Jackson Hole: Bison, bingeing and Bill Baxter

From left, Alan Carmichael, Bill Baxter, and our traveling companions, Dawn and Richard Ford.

A branding iron stacked high with mouthwatering green chile onion rings was the starter for all four of us to share. We had so many, that we passed half of them to the friendly people at the next table!

Richard, the biggest meat-eater of our crew, had no trouble making his selection: the crispy pork shank! (There would be a lot of meat on this trip.)

I was a little surprised by Dawn’s order: a steak tartare pizza! Turns out it is Snake River Grill’s signature dish!

Snake River Grill is a beautiful restaurant. Here’s a shot as the dinner service wound down.

We would see a lot of elk antlers during our visit. But, don’t worry. The elk shed their antlers every year and folks pick them up for various artistic uses. (At least that’s what we were told, which made me feel a lot better about this light fixture.)

The lobby of the Teton Mountain Lodge.

Very cool light fixtures.

Aww. There was a stuffed moose in every room. Which was nice, because we never saw a live one!

The Jenny Lake tour was all about the Grand Teton Mountains: the names of each peak, how they got their names, and some facts about climbing them.

We were struck by how shifting our location even a little bit completely changed the view of the majestic peaks.

Wow. That sky. One pleasant surprise we got: very low humidity, which was a relief after the sweltering weather we left behind in Knoxville.

It was a fun way to spend about an hour, and it helped us get our bear-ings. (Ha. Pun.)

The beginning of a great day. Both Jenny Lake and Jackson Lake originally were formed by glaciers. They still are considered to be pristine lakes.

View from The Mural Room of Jackson Lake Lodge.

My kaffir lime poached chilled prawns served on sun-dried tomato hummus and drizzled with sweet chili oil might have been my “best bite” of the trip. The hummus, which I spread on the homemade yeast rolls that were served with lunch, was out of this world.

Alan loved his spiced “airline” chicken breast served with Armenian rice pilaf, broccolini and mint-cucumber yogurt.

So, huckleberries are a “thing” in Jackson Hole. Dawn’s huckleberry pound cake was served with huckleberry sauce and cinnamon ice cream. She loved it.

The only thing Richard likes as much as a good cut of meat is chocolate! So, we were unsurprised when he ordered chocolate cake with caramel sauce and French vanilla ice cream. He let me have one of the delicious chopped espresso beans used for garnish.

Here’s a better look at that view.

The lodge itself was built in the 1950s. Designed by architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, it marked a transition in the National Park Service from traditional to modern design. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

After lunch, it was time to board our second lake cruise of the day, this one on Jackson Lake.

That big white spot is the Skillet Glacier, named so because of its frying pan shape.

The Silver Dollar Bar.

My martini on the Silver Dollar Bar, in which are inlaid uncirculated 1921 Morgan silver dollars. Altogether in the Wort Hotel, there are 4,000 of them.

Here’s the sign you are looking for!

Trio was crowded.

Richard’s crispy pork belly with plum hoisin, green beans, pickled plums and sesame got his vote for “best bite” of the trip.

Dawn’s peaches and cream dessert. She raved about it.

Alan and Richard both had s’mores for dessert. Alan said it was his “best bite” of the trip.

I loved this painting of three wolves that was hanging in the dining room of Trio. It’s titled, “Trio.” It was for sale for $9,000. I twice visited the studio of the artist in downtown Jackson to see if she had any wiggle room in the asking price. The studio was closed both times. I assumed that was “the Universe” telling me to forget it!

First stop was a “secret” waterfall Colin knew about. Here he is getting up close and personal with it.

And a rushing stream.

Colin tried to talk his mother into standing with him on an outcropping he called “Lonely Rock.” She didn’t quite go onto that rock, but they got close. You can see it behind them in this photo.

We pulled to the side of the road to watch these two female elk resting on a strip of land in the middle of the water.

We moved on but pulled off again when we saw more elk. Here’s Dawn getting a good look.

We were very close to them.

Here’s an elk butt. This poor thing was trying to get a horse fly off her leg.

We stopped at a beautiful rushing river and saw some cutthroat trout.

And then, farther along, we pulled over when Colin saw this bison swimming across the river.

He started moving in our direction. (Photo by Alan Carmichael.)

And then he darted across the road right near where we were parked causing traffic to skid to a stop to avoid hitting him. (Photo by Alan Carmichael.)

He apparently thought one of the vehicles was an adversary because he suddenly turned around and acted as if he were about to charge! (Photo by Alan Carmichael.)

We did join the crowds at Upper Yellowstone Falls.

Taking a break.

The yellow in the rocks is the result of sulfur, Colin said. Interestingly, Native Americans and European settlers independently started calling the area “Yellow Stone,” he said.

Fountain Paint Pot slowly bubbling.

A “bacteria mat” near the Fountain Paint Pot area of Yellowstone. Microbial mats are the earliest form of life on Earth for which there is good fossil evidence, from 3,500 million years ago, Wikipedia says.

A mudpot. Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle.

Next, a quick stop at the huge Old Faithful Inn to pick up some souvenirs.

Back at our hotel after a full day. From left, Alan, Dan, Susan and Colin Boeh, Dawn and Richard.

Alan ordered salmon and enjoyed it.

Although Richard loved the huge hunk of beef he ordered, his favorite thing was this cowboy chocolate chip cookie with vanilla ice cream. I loved the presentation in the little cast iron skillet.

This picture of Richard looking for his ball is the only photo I was provided with from the day the guys spent at Teton Pines Resort and Country Club. I know. What are friends for? (Photo by Alan Carmichael.)

First of all, Bin 22 in downtown Jackson is an EXCELLENT tapas bar. We had patatas bravas, which are potatoes smothered in good toppings like salsa and aioli that are actually a midnight snack in Barcelona, and homemade mozzarella with basil and tomatoes on toast. Yum-yum.

Then we hit an art fair going on near the center of town. Here’s Dawn with one of the artists, Julianne Van Buskirk of Dolores, Colorado. (We may or may not have done some Christmas shopping.)

We may or may not have enjoyed some canned wine!

We went to the golf club to pick up the guys. This is the lobby of Teton Pines.

The restaurant has huge garage doors that were fully opened, giving us an indoor-outdoor dining experience.

Dawn had a spritz.

Richard knew what he wanted the minute he sat down: spaghetti and meatballs. Look at the size of those things!

This was Dawn’s “best bite” of the trip — garganelli: pasta with English peas, foraged mushrooms, parsley, garlic and Pecorino.

“Orsetto” translates to “baby bear” in English, and I loved the eatery’s logo.

Sign of a rocking good time.

Every pool table was in use.

Dance floor was packed.

The bar stools are actually horse saddles. I would have taken a picture of one, but they all were occupied, and I didn’t want anyone to think I was trying to photograph their bottom!

Bye!

We headed back to the Wort Hotel and the much more laid-back Silver Dollar Bar. (Note: When you see Dawn drinking a beer, you know it’s been a long day/night!)

Dawn and Richard on the tram. (Alan decided to stay at the hotel.)

View on the way up.

At the top is Corbet’s Cabin, built in 1965. Elevation is 10,450 feet. It is a tradition to have waffles there. I did, hoping it would calm my stomach. It did help a little.

View from the top.

Headed back down.

Love this at Dave Hansen Whitewater & Scenic River Trips. You can’t miss it!

See ya!

I can’t really explain this.

Cafe Genevieve is a sweet little place located in a historic log cabin in downtown Jackson. Happy hour starts at 3. We decided to get happy.

This painting, called “Most Noble Pig,” is famous. I fell in love with it. That eye!

Here’s what the stop signs look like there! Ha.

The Granary is famous for its food and its views. What’s not to love about that?

View from the bar, where we stopped for a pre-dinner cocktail.

Remember when I said that huckleberries are a “thing” there? This is a huckleberry cosmopolitan. It was delicious.

I adored my seafood cioppino linguini.

Dawn had elk tenderloin and paired it with Elk Cove pinot gris, which we shared.

Here’s Alan’s chicken puttanesca. (Richard had a steak, which looked like, well, a steak!)