Jackson, WY to Salt Lake City Travel Day

Our Jackson lodge accommodations included lots of wildlife I thought you'd enjoy seeing:

We drove through Star Valley to Salt Lake City and imagined ourselves living on one of the beautiful farms. 

When we lived in NJ, we raised horses and boarded them, which is nothing in the world like the survival mode our US farmers are in.  Nevertheless, our taste of rural life is quite a lure.

In Afton, WY there was a most interesteing arch --

A close-up.  Intriguing.

I'm rethinking the imperative to dig up every last dandelion.  En masse, they look quite nice, don't you think?

Serendipity at Jenny Lake in the Grand Tetons

While taking an impromptu hike at Jenny Lake to an overlook (hoping to see some reported moose and baby), 2 other couples stopped at our perch.  We began chatting and noticed an accent, so Richard asked where they were from.  Scotland!  OK, that's enough to get ME going, so I launch in to being a descendant of Skene.  The gentleman cocks his ear as if he didn't quite hear me, so I said, "Skene, S-k-e-n-e".  "I thought that's what you said", he replied!  He and his wife are from Aberdeenshire which makes them very much aware of the Skenes!  What a delightful couple, and I can hardly wait for them to check this blog and give me their email address!  In fact, I think they live only 5 miles from the Lyne of Skene.  Delicious!!

At the top of the morning, we noticed people with field glasses pulled over to the side of a quiet road -- looking for the owl that just hatched her babies, but no luck today in seeing them.

We hiked at String Lake with rain showers over the Tetons (above) but not too much sprinkle on us.

And a hike at Jenny Lake.  We didn't have time to just hang out and listen to the birds or wait for wildlife to appear, though.  Also, I'd like to mention that I'm still a sea level Hawaii girl having been back from Hawaii only 5 days before we started our trip.  This hiking at 6,700 ft is a whole different ballgame!

Another shot of Jenny Lake, because Dave wrote he'd been here in 1993, long before he'd ever met Alli! 

Dave took the Jenny Lake boat around the lake and hiked up Cascade Canyon and camped overnight!

A visit to Jenny Lake Lodge . . .

We'd hoped to have lunch here, but they were full up with reservations, so . . .

Thanks to having a refrigerator in the truck, we tailgated!

We ended the day with a browse of Dornan's, and then this beautiful drive home.

Of course, we needed to browse the cute town of Jackson, starting with the arch of antlers!

Many, many shops, pubs, eateries and places to stay.  We had dinner cooked for us by Helen and Murray, and now we will prepare to leave in the morning for our trip home, via a stop in Salt Lake City.

Memorial Day

This is the flag flying over the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor which serves to remind me of the the commitment that has been made by our military forces throughout history to secure our extraordinary freedoms.  Uncle Les, your sacrifices in WW2 are etched in the memories of your family.  Despite being captured at the Battle of the Bulge and being treated mercilessly, you made it home, retooled your life, became a lawyer, kept your family on course, and left a legacy of appreciation of the price of freedom.  Freedom isn't free.

Of interest to some may be video of the ceremony of the surrender to the Allied Forces on The Missouri http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=vcnH_kF1zXc&feature=player_embedded

Cody to Jackson, WY via Yellowstone's South Entrance

So many miles of burn in Yellowstone.

But, everywhere there are the little trees that have come up to replenish.

Yellowstone Lake where snow has covered the ice and both are melting now.

More bison babies

Lunch at Jackson Lake Lodge with its huge picture windows and historic murals.  I had a buffalo/elk burger which was really, really good.

The historic murals are above, and of course, all the tables look out over the Grand Tetons, some of which are 13,775 ft in elevation!

After lunch, we sniffed around for a home of friends of mine who are in CA, of all things, but they gave us excellent directions.  It was the next best thing to seeing them -- we have been missing each other for too long.

This is antler country!  Chandeliers at our hotel, huge walk-through arches, and more.  Tomorrow I will show you some of Jackson.

Uniquely Cody, WY

Can you spot what's unique?  There are lots of them!

They eat some not-so-common things.  Not mentioned above is "rocky mountain oysters".  You gotta ask a guy if you don't know what they are.  I almost ordered some for kicks, but thought I'd probably puke.

See what's unique?

They've got a rodeo!  Starts June 1 and runs every night, but we're leaving tomorrow for Jackson Hole -- boo hoo!

Lots of dinosaurs!  Click for a larger picture, and click again when it comes up.

VERY wide streets because Buffalo Bill, who laid out the town, wanted streets to be wide

 enough to turn around a wagon drawn by 6 horses!

A killer dam that bankrupted 3 contractors in the process of building it.  It was Shoshone Dam but the name has changed to Buffalo Bill Dam.  When completed in 1910, it was the tallest dam in the world.  Don't miss the gripping story at http://www.bbdvc.com/Buffalo_Bill_Dam_History.php  and the visitor's center is awesome.

Buffalo Bill Dam Visitor's Center.  The dam is below and to the right of the Center, and that color of the sky?  Well, it's the real deal!  It looks just like that. 

And here's another "real deal".  A real cowboy who is a long-time friend of Richard's, and splits his time between here and Wickenburg, AZ in-between forays to New Zealand, Italy, Argentina and who knows where.  We had a great time this evening, Norm!

"OH GIVE ME A HOME . . . "

A couple of days ago, while driving in the country, and again today as we drove outside Cody, WY, nostalgia overtook me.  My dad often sang "Home on the Range", which came to mind a couple of days ago,  words and all, as we've been driving in the country.  I nearly could hear his voice . . . and the 4 of us travelers began singing it at lunch in Cooke City!  I bet I forgot to teach it to my kids!

(Pictures are clickable.  Click once, then click the next image one more time)

"HOME ON THE RANGE"

"Oh give me a home, where the buffalo roam, and the deer and the antelope play.

Where seldom is heard, a discouraging word,

And the skies are not cloudy all day."

The song was written in the early 1870s in Kansas where it became the state song in 1947.  It had several revisions to the words and by 1910, the date my dad was born, the words had settled down to those written under the picture.  The song was adopted by settlers, cowboys, and others and spread across the USA, and even today, it is considered the "national anthem" of the West.

We have photographed "deer, antelope and buffalo (bison) at play" for nearly a week now, and the photo above, of course, is of a home where the deer play.  It  urged me to pray for families to seldom hear a discouraging word, as I realized now how well that fit my dad.  Despite many obstacles in his life, including his final battle with cancer, he did not have a discouraging word. Not a  "collywobble" (upset tummy (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Collywobbles) or "hook my cookies" (throw up) brought complaint.  He was (still is) a powerful influence on my life's bent toward optimism.  Thank you, Dad.

How many deer can you find?  Sam (5) found ALL six!!!

A home, acreage, black angus cows, and a stream.  Reminded me of our farm where Alli and Doug were raised on some acreage, a home, a river, horses, ducks, geese, 60 chickens, guinea hens and infant raccoons, with black angus next door.  I was thankful then, and maybe even more so now as I watch families trying to keep a "country" focus in towns where nature is elusive.  Sam and Ben are the beneficiaries of a mom and dad who value nature so much that they purpose to take the boys TO it practically every day.  That takes enormous effort and commitment, while all I had to do was wake up each morning and be greeted by all the farm animals.  ^5 Dave and Alli.

Ranches of the West -- THE NEW . . .

The older . . .

T

The oldest . . .

Just some sights I liked . . .

Irrigation on wheels - I need to find out what it's called.  (Above) At rest.  (Below) At work.

I loved the sweep of the cloud.

Time for lunch.  I mean, after all, Richard's been having to pull over to the side of the road constantly so I can take pictures!

Richard says there's one in Jackson, WY, too.  I bet they'll be seeing us there, too!