Jackson Hole

 

Yesterday we had a beautiful drive from Casper, Wyoming to Jackson Hole. Most of the day was across rolling hill grasslands with occasional outcroppings similar to what we saw in The Badlands. In the afternoon we began to see the magnificent Tetons in the distance. Properly, we are in the town of Jackson but the entire area is referred to Jackson Hole because it is situated in a valley among the Tetons. Most of the valley of Jackson Hole is in the Grand Teton National Park or National Forest. Just FYI, these mountains were named by French-Canadian trappers, and the term Grand Teton means "big breast" in french. 

As in South Dakota, the speed limit on the two-laned road yesterday was 70, and it was 80 on the short stretch of Interstate we covered. There was little traffic and only a few small towns along the route. We cannot  remember when we last saw any sign of law enforcement on the highways. Our thought is that no one cares how fast you drive out here and they don't want to spend money to enforce limits that are high enough for most drivers.

We have seen some interesting animal life in the west. There were buffalos in the Custer State Park and grazing along the highway yesterday. There are huge numbers of "Pronghorns" that wander around with no fear of traffic or people. I didn't know the meaning of Pronghorn but they are also known as American Antelopes, even though they are not technically antelopes. We are out where "the deer and the antelope play."

With plenty of time before our Saturday check-in, we decided to spend four nights here in Jackson and drive Saturday to Sun Valley to check into our rental house. It is beautiful here and we are enjoying not having to load and unload the car daily. 

We are in a retro spot called The Virginian Lodge. According to the Lodge's website:

In the 1960s, Founder Glenn Napierskie saw many visitors to Jackson Hole sleeping in their cars. He built The Virginian Lodge as a place for these families to stay, have fun, and build memories. Today, the same holds true. We want the travelers, drifters, locals, and adventure seekers who pull into our lodge to feel well taken care of and welcome to enjoy all that the area has to offer.

We are taking it easy today and have a bike ride planned for tomorrow. We are told that we need e-bikes because it is so hilly here. I've never ridden one but I know I will need all the help I can get. 

UPDATE: Anonymous comments.

I appreciate all of the kind comments below, but nine of the 12 are shown as coming from "Anonymous". I don't mind if someone really wants to be anonymous, but most of these sound like they are from friends. You can enter your name or sign in with Google before making a comment, or just do what a couple of people did and write your name at the end. To the two people who suggested the same restaurant, we are going there tonight. Thanks!