Wyoming - Equality State
It almost feels like we saved the best for last, but of course we didn’t choose the order. It just so happens that Wyoming is the last state alphabetically, and what a marvelous trip we had. I had been to Wyoming briefly when I was 14, with my parents, and I remember seeing Old Faithful but not much else. Andy had never been to Yellowstone and neither of us had been to Grand Teton National Park, so it was an exciting experience for both of us. We spent 9 days in Wyoming, and we had almost perfect weather. There were many glorious photo opportunities, which you will see.
Our first two nights were spent at Jenny Lake Lodge in Grand Teton National Park. Our friends, Jane and John Kotowski, had been there before and they spent their fourth visit there with us. At Jenny Lake Lodge, breakfast and dinner are included in the tariff. Dinner is a 5-course meal, and there are choices within each course. The portions were small, but we still had to leave out at least one course both nights. The food was excellent, and we had a lovely cabin all to ourselves. The next morning, after breakfast, we took a hike along the shores of String Lake, which was beautiful, especially with the Grand Tetons majestically looming in the background. In the afternoon, Andy and I took a cruise on Jenny Lake from which we had gorgeous views of Mount Owen and Mount Moran. Jane K. had dropped us off at the boat dock, but we decided to walk back on the Jenny Lake trail, where we encountered a small deer at the side of the trail. He (or she) was very tame and just kept eating, paying us no mind. Back at the lodge, a group of lodgers were playing cornhole on the lawn. We decided to watch while sipping a beer because it felt good to sit down. After dinner, we had our photo taken with our friends.
The next day, we took another hike, to Lake Leigh. While the others stopped on the shore, I decided to go a bit farther. We were told not to hike alone, but I had bear spray in my backpack, so I felt safe. I came upon another couple, and we took photos of each other. As you can see, the scenery and the weather were perfect. That afternoon, Andy and I bid our friends farewell and drove to Yellowstone where we checked into the Lake Yellowstone Hotel. We learned that Yellowstone is the oldest national park in the country, established in 1872, and construction of the majestic hotel began in 1891. Once settled in, we went to the dining room for dinner. One of the highlights of this trip, since we were staying mostly in national park lodging, was meeting and talking to the wait staff, mostly young people from all over the country and other countries as well. They spend their summers working in the parks, then return home to school or to work. They are provided with food and lodging and in every single case, they were very positive about their experience. Why didn’t I know about this when I was young?
We stayed 3 nights at this hotel, which gave us plenty of time to explore the area. We went the next day to the Canyon area, where we traversed the trails of the colorful Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River, including the Upper and Lower falls, from overlooks and walkways. There were lots of other tourists, but that did not detract from the powerful beauty of the waterfalls and other scenery. That afternoon, we drove north and upon seeing a sign to Mt. Washburn, we decided to drive up a dirt road to the top. On the way, dark clouds suddenly formed and just as we got to the summit, the skies opened, and it hailed like crazy. We parked and watched the hail stones pile up from inside the car, hoping that the storm would pass quickly. It didn’t, so we decided to head back down since the views from the top…. well, there just weren’t any. The drive was only about 2 miles, but when we got back to the main road, it was completely dry and there were no signs of rain at all. Strange weather! At the Tower-Roosevelt junction, we turned east to drive into the Lamar Valley, which has been a wolf-watching destination since wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone in 1995. We didn’t see any wolves, but we saw herds of bison, roaming freely on the meadows and occasionally sauntering across the road. It was fun seeing them up close and there were plenty of photo opportunities. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Mud Volcano turn off and walked on a boardwalk across acidic hot springs with a limited water supply. We learned that acid from volcanic gases and microorganisms decompose the surrounding rock into clay and mud. Mud pot consistency and activity vary with the seasons and precipitation. The bubbling, roiling and smelly pots were other-worldly and sometimes just plain funny to see.
The next day, we headed in a different direction, to the northwest, where we viewed the Virginia Cascade. The waterfall was pretty, but we especially enjoyed watching a little chipmunk sitting on a rock, placidly enjoying the view, seemingly unaware of cars and tourists streaming by. Back on the road, we continued west to the Norris Geyser Basin, the park’s hottest, most dynamic geyser basin. We watched Steamboat, the world’s tallest geyser. An extensive trail, consisting mostly of boardwalks that are connected to trails, traverses more than two miles in a loop that passes colorful, huffing-and-puffing, steaming and sometimes noisy, always smelly, geysers. It was very entertaining.
Heading north, we stopped several times at turnouts and overlooks, arriving eventually at Mammoth Hot Springs. We were hungry by then, so we had lunch at the Terrace Grill. It was fast food, but there were plenty of healthy options, too. Afterwards, we ventured outside to Historic Fort Yellowstone. In the visitor center, we learned that in the decade after Yellowstone National Park was established, it was under serious threat from those who would exploit, rather than protect, its resources. Word got back to Congress that the park was in trouble, but legislators refused to appropriate funds that were needed. So, the park turned to the US Army for help. In 1886, men from Company M, First US Cavalry, Fort Custer, Montana Territory, came to Yellowstone. They began what would be 32 years of military presence in the park! We walked around the fort, which is now inhabited by employees of the park, and suddenly heard a strange sound. We were chatting with two women who explained that it was a male elk, bugling. It turns out that this was rutting season, and sure enough a huge elk with large antlers came strutting by, bugling away, towards a group of three females…I guess you could say they were his harem. There were several signs posted warning people to stay away from bull elk because they could be dangerous. I got a photo, then quickly backed away, so as not to get in his way.
We headed back to the hotel but stopped along the way to hike the short (2.3 miles) Storm Point Loop, near Fishing Bridge. This easy clockwise loop took us by historic Indian Pond, along dazzling Yellowstone Lake to breathtaking Storm Point, then along the lakeshore before looping back through the forest to the trailhead. The forest was filled with toppled trees, and we could only guess the cause. Was it due to fierce winter storms, trees damaged by the drought, maybe a little of both? Forests in Yellowstone are filled with lodge pole pines, which are very straight and tall, but are perhaps not very strong when faced with climate change, fires and storms. At any rate, the hike was fascinating, and we got back to our car at dusk. We were a little nervous towards the end because this is when bears are often seen. I had bear spray in my backpack, but happily did not have to use it.
We checked out of our room the next morning, and headed east toward Cody, through the beautiful Shoshone National Forest. Our destination was the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, which had been recommended to us by Andy’s brother, Bill. It was well worth the one hour and forty-five-minute drive and more than satisfied our expectations. The building itself was architecturally impressive, consisting of 5 separate museums (Buffalo Bill Museum, Plains Indians Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, and Cody Firearms Museum), interconnected within the building, each meandering into the next in a seamless way. I think our favorites were the Buffalo Bill and Natural History Museums, but we enjoyed all of them. We learned a lot about the life and times of William F. Cody, as well as of the “Buffalo Bill” character he created, which made him the world’s most celebrated person of his time. For lunch, we went to the restaurant in The Irma, “Buffalo Bill’s Original Hotel in the Rockies.” The food was serviceable but not fancy, and they were very busy, so much so that the hostess/manager was a bit cranky. Fortunately, our waitress was friendly and efficient, so we went away satisfied.
Back inside Yellowstone Park, we stayed two nights in Grant Village, which consists of six two-story buildings, each containing about 50 rooms. It was much newer (1984) and less grand than Lake Yellowstone Hotel, but we liked it. Our room was in Deer Lodge, and as we drove to the parking area, we saw a herd of mule deer to our left and a family of elk to our right. It was dusk, and that is prime wildlife viewing time in the park. We ate dinner in the Grant Village dining room both nights (there were no other nearby options), but the food was quite good and the wait staff – mostly young people as mentioned above but a couple of elderly gentlemen as well – were friendly and pretty much running because they were so busy.
The next day we drove east and hiked on the DeLacy Creek Trail. This relatively level out-and-back trail leads to Shoshone Lake, the largest backcountry lake in the lower 48! The trail follows DeLacy Creek and skirts the eastern side of tranquil, colorful meadows. There were lots of mushrooms along the way, some of them huge. Arriving at the lake, we walked a little way on the shore where we ran into a couple from Portland, Oregon. They told us that we wouldn’t be able to go far because a beaver had built a dam where the creek ran into the lake. Sure enough, we saw the dam (but not the beaver, unfortunately) and it became our turn-around point. We spent some time on a log looking out at the lake, but black clouds began rolling in, so we decided to start back pronto. Those were the only 2 people we encountered on this 6.5-mile hike, which surprised us because it was so lovely. Our next stop was when we crossed the Continental Divide, which runs through Yellowstone and is marked by signs in several places. On the west of the Continental Divide, all rivers run eventually into the Pacific Ocean whereas on the east side, all rivers run into the Atlantic Ocean.
The final destination on this day was Old Faithful, which must be a destination for all tourists because the huge parking lot was very crowded, and people were milling around everywhere. We went inside the Old Faithful Inn and learned that we had about one hour before Old Faithful was expected to erupt. We had not had lunch, so we got ice cream in the lodge and took it upstairs to a covered viewing platform because by this time, it was pouring rain. Old Faithful did what it faithfully does approximately every 90 minutes, and we were glad we managed to see it without getting wet.
The next morning, we checked out of Grant Village and left the park, heading south to the town of Jackson. We previously thought that the town was called Jackson Hole, but Jackson Hole is the entire valley, and Jackson is the largest of the valley’s six towns. On the way, we stopped at the National Museum of Wildlife Art, a fabulous, must-see museum. Over the past few decades, we learned, Jackson Hole has become one of the largest art centers in the West, and this museum, with a 4,000-piece permanent collection that includes works by artists such as John Audubon and Pablo Picasso – is the art scene’s centerpiece. Though wildlife- and western-themed work rules at the museum and in Jackson as a whole, we were surprised at the wide-ranging paintings, photographs, and sculptures on exhibit. They were preparing for a fundraiser and there were two galleries filled with art that was to be auctioned that weekend. These were new works of art and by renowned artists from this area but from far afield as well. We had lunch onsite at the Rising Sage Café while enjoying views of the National Elk Refuge, which was empty that day but, come winter, will be home to 10,000 elk. In Jackson, we visited some art galleries and found a photo of a wolf in the snow that we are hoping to buy and place over the fireplace in our home office. Then we headed to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar where we had a beer and chatted with people sitting on either side of us. Our grandson, Kieran, had told us about this bar, which he visited during the pandemic and, in fact, contracted COVID there.
For our two nights in Jackson, we stayed at the Wyoming Inn at Jackson Hole, and we loved it there. For one thing, their chef is a rising star, we learned, and dinners and breakfasts were exceptional. For our last full day in Wyoming, we started out after breakfast by driving to the tiny town of Kelly from which we could view the entire Teton Range – and take a couple of pictures, of course. From there, we drove on the Moose-Wilson Road until we got to the turnoff on a bumpy dirt road leading to the Death Canyon Trailhead. Fortunately, our rental car was a Toyota 4-Runner, which did just fine on this terrain. The name of the trail sounds scary, but it was just a 1.5-mile walk from the trailhead to the Phelps Lake Overlook, which had “killer” views. The trail itself gently wound 700 feet upward through alpine and aspen forest – where (we were told) moose often hang out in thickets, but we didn’t see any that day. The trail eventually spilled out onto a ridgetop, where breaks in the trees allowed for views of the lake and deeper into Death Canyon. Back in the car, we realized we were famished so we retraced our route to nearby Dornans restaurant in the town of Moose where we ordered and thoroughly enjoyed pizza. From the restaurant there were views of mountain climbers summiting the 13,770-foot Grand Teton, one of American’s most desired mountaineering objectives. Wow! I don’t know how people have the courage to do that.
We had seen a sign along the road for Cunningham’s Cabin Historic Site. Since my maiden name is Cunningham, we felt compelled to see what it was all about. Well, J. Pierce Cunningham arrived in Jackson Hole about 1885 from New York when he was 20 years old. He and his wife became homesteaders, living in a very primitive cabin until they built their home. He became a cattle rancher and went through hard times due to the harsh climate and the agricultural depression. He was later involved in the conservation movement which led to the creation of Grand Teton National Park. According to the guide, the Cunningham Cabin “symbolizes the spirit of the homesteading ranchers that helped shape the character of Jackson Hole.” We walked along the trail and viewed the cabin and the land from different perspectives, marveling at the fantastic views they had of the Grand Teton Range. I’ve never heard of Cunningham ancestors living in Wyoming, but who knows?
Back in Jackson, we visited a few more galleries, a jewelry store, and another store selling high end leather goods – jackets, handbags, coats, hats, etc. I told Andy that you could spend a lot of money in Jackson Hole, and he agreed. Instead of doing that, we went to a rooftop bar where we enjoyed a cocktail while chatting with a guy whose son (Marcus Goguen) was featured in a documentary about skiing called Teton Gravity Research. Skiing is a very big deal in Jackson Hole. We ate so much pizza that we weren’t hungry for dinner that night. Andy got ice cream in Jackson before we returned to the hotel, and I ordered soup from the hotel restaurant. We were both completely satisfied with our choices.
We had learned in one of the galleries, Horizon Fine Art Gallery, that the Jackson Art Festival was featuring a Quick Draw art contest the next morning in the Town Square. One of the artists participating in the contest was painting in the gallery and we admired his work. We also liked the paintings of another artist who was going to be a participant. So, we got up early and went to the Town Square just as the artists were finishing their allotted 90 minutes. It was incredible what they accomplished in that short amount of time. We walked around, chatting with some of the artists, collecting contact information from 3 of them. We have been in touch with one of them and may become proud owners of one of his paintings. We bought delicious egg and cheese sandwiches from a food truck then headed back to the hotel to pack and drive to the airport. Whew! We “packed” a lot into those 9 days and I would love to go back to Wyoming someday to take a few more hikes and to simply gaze at the gorgeous mountains, lakes, rivers, canyons, meadows, wildlife…everything. It is such a blessing that conservationists, like Theodore Roosevelt and Laurence S. Rockefeller, and several others, had the vision and the wisdom to establish Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Truly, they are not to be missed.