circled the table:  expensive haircut, fashionable one-day beard.

 

We stayed just long enough to have a drink, and then we made our way across the street to the Roadhouse Brewing Company and its outside patio overlooking the street.