We left Salt Lake City for another world. Northern Utah was pretty, but when we rolled through Idaho you knew it. I don't have any pictures (somebody was using my phone to watch YouTube videos), but picture big soft mossy green mountains on all sides sliding gently into the greenest valleys of grassland. Cattle dotted the green landscape like little black ants. It was so beautiful, yet so desolate. Signs of civilization were scarce and when we went through Pocatello, I thought it was the big city. No wonder Idaho is listed as the 7th least densely populated state. As we approached the Wyoming border we could see the landscape changing from grasslands to pines and then we saw the Snake River. For a water lawyer from Arizona the idea of rivers and creeks having real wet water is a thrill.
After finally passing into Wyoming, we started climbing. And climbing. The pines turned to Douglas firs - Christmas trees all around. They were really tall and straight and thickly grouped. We were entering the Tetons.
When we finally reached the top of the Teton Pass we saw Jackson Hole, Wyoming in the valley far below. By now it was overcast and rainy but that seemed to heighten the smells of the evergreens and the lush colors of green. To think that wagons and even cars into the 1920s passed through this area is hard to believe, but the pictures were there at the overlook to prove it.
As we drove down into Jackson Hole and to our campground, the rain continued and it was 57 degrees but this Arizona family didn't mind at all. It sure beat the 115 we experienced only a week ago. We checked in and drove on into downtown for some western tourist shopping. We bought sweatshirts and Mackenzie finally got her cowgirl hat.
Jackson has these cool elk antler arches on four sides of their downtown square. The antlers fall off the elk in the fall, so no animals were hurt in the making of the arches.
We feel like great western campers, which is a good thing because tomorrow we are on to Yellowstone.
Hope we see some bears.
cindy
