National Museum of Wildlife Art

Wednesday - 18 June 2003: Jackson, Wyoming - Another spectacular day in Wyoming. The weather is just outstanding. This morning, after exercising, we gave Goldie a good scrubbing and had a late breakfast/brunch - our Filipino favorite: fried rice with garlic and egg - and headed out in the car to Teton Village. Teton Village is where the fabulous ski slopes and resorts are located - in what is actually called "Jackson Hole". We noticed hang gliders and para-sailers up in the air and stopped to watch. They were landing in a marshy meadow in front of us and the fabulous back drop of the mountains was a spectacular contrast.

Jackson Hole pilot


Parasailing

After landing, the "fliers" gather-up their gear and stand on the road, hoping to catch a lift (in a car) to Teton Village where they ride the ski lift to the top of the mountain and fly down again. We drove one handsome boy in the Honda (notice to readers: we do not usually recommend picking up hitch-hikers) to catch the lift and he answered our twenty questions, lisping away with his pierced tongue. They take the ski lift to the top of the mountain - where they are at about 9,000 feet. On his earlier flight, he had climbed to 12,000 feet and was up there for THREE HOURS. His girlfriend had dropped him off and he was going to actually fly home - planning to stay up for several more hours this trip and then head into town and land in a park near their home! Talk about a pollution-free commute! He also told us he wears a down parka, helmet, etc., and when he goes through a cloud, he comes out covered in frost! It is COLD at 12,000 feet! Anyway, this was a most interesting diversion for us, and though our new friend said we could take a two-day course and fly - we said our goodbyes and wished him a safe "commute" home.

We continued on along the "back" road to Grand Teton National Park. It is a lovely drive, with few cars and pretty scenery. DT stopped to take a photo of a rushing creek, but I was more interested in a disgusting bug nest. Just past the creek, DT slammed on the brakes and backed down the road a few feet. He had spotted "something" in the boggy shrubs below the road. It was a moose! A few seconds later, I spotted a baby. If you look closely at the photo below, you can easily make out the rear end and back of the mother - we never did get a glimpse of her head as she never stopped chomping while were there - and just above her rear end, at the base of the little tree, is the head of her calf. (Really. Trust me.)

Nature


The back side of beauty

We continued on to look at the Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club. The course looks long and wide-open. We were taking a circular route to reach the National Museum of Wildlife Art. I have visited this nice museum before and wanted DT to have a view, as he is particularly fond of Charles M. Russell, and several Russell paintings, sketches and bronzes are on display at the museum. It really was a beautiful day in the park and we really enjoyed our visit to the museum also. We highly recommend a visit to the National Museum of Wildlife Art.

DT, as a moose, in the Children's area
of the National Museum of Wildlife Art

After all this nature, we went back to town so DT could drop off his photos for one-hour processing and we spent the time looking through the galleries and shops in Jackson.

My Favorite Mountains

Jackson really does have some of the nicest shops we have found in the many mountain towns we have visited. Of course, there are your junky tee-shirt shacks and Authentic Indian Jewelry made in China, but the shops here are mostly very unique and filled with handicrafts made by local artists. There is a lot of pottery and interesting furniture made of peeled pine and burl wood that would look horrid in our house, but I still really like looking and appreciate all the work that must go into even FINDING a piece of twisty wood that your arm could curve into on a chair. You can also find wine racks, lamps, candle sticks and flatware handles made of (naturally-shed) elk, deer and moose antlers. Of course, I had to pick up a good selection of post cards. It just isn't a good day if I don't send a post card to my Editor in Bellaire, Texas.

DT and TerryT in Jackson (Photo by an Actual Cowboy)

After all this shopping and sightseeing, we stopped-in to get DT's photos and walked next door to the Merry Piglets, to sit down, look at his pictures and have a drink. The Merry Piglets is a Mexican cantina and every time we have been in Jackson, we have noticed it is always busy and lively, but we had never stopped in. The drink specialty is a Piglet Margarita. I recommend consuming only one. The Merry Piglet also makes their own salsa and it is quite delicious and available for take-out.

We came back to Goldie for a rest! At dinner time, we decided to walk up to the dining room at the hotel here at The Virginian... we are at another hotel with an RV Park in the back. Of course, this time we are in Jackson, home of three-million-dollar condos, so we are paying an outrageous $42.50 per night for our campsite. The dining room didn't have a very big menu, and has no liquor license. I ordered an open-faced turkey sandwich. It was very homey and covered in comforting gravy and was served by the most attractive boy. Jared has only worked here for a week and already has a burger named for him on the new (today) menu. (There is also a typo on the menu that claims you can have a Caesar Salad for $1.50.) Jared is a student at BYU and this is his summer job. He told the owners they needed a new burger - one that represented his Mexican heritage, so he suggested an avocado, tomato, onion and cheese burger. It is a hit. We started talking with Jared about the fabulous women's track team at BYU and he started telling us about student life at BYU. We walked back to our motor home after dinner, and chatted with our friendly Florida neighbors - they are basically doing our Perimeter Tour and were anxious for any suggestions, so DT told them, "Don't miss the Corn Palace!"

RV Park: The Virginian RV Park in Jackson, Wyoming