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Friday, June 24, 2022
Last night we decided to go out for pizza. We had a choice between a restaurant serving New York style pizza and a restaurant serving local, wood fired pizza. I suggested that we’d never be happy with some inauthentic New York style pizza and so we went for the wood fired one. It was highly rated.
We ordered a sausage and onion pizza in the only size that they made. Along with two Cokes the bill came to $25.00. We sat at a table for over 50 minutes before our pizza was finally ready and when it arrived we were already disappointed. It was pretty small. I could easily have eaten two all by myself. What’s worse is that fully one third of the pie was plain crust without any toppings whatsoever. We noticed that most people ordered one pizza for each person at their table. That meant that pizza for two would cost around $50.00. That’s just ridiculous. After dinner we just went back to the hotel. We were too annoyed to look for dessert which we assumed would be sub-par. For us Portland had been a gastronomic nightmare.
The next morning we were on the road headed to Boise, ID. We’d be on I-84 for virtually the entire 6.5 hour trip. During the first couple of hours we followed along on the South side of the majestic Columbia River. Washington State bordered to the North. Outside of the city the River was wide and deep. It was interrupted in several places by hydro-electric dams. Eventually the interstate jagged South and we went through farm country. Both towns and rest stops were few and far between.
Once in Boise, we hung out at the hotel for a couple of hours before seeking dinner. The one thing we knew for sure was that we wanted something made of potatoes. We found a local haunt called The Westside Drive-In. According to the sign on the door it had been featured on the show Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives. It was a fifties style diner. The drive-in portion was limited to the drive-through window. We went inside.
We decided to share a loaded baked potato and a cheeseburger with onion rings. The burger was fresh and we both remarked that even the bun was good (it was probably made of potato bread). The onion rings were homemade and really quite good, but the star of the show was the loaded baked potato. It was crusted in salt and topped with bacon, sour cream, green onion, cheddar cheese, and butter. The potato itself was truly fresh and flavorful. It might have been the best potato we’ve ever had. For dessert we indulged in a couple of shakes. Deborah’s was peanut butter and mine was chocolate with wild cherry and marshmallow. They were thick, refreshing, and delicious. Fortunately, they were served with large diameter straws.
Saturday, June 25, 2022
The drive from Boise to Grand Teton National Park took 7.5 hours. It wasn’t a bad drive. About 30 minutes from entering the park we drove through the town of Jackson, not to be confused with Jackson Hole, a town that doesn’t actually exist. The interior of the Teton and Gros Ventre Mountain ranges form a large valley, or in the local parlance, a hole. The entire valley is called Jackson Hole. The town of Jackson is just one of several towns located in Jackson Hole.
Driving through the park we encountered many signs indicating that wildlife was in the area. One of the signs told us to slow down because bison were near by. Just then we rounded a bend onto a large prairie where we saw a small herd of bison about 100 yards away. On the other side of the road was an even larger herd but they were even father off. We watched them for a while and proceeded on our way.
We found our campsite rather easily. Everything went up in a smooth and orderly fashion. Oh what a difference a little experience makes in these matters. We also knew that our campsite came with a fire pit and a cooking grate. We were prepared. We drove over to the camp’s store and purchased some charcoal, matches, and lighter fluid. Once the briquets burned down a bit Deborah began the process of cooking our dinner. Bratwurst were on the menu. It was nice to have a hot meal in the evening for a change.
In Lassen by 6:00 pm it was already very cold. We would already have changed into warmer clothes and could usually be found chasing the last rays of sunlight for warmth. Here in the Tetons it was still quite pleasant at 7:00 pm. In fact it didn’t get really cold until about 4:30 am the next morning.
Sunday, June 26, 2022
By 9:30 am we were in the car and driving over to nearby Jackson Lake. We intended to hike a trail that went along a good bit of the waterfront. The guide we received when we got here said you could swim in any of the lakes but advised against doing so. Being that the water comes mostly from mountain snowmelt the temperatures are quite cold. The sight of the lake and the jagged snowcapped mountains behind them was amazing. We snapped a bunch of pictures before embarking on the hike.
We decided to head into Jackson for lunch. This time when we got to the prairie we saw a very large herd of Bison no more than 50 yards off. Many people had stopped to take photos. After a while we walked back to the car and as we were pulling into the road we noticed that the animals were on the move. They were headed towards the road. I raced down the road a bit and pulled off to the side to get a better angle. I got out of the car to take even more pictures when all of a sudden the herd of about 70 animals, including a bunch of youngsters, started crossing the road right in front of me. Some walked and some ran. It was quite exciting. They were so close. Just then a ranger came down the road and got out of his car. I was afraid he was going to tell me to get back into the car before I got hurt. Instead he took out his phone and starting taking pictures, too. It was quite a sight.
Rant on…
These are bison, not buffalo. Several types of buffalo can be found in Asia, Africa, and Europe. North America is blessed with bison. Buffalo and bison are different animals and are not genetically related. Any reference to buffalo in North America is factually wrong. In spite of that we have government web sites that refer to herds of buffalo at Yellowstone National Park, town and rivers named for buffalo, and on several occasions the US Mint has created coins with the images of buffalo (to name just a few faux pas). It’s ok to be informed.
Rant off.
It turned out that many of the restaurants in Jackson were closed on Sunday. We settled for an American restaurant that was only serving breakfast. Afterwards we walked around town for a bit. It was filled with the usual clothing, Native American crafts, and jewelry stores. We checked out several ice cream shops. Most had mediocre ratings and very high prices. We decided to get dessert elsewhere.
Back in the park we decided to stop at one of the informational pullouts. It was Glacier View Turnout. We noticed it the day before and were curious to know if there really was a glacier there or it was just an interesting name. Sure enough, high up in the mountains, you could see parts of several glaciers. It was surprising to us that they existed so far south.
Passing the Bison pasture once again we found a single Pronghorn Antelope. He was right by the side of the road happily grazing away. He didn’t seem to mind that quite a few people stopped to take his picture.
By the time we got back near the campsite we were both pretty tired. We had intended to cook out again but I suggested instead that we just get some sandwiches at the general store. In the end we decided to make sandwiches out of the packets of tuna we had brought along. The trip to the general store wasn’t a complete waste. They had hand scooped ice cream in a dozen flavors. The small size, consisting of two good sized scoops, cost just $3.50. We both got the bear claw (vanilla ice cream with caramel and chocolate chunks). It was absolutely delicious. The ice cream became our de-facto dinner. We never did have the tuna.
Monday, June 27, 2022
This morning we explored some of the park’s more Southern attractions. We parked at the trailhead for the Taggert Lake Trail. We had hoped to start the hike before it got too hot but by the time we started it was well into the 70s. Most of the trail’s 400 foot gain in elevation happened in the first mile where there was little shade. The trail crossed several streams before it leveled out and we finally arrived at Taggert Lake. The rather small lake had crystal clear still waters and incredible views of snow capped mountains in the background. It was idyllic. For the trip back we had the option of going an extra mile with the strong possibility of seeing bear. Deborah wasn’t interested in tangling with any bear so we went back the way we came.
Almost every part of the park hosts its own lodge, restaurants, and general store. We opted for Dornan’s Pizza Pasta Company right near by. The menu included a seven inch and a 12 inch pizza. The 12 inch looked a little small so we got one with pepperoni and a Greek Salad. The salad was enormous and could easily have been lunch for the two of us. The pizza was quite good. We finished it and took the left over salad back with us to eat with our dinner. While getting into our car we overheard someone say they were going over to the Jackson Lodge for milkshakes. Now that would be worth investigating.
Next it was the Northern end of the park. Just South of our campsite we found the cutoff for Jenny Lake and the associated scenic drive. We crossed over the Jackson Dam, over the Snake River, and found ourselves very near the base of the mountain chain. There was a pullout near the lake. It was another incredibly beautiful spot. Some came for the scenery but quite a few brought their lunch and picnicked on the provided tables. On the way back we noticed a car stopped in front of us. There was a huge elk with an enormous rack grazing right by the side of the road. We watched him for a while before stopping at the dam to take some pictures.
We had intended to drive further North all the way to Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone had been completely closed due to flooding but the Southern Loop had been recently opened. The problem was that we were pretty tired. We thought a milkshake might give us a needed jolt.
The Jackson Lodge, the biggest and most elegant of the lodges in the park, was gorgeous. In addition to being a full service hotel it hosted several restaurants and meeting rooms. We found the grill and ordered two milkshakes: one chocolate and one vanilla. The menu didn’t mention malt but we asked about it and since they had it, we had them add it to both of our drinks. The vanilla had swirls of caramel and was topped with whipped cream and a cherry. The chocolate had swirls of chocolate and was similarly topped. They were $7.50 each, with no extra charge for the malt, and they were worth every penny. In fact, they were so large that I wasn’t able to finish mine.
We decided to call it a day. Back at our campsite I made a fire and Deborah cooked some Italian sausages for dinner. Later that evening we noticed some people moved into a nearby campsite. They had a very young, golden retriever with them. I wanted to go over and say hello but Deborah said we should be more circumspect. We’d pretend to go for a walk around the campsite loop and just happen to notice the puppy as we passed by. Our plan worked perfectly. The six month old puppy was delighted to make out acquaintance. Before leaving I offered to babysit should the need arise. Let’s be fair: Deborah co-stalked this one. 😎