Summer Vacation - Part 1 of 6
I know what you did last summer!
This year’s midsummer adventure took us to the far northwest corner of Wyoming, and then just a tad more into Montana. If you’ve never been, I recommend a trip to Yellowstone National Park some time before you kick the bucket. The scale of the terrain is impressive. The macro fauna is plentiful. The opportunity to revel in nature is unbounded, and the hopelessness of it all, knowing you are sitting on a massive volcano, just waiting to pulverize everything, is so impressive that you may never want to wander back out of the park.
Not a happy animal when the luggage comes out. The dog knows what comes next.
Day 1 of the trip started with the usual preparation. The Captain put in a half day at work while I made ready the luggage and Grace the Dog. When everything was prepared, Grace was delivered to the kennel and we made our way to the airport. The flight took us to Denver, where we picked up a little red Mitsubishi SUV for the next day’s ride across the mountains, and then checked into a hotel for the night. So far, so good. I love it when nothing remarkable happens!
Day 2 was mostly driving. We headed north from Denver to Laramie, Wyoming. A long lunch stop allowed us to check out the Laramie Plains Museum at the Ivinson Mansion. Old Victorian era houses can be really interesting, and this one was no exception. After lunch at the Altitude Chop House, we moved across the tracks to the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site. Very cool and worth a visit. The balance of the day was spent driving across the wide open spaces of central Wyoming. We spent our second night in Pinedale, at the foot of the Bridger-Teton National Forest.
Wyoming became the 44th State on July 10, 1890.
The Ivinson Mansion in Laramie, Wyoming, completed in 1892.
The Wyoming Territorial Prison was built in 1872 and served for 30 years before becoming an agriculture research facility.
Wide open space in central Wyoming and an isolated rain shower drifting along our path.
The central region of west Wyoming. (Not for navigation.)
On the morning of Day 3, we drove north and west into Jackson. It is a well known tourist town, whether it be for the winter alpine ski resorts or the gateway activities for Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. It is also the home of the National Museum of Wildlife Art. We made the stop just north of town and found it was well worth the time we spent there. Fantastic paintings and sculptures occupy a unique piece of architecture. After taking in the art, we tried the museum cafe’s patio for lunch, which was equally pleasant. If you are passing through, give it a go. The patio’s view of Jackson Hole is worth the price of admission.
Beautiful views at the National Museum of Wildlife Art.