The beautiful Great Smokey MountainsI know I’ve said it before but at the risk of being redundant (which, you may have noticed, doesn’t really bother me), WOW, what a beautiful Country we live in! The last time we made this drive it was winter and we did it for the convenience of having a car during our extended stay in Boise, this time we chose to drive because we wanted to ”play tourist” in Wyoming. Several times we have traveled across I80 and found ourselves wishing we had the time to stop and visit so this trip we did.
It is no secret that I hate cold, so why is it I seem to keep having these “polar fleece moments” in August. I mean if it is ever going to be warm wouldn’t you think that mid-August would be the time? Apparently not because on August 16th we awoke to hear that overnight low in Laramie was 34°, setting a new record low for the date. How lucky were we to experience that moment, especially with sandals being the only footwear we brought along and a cotton hoodie and Capri pants the warmest attire in our bags; heck, Larry didn’t even have capris, only shorts. We detoured off of the Interstate (I80) and took the scenic loop across Hwy 130 over Medicine Bow Mountain west of Laramie; it was simply beautiful, it was also cold. When we left our hotel in Laramie (elev. 7165 ft) it had warmed up to 40°, our route took us up to an elevation of 10,847 ft and when we pulled into the scenic pullout there was fresh SNOW clinging to the North side of the posts in the parking lot and slush along the gravel path the lead to the viewing station, the wind was blowing about 20 mph. The view was spectacular but I wimped out after about 3 minutes and scurried back to the warm car (thank heavens for Mother Sun). I hoped the pictures I snapped would help me remember but I worried that I was shaking too much for the picture to be clear – you can be the judge. 
We left the Interstate again just West of Rock Springs, WY and took scenic Highways 189 & 191 North to Jackson, sometimes erroneously referred to as “Jackson Hole”. Along the way we saw beautiful scenery and also this great spot along a little stream where Jim Bridger carved his name (or had it carved) back in 1844 when he was just a plain old trapper & guide and not the now famous Jim Bridger of Western lore. Since the days of the fur trappers the region has been known as a “hole” because topographically it is a hole or a valley that is surrounded by mountains. The hole afforded the best weather available to the trappers during the winter (given the limited options offered by the region and the fact that they were traveling on foot or at best on horseback) and so they wintered there and often held rendezvous in the region.
In the town of Jackson we stopped to buy sandwiches & then went north a few more miles into Grand Teton National Park because it is simply spectacular and I never tire of looking at the scenery there, but also to purchase our Ten Dollar “Senior Pass” good at all National Parks and sites that charge admission. I guess that means we are officially old farts! Mission accomplished we went a few miles to a pull off area and ate our sandwiches while we sat on the tailgate of the truck in the shadow of Grand Teton mountain.
We left the Interstate again just West of Rock Springs, WY and took scenic Highways 189 & 191 North to Jackson, sometimes erroneously referred to as “Jackson Hole”. Along the way we saw beautiful scenery and also this great spot along a little stream where Jim Bridger carved his name (or had it carved) back in 1844 when he was just a plain old trapper & guide and not the now famous Jim Bridger of Western lore. Since the days of the fur trappers the region has been known as a “hole” because topographically it is a hole or a valley that is surrounded by mountains. The hole afforded the best weather available to the trappers during the winter (given the limited options offered by the region and the fact that they were traveling on foot or at best on horseback) and so they wintered there and often held rendezvous in the region.
In the town of Jackson we stopped to buy sandwiches & then went north a few more miles into Grand Teton National Park because it is simply spectacular and I never tire of looking at the scenery there, but also to purchase our Ten Dollar “Senior Pass” good at all National Parks and sites that charge admission. I guess that means we are officially old farts! Mission accomplished we went a few miles to a pull off area and ate our sandwiches while we sat on the tailgate of the truck in the shadow of Grand Teton mountain.
From Jackson we followed another scenic route into Idaho Falls and then hit the Interstate to Boise and a visit with our girls; not to minimize Dennis & Mary but we have been visiting them for years so our trips now do seem to focus on getting to know little Anna (who is now nearly 8 months) and spending time making memories with Lauren (soon to be 5).
Of course we did time this visit so that we could celebrate Dennis’ birthday with him.
Of course we did time this visit so that we could celebrate Dennis’ birthday with him.
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