Another Fire, Another Big Win

It was a crazy day at work yesterday as we were sold out for the first time in a few weeks. There were special events in town - a major bicycle race from Salt Lake City to Jackson, and the championship calf roping event at the final rodeo for the season. We had several cancellations and filled each of those rooms within minutes of the cancellations. When we left work at 3 PM, there were 143 check-ins remaining for the next shift. Whew!

We went into town to get some groceries and saw smoke coming from just over the hill at the south end of town:

That's all we needed was another wildfire to create more haze and more concern for property damage. We tried to get information on this latest fire but the best we could do was a report from one Idaho station that there was a new fire just south of Jackson. We're hoping that it doesn't get out of control and most importantly, doesn't take out any properties in it's path. We should know more later today.

The big news for yesterday was another stellar performance by Austin in his team's 56-0 win in a Saturday afternoon game. He had 4 touchdowns, 129 yards rushing on 11 carries and only played the first half! Three of his touchdowns were in the first quarter. It's nice that the other players get a chance for some playing time in one sided games like this. It also provides some rest for him which isn't going to hurt in this long season. His hard work is paying off and I'm sure his coach is pinching himself to be blessed with such a great runner and a team of several gifted players. What a season to watch!

Aerial Tram

We decided to cash in our free trip to the Teton Village Aerial Tram. Even though it was still a bit hazy, we felt that with the time running out on our stay in Jackson this year, we should take advantage now. It was late morning by the time we arrived at Teton Village, parked and walked up to the tram entry:

We showed our pay stubs to prove we were local employees and our licenses to match the names on the pay stubs. It saved us about $46 in ticket costs so it was a great deal for us.

There was a walkway to the boarding area and we only had to wait about 5 minutes before we saw our tram coming down from the top:

We boarded and began the 15 minute ride to the top which was beautiful and a lot less scary than I anticipated. The views were spectacular, and these are only a sample of the shots we took on the ride to the top:

and finally, after leaving the almost 70 degree temperatures at the bottom, we reached the top where we saw this:

There were several different viewing areas at the top and again we took lots of photos, some of which are below:

We probably spent close to an hour at the top and we headed back down. We passed this tram as we were going down:

We finally reached the bottom where we took this shot coming in that shows the place on the left where we decided to grab some lunch:

The lunch was excellent as Josie had a chicken quesadilla and I had a burger with fries. The name of the restaurant was Nick Wilson's Cowboy Cafe:

Following our lunch, we walked around the complex a little bit and came to the boarding area where folks take the Gondola to the restaurant that is about 1000 ft short of the top. it is called the Couloir. We took a picture of this restaurant as we were riding to the top:

The final two shots are of the station where you catch the Gondola for the restaurant and the climb to the restaurant level which is at about 9000 feet:

All in all, it was  a great trip and the only way it could have been better is if it were totally clear as the skies were the first couple months we were here. It is definitely worth a return trip.

We took the long way home through the southern edge of the Park and didn't see any wildlife. There was a huge gathering on the same bridge we saw the three moose lying near the river last week but we didn't stop this time.

Our new week begins today and we are awaiting word from IL on Austin's game, which is being played today instead of on Friday night. Good luck Austin!

Victor & Driggs, ID and Pinky G's

It was a dreary and cool day all day yesterday. My golf buddy, Duane, knocked on our door early in the day to tell me he couldn't play golf because they are leaving on Saturday and had lots of things to do before Saturday. We still wanted to go somewhere, so we took the truck out on a short trip into Idaho to check out the 2 small towns that are just over the state line - Victor and Driggs. Since the truck doesn't get much use, it is important to run it occasionally to make sure everything is still OK.

The plan also was to grab something to eat in one of the local restaurants in one of the towns. The plan was good except for one problem we didn't anticipate. We went over the Teton Pass (Josie's least favorite road) into Victor and went on to downtown Driggs. Both are neat little towns that are on the back side of the Tetons and have some nice shops and a few places to eat. We turned around in Driggs to look for a restaurant and stopped at a Mini-Mart to buy some lottery tickets, which are not available in Wyoming. Oops. Forgot my money and driver's license that were in my other pants at home. Josie was not going to drive the truck, let alone over the pass, and she also didn't have money with her. So ended the plan. We did stop at a location between Driggs and Victor - Rocky Mountain Log Homes - where we picked up some good information and walked through a couple log home models to get ideas for the future.

We came back home and  traded the truck for the Jeep to go downtown in Jackson to a Pizza place - Pinky G's. We had a pizza delivered at work from there a few weeks ago and it was worth a stop to check out the restaurant. It is a very small place tucked away in an inside mini-mall near the main street in Jackson:

(don't know who owns the dog)

Josie ordered a small pizza similar to the one we had at work and I ordered a Chicken Parmesan sandwich. My sandwich was very forgettable and Josie didn't enjoy the pizza as much as the first one we had at work. So much for our first day off this week.

The plan for today depends again on the weather which is not overcast, but it is cool and a bit hazy. We will do something though, and if it isn't too hazy, we will probably take the Tram to the top of the mountain in Teton Village...

Short Drive

It was the final work day for the week yesterday and it was very busy in a different way. We are getting fewer reservations in September, but we are getting many more walk-ins. There were 30 walk-ins yesterday where a normal figure would be 10-15. We were told that September would be this way as more travelers recognize that the season is winding down and think they don't need reservations. We come close to selling out so those folks are taking a chance.

Prior to going to work we thought it would be fun to take a short drive through an area we haven't been. There is one road that is a turnoff from the main road to Wilson and the Teton Pass into Idaho that we have passed on many occasions and wanted to try. It is a residential area that sits on one of the many hills around town that has spectacular views:

The entire area is sprinkled with more of the multi million dollar homes here that people build for about 3 months use out of the year. It must be nice. We saw one building lot that was listed at $995K - just for the lot! It would probably cost another fortune to prepare the lot for a home. The smoke and haze is still present in the above photo as these people have a great view of the Tetons on a clear day.

Our plans for our days off this week are to hang out today - except for doing laundry and my final golf outing of the season - and to probably do the Aerial Tram tomorrow in the Teton Village. Our neighbors pulled out this morning and my golfing buddy, Duane, pulls out on Saturday so the end is getting close...

Fast Week

The time seems to be going faster for us as we near the end of the time we have in Jackson. It is already the last work day of the week for us today, and there will only be 3 weeks left after today. We are going to have to prioritize our activities on the remaining days off so that we can squeeze in all the places we wanted to go before the season ends. Of course, by coming back next year, we can put off some of those until 2013. The only place we haven't spent as much time as we wanted is in Yellowstone, but with all that we have discovered in the Tetons - mainly hiking opportunities that are local - we haven't minded the change in emphasis. We will still be going to Yellowstone, and we have a trip to Cody planned before we leave. Details haven't been worked out yet, but we most likely will go there next week.

I received another update on the fabulous year that our grandson, Austin, is having on the football field. He has been named Athlete of the Week in the Chicago Sun Times (not a small circulation) which is a huge honor and he is beginning to get attention from more college recruiters. We're certain that the right opportunity will come to him and we are very proud of his accomplishments. He has worked very hard and deserves the accolades he is getting. On top of all of his accomplishments on the field, he is developing into a good person which makes us even more proud.

It seems like the wildfires are slowly being extinguished so the area is regaining most of its natural beauty once again. There was about a month there when it was difficult to see any long distance without the smoke haze destroying the views. It comes with the territory, I guess...

Surprise Visit from Friends

We were pleasantly surprised yesterday when a couple we worked with 2 years ago in Cody walked into our lobby and the front desk - Sharon and Dale Garrett. They have been returning to Cody every summer to work at the Buffalo Bill Village where we worked and they were in Jackson to visit on their days off this week. It was a little difficult catching up on things with them as a result of interruptions from guests at the front desk, but we spent about a half hour with them. They are impressed with Jackson and our lodge - this is their first visit to Jackson - and indicated that they wouldn't mind spending more time here. They probably are spending their last summer in Cody and are looking to work at a place in Michigan next year near the Upper Peninsula. They said their second choice would be to work here. They are from Texas and will return there this winter.

The mornings now are going down into the high 30's so there is a definite change in the weather on the way. The last 2 days have also only produced highs in the high 70's. It is suppose to heat up again in time for our days off on Thursday and Friday. We can now take a (free) trip on the Aerial Tram that is located in Teton Village and goes to the top of the ski resort that is located there. Locals are offerred the free trip following Labor Day. That is one activity we would like to do before we leave. I'm pretty sure I can handle that ride, even with my fear of heights.

I have another golf match scheduled on Thursday with Duane. This is our last round for the summer as he and his wife will be leaving on Saturday to return to their home in Arkansas. Some folks are getting an early start to head home as the volume of traffic is slowing at both the lodge and at the RV park. Our last scheduled day is Sunday, September 30, so we will be sticking it out to the end. That's the way we want it and we will enjoy our remaining days here at Jackson...

Dinner at Sidewinders

Our second fun day at work this month was very busy for a change. There were over 100 checkouts which is about 25 more than we have been handling every day in the last 2 weeks. Other than that, nothing special to write about.

We had dinner at a restaurant that we have been recommending to guests that check in after 9 PM and is the only restaurant in town that remains open beyond that hour. It is called Sidewinders. The menu is excellent and they offer everything from a single slice of pizza to a four course steak dinner. Not a bad place and one that we would return to again in the future. It is a sports bar/restaurant that has lots of TV screens around the dining room. One thing that was confirmed for us was that we can continue to recommend it to guests of the lodge.

The other event today was the confirmation from Donna for our reservations in Virgin, UT for October 4 for three nights. That is at the Zion River Resort and we are looking forward to that visit.

We also found out that our next door neighbor is leaving on Thursday, September 6, so we will have an empty space next to us that I may be able to park the truck on - if the people in the RV office say it's OK. The spaces along our side of the park are mostly empty anyway, so it shouldn't be a problem. That's about it for now...