Category Archives: Wyoming

Finally Teton Village Signs

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Teton ClubTeton Village and Resorts

 

Teton Village should be on this road somewhere. I’m just not sure how far. This is the west when, like Maine, everything is “down the road a-piece”. No one has ever been able to tell me how far ” a-piece” is. The nice thing is the speed limit is a leisurely 45 mph. (35 mph at night). As I drove along 390 I saw another moose by the side of the road. I began slowing down when I realized it was a silhouette. I counted 3 fake moose before the speed limit moved up to 55 mph. 

Teton Club

After passing a few more fields and pastures I finally spotted the sign for Teton Village. From there is was just a few more quick turns through the Village and I was pulling under the porte-cochère. A valet came right out to help with my luggage and park my car. Boy That’s service! Check in was a breeze too. The great room has a fire place and comfortable sofa and chairs. It also contains a bar and several rocking chairs in front of the fire.

Your Suite, Madam

Fire Place

Master bedroomMy rooms were really convenient. They were the first set of rooms after the front desk on the first floor. Room 109. And when I say Suite, I mean it. There are two bedrooms, the master bedroom and a 2nd bedroom with twin beds. There are two bathrooms, a full kitchen, a combination living room with gas fireplace and a dining room. There’s a little out door deck but its a bit chilly to be sitting outside. The washer and dryer are late models and tucked away in their own little closet.

2nd bedroom

Dining room

outside deckThe Meal Situation

The one drawback of the resort is that there is no restaurant on premises. They have an exercise room and spa but no place to eat. Other resorts in the Village do have restaurants but not all have convenient hours and they are expensive. Others are closed for the season. Clearly I will need to locate a grocery store.

 

Looking for Teton Village

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Teton Village and the Teton Club

My resort is the Teton Club in Teton Village. I has taken me 3 years to get a reservation here. My first impression as I drove along the road from the airport is that this is cow country. Cattle fill the pastures along the way. Of course where there are cows there must be cowboys. There are almost as many pastures filled with horses as there are with cattle.

Horses in the paddock

National Elk Refuge

There is a fence line along the highway with signs for the National Elk Refuge. Right now I don’t see any elk but the refuge was created in 1912. Early residents from Jackson Hole valued the Elk for their antlers, hide and meat. Elk migrate from as far away as southern Yellowstone National Park. The Sanctuary protects elk habitat. The Boy Scouts collect the antlers that are shed and sell them to pay for feed to help the herd survive the harsh winters. I’m hoping the elk migration will begin while I’m here. Elk are on my bucket list to see.

Town of Jackson

My directions take me into the Town of Jackson. What’s the difference between Jackson and Jackson Hole? A hole is a valley and Jackson is a town. So Jackson Hole is the whole area while Jackson is the principal town in the valley. As I entered Jackson I noticed a beautiful Visitor Center. Once I find the resort I’ll have to stop back here. I’m sure they have lots of information. I passed the town square which seems to be the heart of Jackson. The 4 entrances to the town square are marked by huge elk antler arches. They have similar arches at the airport and in front of several motels. There are animal and western sculptures everywhere.

Antler Arch in Town Sq. Jackson WY

There’s a Moose on the Loose!

As I turned onto RT 390 I spotted cars lining both sides of the road. A moose was calmly wandering through someone’s backyard. All the cars on the side of the road belong to people like me-tourists. They were following the poor moose with cameras snapping. My camera was still packed with my luggage in the trunk so no picture this time. I’m still looking for that resort.

Wy-O-Wy-O-Wyoming

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Where do I start with Wyoming?

Wyoming is such an amazing place! At least the Jackson Hole area. I don’t even know where to start. Maybe we should start at the beginning, when I landed in Jackson Hole. The Jackson Hole airport is small but beautifully appointed. There is western art everywhere. I collected my luggage at baggage claim and made a bee line for the rent- a- car desk. Since this trip is on a budget I had reserved an economy car instead of an SUV. I would have been an easy up-sell if the agent had tried. I wasn’t sure a little economy car was appropriate for the mountains. They gave me a Toyota and a GPS device.

First order of business- LUNCH!

Tepee

The car rental clerk told me if I wanted to have a nice but quick lunch to head to Moose. Its just 5 miles away. I had to take a left out of the airport and look for the tepee. I wasn’t sure what he meant by that but I figured I’d soon find out. The road I was on was well maintained and sure enough there was a sign for Moose. I didn’t think it had been 5 miles and I didn’t see a tepee so I drove on by. Big OOPS. A couple of miles more and I turned around and came back. That’s when I spotted the tepee. You have to actually turn in toward Moose. That’s when you see the sign for Dornan’s.

Restaurant, Groceries and WineTeton Mountains

I think Dornan’s is Moose. Maybe I exaggerate a little. The little group of shops that make up Dornan’s does have a restaurant. It also has a grocery store ( small), fuel pumps, a liquor and wine shop among other things. I availed myself of the restaurant. The main fare is Italian so I indulged in a hot meatball sub. Pretty tasty. Service was casual but nice. The restaurant is small but very busy. And the views are magnificent! If we didn’t have 70-75 mile an hour winds I’d have eaten outside on the deck.

Time to find the Resort

With a decent meal under my belt it was time to locate my resort. The rent-a-car clerk said many of the roads were closed so the GPS wouldn’t help. ( Funny, how he didn’t mind renting me one) I had directions and after he read them he said they should work so off I went. I’m kind of glad for the early flight now. I’ll have daylight to get lost in instead 0f the dark.

 

United we Stand….

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Its the Friendly Skies of United

I haven’t flown United Airlines in quite awhile. I’ve flown with Southwest and American and Delta but not United. I guess it was their turn. My trip to Jackson Hole Wyoming is on United. I honestly don’t know what I was thinking when I made these reservations. My flight was leaving Boston at 7:20 am. I’m mean really! Am I nuts? I was up at 3:30 am so I could leave by 4:30 so I could catch the 5:30 Logan Express in Braintree. I’m happy to say I made it along with everyone else! The bus was full. At Logan the United Terminal was also packed. Must be folks like these early flights.

Check In

I had an MRI done recently and since then my back is in worse shape than before the procedure. When I checked in online the website asked if I needed any assistance. I checked that walking long distances was a problem. I was hoping for a ride on the little carts that scoot up and down the corridors. When I got to Denver a personal attendant was waiting with a wheel chair. He brought me right to my gate for the Jackson Hole leg. He offered to push me down the jet way too. I told him I could manage that. When they began boarding the gate attendant sent me down first. Wow!

Jackson Hole Airport

I might have gotten the same treatment at Jackson Hole except they are a tiny airport. They had a wheel chair waiting but no one to push it. The gate didn’t have a jet way. We walked down a long ramp. At least it wasn’t stairs. The wind was howling so I wasn’t going to wait for someone to show up. I managed to get myself and my carry on to baggage claim. The winds were gusting  70 – 75 mph but the sky was a brilliant blue. There was snow on the tops of the mountains. If the wind hadn’t been taking my breath away the view would.

If I ever have the opportunity to fly into Jackson Hole again I’m going for a window seat instead of aisle. I heard enough oooh’s and awe’s as we came in to know I was missing an amazing sight.

Jackson Hole Wyoming

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I thought I’d give Hawaii a rest for a bit.

One of the places I have been trying to get to is Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It is the only location in Wyoming where I have a time share option but it is always booked. I’ve been wondering if it’s because of the time of year I try to get a reservation. I think Jackson Hole is a big ski area and I’ve been looking in the winter.

 I heard that the Elk herd winters in an Elk Sanctuary just outside of Jackson hole and they have horse drawn sleigh rides through the winter herd.

elk0204062

 I’ve also heard that the animals in Yellowstone are easier to see in winter because they congregate around the hot springs to get relief from the cold. The exception is the bears because they are hibernating but wolves are more visible.

201002yellowstone11

Speaking of the cold, most of the roads in Yellowstone are closed once the snow flies. The only way around the park is by snowcoach, snow mobile, snow shoes, or skis. I wouldn’t be up for the show shoes or skis but maybe the snowmobile although with camera gear for pictures the snow coach might be the best bet. Sadly that takes personal exploration out of the equation.

cross-country-ski-buying-gu

 I recently bought a photography book for the Tetons and Yellowstone and after wading through tons of technical photo speak I’m beginning to think a spring or fall visit might be better than winter. Spring would  mean baby animals like elk and bison and maybe a grizzly cub if I got lucky and fall would mean the elk  and moose rut. Bears might still be active as they try to fatten up for the hibernation.

Buffalo Calf

Buffalo Calf

 They talked a lot about the foliage of golden aspens but being from New England that seems a bit dull. I’m used to the vibrant reds of the sugar maples and every color of orange you can think of. All the photographers spoke of sun rise and dawn or sunset for most of the locations. Jackson Hole is a good 45  minutes away from the south entrance to Yellowstone. That is making me wonder if a decent photography trip can be had for both Yellowstone and the Tetons  if I stay in Jackson Hole.

 So much to figure out. Any suggestions?