Day 04 - To Jackson, Wyoming

Today our trip takes us back on I-15 out of Salt Lake City and into Idaho.  At (the city of) Idaho Falls we picked up Rte 20 into the town for a stop at the falls where the town gets its name.  We then turned onto Rte 26 and followed it to Rte 31 where we crossed the mountains and had a most fantastic view of Jackson in the valley.  From there we drove down the mountain into Jackson where we will spend the night at the Antler Hotel.

We traveled past many miles of farm lands, with cattle, milk cows, and crops like wheat and Idaho Potatoes.  Let me say this was a most visually stunning ride.  There were mountains on both sides with lakes and rivers and fields all along the way.

We stopped for a break and a short box lunch at the Idaho Falls in none other than Idaho Falls.

The falls are not very high, but long.

We continued up into the mountains crossing over into Wyoming.

The mountains are closer, but there is still ranch lands around.  Very pretty.

Instead of continuing our trip on Rte 26 around the mountains, we took Rte 31 (a scenic
Bypass) and went up over the mountains. 

We stopped at a view point overlooking the valley and Jackson. 

The views from here are simply breathtaking! 

During our trip down the mountain and while we were heading to Jackson, we get our first views of the Tetons (from the east side).  Very impressive.

Someone spied a moose in the stream.  After passing it, we turned around (quite a feat by the bus driver Ching for the 8-point turnaround) and headed back.  (For those of you who will catch the reference, it felt like Austin Powers turning the cart around in the narrow underground hallway.) 

We found the moose, which was still there and was nice enough to stick around for us to take pictures of it.

We got into Jackson, settled into our rooms, and then went off exploring the town.  At the Town square, there are four arches made from elk antlers.  It is quite something to see.

As we toured around town, there was the horse and carriage ride, only this one is a stage coach ride.  It takes you around the town and I even saw some riding shotgun.

We continued around town for a little while doing some shopping and stopping in some of the galleries.  I was able to take a picture of one of the bronze statues.  I only wish I had the money and house to accommodate them.  There are also a number of bronze statues out and about the town, all of them impressive.

We tooled around town some more before meeting everyone on the tour for dinner at “E.levan”.  Carmen and I had the beef medallions, let me say OMG because they melted in your mouth.

Afterwards, we went to the “Million Dollar Cowboy Bar”.  Had a couple of beers (“Million Dollar Beer”) after the complementary three glasses of wine (oh, since Carmen does not drink wine, I drank hers).  Here is Carmen on one of the saddle stools.

Everyone played some pool and bellied up to the bar, some even sitting on the saddle chairs.

We headed back to the room and await our trip tomorrow to Yellowstone. Until later, here is a sign I found at one of the stores. 

Yippee-i-o-ki-yay, Carmen and Bob.