A year ago, we had done alot of hiking at the different national parks that we had visited. It got to the point that The Kids had gotten pretty weary by the end of the trip. We had done some hiking already at RMNP, so we wanted to vary it up a bit. The Wife and The Girl had never done any whitewater rafting before. The Boy and I had been on the Ocoee and Nantahala Rivers with his scout troop and had a blast. Rafting the nearby Snake River is a popular activity for visitors to Jackson Hole. It didn't seem as difficult as the Ocoee River, so I thought it would be a good activity to get the females exposed to rafting.
There's plenty of whitewater outfitters in Jackson Hole. We made reservations with Barker-Ewing Whitewater for a mid-morning trip. We drove to their offices in Jackson and rented some thin wet suits as the water would be chilly. Once all the other guests had arrived, we were loaded into a big bus and driven about half-an hour to the Snake River. At that point, I realized that I had left my GoPro camera back at the condo. It would be nice to take photos of The Wife and The Girl on their first time rafting a river. I still had my iPhoone X which was inside an inexpensive water-proof case. Instead of leaving it on the bus as I had previously planned, I decided that I would take it with us. The rapids didn't really sound too bad on the Snake River, so I wasn't worried about capsizing and losing the phone that was secured with a strap around my neck.
We shared an inflatable raft with a friendly family of four from Germany. They remarked that there is not alot of places to whitewater where they are from. I snapped many pictures of our family as well as the Germans so that they too would have a memento of their experience. Our guide was a bearded, grizzled-looking man who looked like he was in his late thirties. He had worked several seasons as a whitewater guide on the Snake River and in India. We were all shocked to hear that he was only 21 years old. I guess the gamma rays from all that sun exposure aged him quickly.
Our raft was carried down the river, encountering rapids of different difficulties. Some were pretty exciting and gave us a good splash of cold water. Others were meh. The Girl, who was wary of getting on the raft at the beginning, was having a blast. During the quiet periods, our guide filled us in on local lore about the Snake River and the Jackson Hole area.
During one such pause between rapids, he invited any of us to jump into the water and take a plunge into the river. The German family went first. After we pulled them back on the raft, The Boy went next. The Girl and The Wife declined to jump in. I pulled The Boy in and then took my turn. The water was indeed icy and I'm sure there was some shrinkage. After a minute of hypothermia, I had The Boy try and pull me up. Unfortunately, he was not strong enough, and we struggled. In the process, the front of my body scraped along the side of the raft. Once I was finally back up, I looked down and to my dismay, the iPhone case was no longer attached to the strap around my neck. We looked around inside the raft with the small hope that it had fallen inside, but it was not to be found. It was at the bottom of the river.
I was so angry at myself for not taking it off before I jumped in the river. I tried to blow it off, but it was hard to enjoy the rest of the rafting trip. It didn't help that the Snake River was just too easy. The rapids were not difficult enough to get my adrenaline going. Nevertheless, the rest of the family had a fun time. Once the ride was over, we helped load the rafts onto a trailer. We changed into some dry clothes and were taken back to the Barker-Ewing office.
It so happens, that there is also a Verizon store in the same shopping complex. I explained to one of the salesmen about what happened to my phone and how I desperately needed a replacement. It would cost $1,200 for a new iPhone X. Ouch. I was about to bite the bullet, when another salesman sabotaged his colleague and told me that I actually had insurance on my plan and could get it replaced for only $200. That was a surprise for us because the last two times that we had upgrade our phones, we had told the Verizon representatives to cancel our insurance. Somehow, they had continuously ignored our requests. We had always assumed that they were doing their job and never followed up on the cancellation. Luckily for me, their mistake worked out in my favor. I was able to have a new iPhone sent to me, but unfortunately, the soonest I would get it would be when we had returned back home at the end of the trip. Until then, I was stuck listening to The Wife's crappy podcasts and music while in the car.
With the stress of the lost phone behind us, we searched for a place in Jackson to have lunch. We settled on a brew pub called the Snake River Brewery which is advertised as Wyoming's oldest distillery. For the most part, the food was good. I wasn't really excited about the fried chicken dish that The Girl insisted that I split with her. Being from the South, we have high expectations for fried chicken. The beer that I ordered was really good. According to our server, it's an old-fashion style of German beer containing pomegranates. However, it was a sad feeling as The Wife and The Kids were buried in the cell phones, while I sat there staring at my beer.
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| Gose of the Phoenix |
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| Caramel Corn |
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| Big Hole burger with sweet potato fries |
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| Fried chicken, cornbread, and greens |
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| Wild game ragout |
After lunch, we walked around downtown Jackson. It was packed with tourists like us.
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| At the four entrances to the George Washington Park are arches made out of elk antlers. |
There's no shortage of boutique and souvenir shops in Jackson. We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon shopping in downtown Jackson and taking stupid pictures next to any statues we could find.
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| Hey Ben, I'll help you discover electricity... |
As tempting as it was to go back to the Streetfood @ Stagecoach restaurant, we returned to our condominium for dinner. Using the kitchen and Instant Pot, we had some Asian pulled pork with rice.
*****
Wednesday, July 25, 2019
*****
Aside from all the outdoor activities like whitewater rafting, skiing, mountain biking, etc, most tourists come to Jackson Hole to visit Grand Teton National Park (GTNP). White men first arrived in the area in the early 1800's. However, it took about 80 years before settlers and ranchers really started inhabiting the area. Despite the difficult agrarian conditions in Jackson Hole, more and more homesteaders began to arrive. By the twentieth century, the conservationist movement was already in full swing. Local leaders began advocating the land to be protected from commercial development. In 1926, oil baron John D. Rockefeller was so overwhelmed with Jackson Hole during a visit that he began purchasing land in the region. This was done secretly using a shell company called the Snake River Land Company. Over the next twenty years, the company would own 35,000 acres.
It would take decades for GTNP to become what it is today. In 1929, the park was formed but it only consisted of the Teton Mountains and a couple of lakes at their base. Although Yellowstone National Park lies only 10 miles north of GTNP, the locals insisted that it remain a separate entity. In 1943, President Roosevelt created Jackson Hole National Monument with the remaining federal land in the valley. In 1949, Rockefeller donated his Snake River Land Company holdings to the federal government. In 1950, all three areas were combined to create the GTNP that is known today.
The easiest way for us to get to GTNP was to drive a couple of miles north past Teton Village on the primitive Moose-Wilson Road until we would be in the park. However, that same road was closed for routine dust abatement, so we would have to take the long way and drive through downtown Jackson and up highway 191. This route would be less scenic and take a little longer, but we would get there nonetheless.
It would take decades for GTNP to become what it is today. In 1929, the park was formed but it only consisted of the Teton Mountains and a couple of lakes at their base. Although Yellowstone National Park lies only 10 miles north of GTNP, the locals insisted that it remain a separate entity. In 1943, President Roosevelt created Jackson Hole National Monument with the remaining federal land in the valley. In 1949, Rockefeller donated his Snake River Land Company holdings to the federal government. In 1950, all three areas were combined to create the GTNP that is known today.
The easiest way for us to get to GTNP was to drive a couple of miles north past Teton Village on the primitive Moose-Wilson Road until we would be in the park. However, that same road was closed for routine dust abatement, so we would have to take the long way and drive through downtown Jackson and up highway 191. This route would be less scenic and take a little longer, but we would get there nonetheless.
Our first stop once we entered the park was the Craig Thomas Discovery and Visitor Center. There were a couple of displays that tried to educate visitors on the wildlife and conservation, but in reality nobody really stops and reads them. We just came for the gift shop.
We drove onto Teton Park Road over to Jenny Lake which was named after Jenny Leigh, a Shoshone Indian woman, who helped the U.S. survey team in their efforts in charting the area in 1872. On the opposite bank of the lake are popular spots such as Inspiration Point and Hidden Falls. The trail to get to those spots can be reached by walking around the lake or taking a scenic ferry. Unfortunately for us, the trail was recently closed because of concerns for seismic activity. Therefore, we didn't really have a compelling reason to cross to the other side of the lake.
Instead we saw that there are also canoe and kayak rentals for $20 per hour. There was only one watercraft left, so we decided to take three to the canoe. The Wife decided to stay back as she wasn't to thrilled about having to paddle. The Girl sat in the middle of the canoe and was handed a small wooden paddle that looked like it was a toy. Needless to say, her strokes didn't move us very far. We made our way out to the lake and enjoyed the picturesque mountain scenery. After paddling for about 20 minutes and getting bored, The Boy and The Wife switched out. We then paddled the canoe almost to the other side and back as the lake is not very large.
We left the Jenny Lake area and continued along Teton Park Road, passing the much larger Jackson Lake. We turned off on a side road and headed up Signal Mountain. Most people like us just drive up a narrow road to the top. We did pass a family with two small kids who were biking it. There is also a hiking trail as well. At the top, we got a great look at the valley below. We also enjoyed a late lunch of sandwich wraps that we had packed.
After heading back down the mountain, we continued on Teton Park Road until it merged with highway 191. We headed south back towards Jackson. Along the way, we stopped at the Oxbow Bend Overlook to see if we could see any wildlife. Unfortunately, the only critters that we spotted in the sunny afternoon were just ducks and an occasional pelican.
We continued south and stopped at the Bar Flying U Ranch. In 1888, a homesteader named John Pierce Cunningham built a cabin here and would run a cattle ranch for 20-30 years. It's footnote in history was that a couple of suspected horse thieves were gunned down by a posse from Jackson in 1892. In 1928, Cunningham sold the land to the Rockefeller's Snake River Land Company.
There is really not much to see of what remains of the ranch--just fences and empty cabin. We were the only people there for the 15 minutes that we stopped by. There were a couple of signs that told the story of the ranch, but not much else of interest.
There are many stops along highway 191 that have scenic overlooks that face the Teton Range. We paused for a few minutes at a few of them.
Our next stop in our journey back to Jackson was Schwabacher's Landing. A gravel road took us down to a parking area adjacent to a small branch of the Snake River. Visitors can sometimes find larger wildlife in the area, but usually in the morning when the animals are more active. As expected, we didn't see any wildlife there. Nevertheless, the views of the area were amazing.
Our last stop in GTNP was the Mormon Row Historic District. Mormon homesteaders were sent to the area, establishing 27 farms in the 1890's. Despite the tough conditions of Jackson Hole, they worked the land for several decades digging irrigation ditches to grow crops. Their lives were tough and most of the homesteaders had no running water or electricity well into the 1920's. Eventually, most of the families sold their farms to be incorporated into the National Park Service.
One of the iconic photography locations in GTNP is the T.A. Moulton Barn. This farmer and his family worked this plot of land from 1912 to 1945. Their barn is the only structure remaining from their homestead.
After a stop into town for more groceries and supplies, we returned back to our condo and enjoyed a dinner of zuppa toscana courtesy of our Instant Pot. While we got to see the area that GTNP covers, we felt that we really didn't get the full park experience. There are so many hiking trails and more extensive watercraft activities that the park offers that we just didn't have enough time to do.
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| Did they take a horse-drawn carriage to the top? |
After heading back down the mountain, we continued on Teton Park Road until it merged with highway 191. We headed south back towards Jackson. Along the way, we stopped at the Oxbow Bend Overlook to see if we could see any wildlife. Unfortunately, the only critters that we spotted in the sunny afternoon were just ducks and an occasional pelican.
We continued south and stopped at the Bar Flying U Ranch. In 1888, a homesteader named John Pierce Cunningham built a cabin here and would run a cattle ranch for 20-30 years. It's footnote in history was that a couple of suspected horse thieves were gunned down by a posse from Jackson in 1892. In 1928, Cunningham sold the land to the Rockefeller's Snake River Land Company.
There is really not much to see of what remains of the ranch--just fences and empty cabin. We were the only people there for the 15 minutes that we stopped by. There were a couple of signs that told the story of the ranch, but not much else of interest.
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| I wouldn't mind waking up to that view every morning. |
There are many stops along highway 191 that have scenic overlooks that face the Teton Range. We paused for a few minutes at a few of them.
Our next stop in our journey back to Jackson was Schwabacher's Landing. A gravel road took us down to a parking area adjacent to a small branch of the Snake River. Visitors can sometimes find larger wildlife in the area, but usually in the morning when the animals are more active. As expected, we didn't see any wildlife there. Nevertheless, the views of the area were amazing.
Our last stop in GTNP was the Mormon Row Historic District. Mormon homesteaders were sent to the area, establishing 27 farms in the 1890's. Despite the tough conditions of Jackson Hole, they worked the land for several decades digging irrigation ditches to grow crops. Their lives were tough and most of the homesteaders had no running water or electricity well into the 1920's. Eventually, most of the families sold their farms to be incorporated into the National Park Service.
One of the iconic photography locations in GTNP is the T.A. Moulton Barn. This farmer and his family worked this plot of land from 1912 to 1945. Their barn is the only structure remaining from their homestead.
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| The T.A. Moulton Barn is the most photographed barn in the U.S. |
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| Perhaps this is the most photographed outhouse? |
After a stop into town for more groceries and supplies, we returned back to our condo and enjoyed a dinner of zuppa toscana courtesy of our Instant Pot. While we got to see the area that GTNP covers, we felt that we really didn't get the full park experience. There are so many hiking trails and more extensive watercraft activities that the park offers that we just didn't have enough time to do.
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