Jackson, WY
Reluctant to leave Sun Valley but excited to continue on our journey, we headed out of the Sawtooths toward the Tetons and Jackson Hole, WY. On the way we passed through Craters of the Moon National Monument - a sight that was truly out of this world!
Jackson Hole is the stuff from old western movies - a huge valley, flat right up to the edge of the magnificent mountains. It looks like the perfect spot for cowboys to keep track of their cattle, and that’s exactly why they called this special place home!
We stayed in the heart of Jackson at the Antler Inn, convenient to the shops and restaurants and just a free 20 minute bus ride from the mountain.
For this portion of the trip we made it a goal to “level” up in snowmobiling, try xc skiing, and tackle the intimidating mountain at Jackson Hole resort. A tall order by all regards, but I was finally starting to feel better and ready for some challenges!
Of course, we needed a good spot to tire Merlin out everyday and found just that on the Cache Canyon trail. We worked with Merlin on his recall off the leash and he thoroughly enjoyed his freedom!
On our first day in Jackson we decided to try cross country skiing. Having zero experience, we gave it a whirl on a golf course with views of the Tetons, convenient rentals, and a well laid track. We skied the 11k course, both fell once, and when we left we felt like we had a good enough handle to try it on our own!
The next day we transitioned back to downhill skiing. To me, Jackson Hole has always held a lot of prestige. Only the best skiers I knew skied Jackson Hole (my brother-in-law being one of them!) Mike and I are far from the best but we had to give it a shot - it’s part of the Mountain Collective pass! Armed with our new boots we grabbed the bus to the mountain.
We got off the bus at the base, hopped in line for the Tram, and just before we got off at the top we were warned “this area is for experts only, if you’re not an expert you can take the tram back down.” Mike and I locked panicked eyes as we unloaded and realized the Rondevouz Bowl would be our warm up run! Honestly, it might have been the best thing for us - once we finished that first run we had the confidence to face the rest of the mountain and had an incredible day of skiing. We headed home with smiles on our faces and one more notch in our belts!
Our quads were shot after cross country skiing and taking on the steep faces of Jackson Hole, so we decided to spend the next day at nearby Granite Hot Springs. The thing is - you can only get there via snowmobile. We checked the trail map and decided to rent a sled in town and give it a go on our own!
The hot spring was remote and beautiful! We warmed up there for an hour or so and met some fellow travelers. They gave us a some travel tips and suggested visiting the boiling river in Yelllowstone if we were ever in the area. On the way back we swung by the waterfalls for peanut butter and banana sandwiches.
To cap off our visit we swung over to Hole Bowl on our final night. While we waited for a league night to finish up we were treated to the best bowling alley food we’ve ever had! As soon as we signed our bill a lane opened and I found the elusive 9 lb ball of my dreams. Mike opened up with a stellar 186 and I did better than usual in both games! It was the perfect way to celebrate our newfound confidence.
