Why Wyoming and Montana?
After Drew completed his Masters last year all he wanted to do was go somewhere tropical and do nothing. This was completely understandable after the 5 years he spent chipping away at it while also working fulltime, getting married, renovating a house, keeping up with my desire to be on the go 24/7...you get the picture.
The Dominican Republic proved to be exactly what he needed (despite the almost death by imported mussell incident). So, this year it was my turn to chose. After a year of dedicating every weekend to grad school and missing out on social engagements left and right, I decided that I wanted a vacation where we got to do everything!
We also felt strongly that we should spend travel/leisure money in the United States this year due to the recession. I started thinking about Jackson Hole as a possbility in the winter. We first booked the trip in June and then pushed in back to September to spend time getting the house on the market. The last factor in chosing Wyoming and Montana as our destination of choice for our 2009 vacation was that Drew and I feel like we haven't even begun to see the United States. We were feeling pretty patriotic after the Inguaration this winter.
I decided to put it out there on facebook that we were thinking about taking a trip to Wyoming and Montana and it was only minutes before the suggestions started pouring in from friends. What to do, where to eat, tales of how amazing it was out west...we were sold. So after buying a book, doing a little online research, two iterations of itineraries that were accidently deleted, and a $1000 two night hotel stay that was accidently booked and thank goodness was refunded, we were off!
Drew suggested on our flight home from Jackson that we write down everything we did, so I could just transcribe it on the blog. This task easily got me through about an hour of flying without xanax, for which I will be forever grateful to Drew. We are including a lot of details, links, etc. because we highly recommend this trip from start to finish (well, there is one part you could skip but we'll get to that later). Enjoy!
Pictures-
http://picasaweb.google.com/amandachristopher1/WyomingAndMontanaSeptember2009#
The Trip
Saturday, Sept. 12
- Flew from BWI (thanks Dad for the ride) to Chicago, to Jackson; landed in the Teton Mountains. Jackson Hole airport is tiny and looks like somebody's living room.
- Avis surprised us with a cherry red H3 Hummer instead of the Trailblazer we were supposed to have for the week.
- Checked into 49er Inn and Suites in downtown Jackson.
- Dinner/drinks at the Cadillac Grill. My sis recommended it and it was great. We loved the Snake River Ale.
- Called it a night- exhausted from travel and I *might* have been out until 2:30 a.m. with my girlfriends the night before!
Sunday, Sept. 13
- slept in!
- grabbed breakfast @ hotel
- toured downtown Jackson Hole by foot
- Taste of the Tetons- valley chefs, restaurants and caterers put their best culinary work on display for sampling, wine tasting, silent auction, and musical entertainment by The Jackson Hole Cowboy Jubilee- we sampled many different things but our favorite was the mini bison burger.
- White water rafting down the Snake River! we highly recommend going with Jackson Hole Whitewater if you ever decide to take a similar trip. they are apparently the outfitter of choice for Hollywood too- they had thank you notes all over the cabin from celebrities, politicians, etc. Also, PLEASE ask for Captain Ron - he was SO much fun. You can read a little bio of him here. He is known as the best river guide in Jackson and has lived life to the fullest. He even wrote the most interesting book of his life which he signed as a gift for dad. Highlights of our 8 mile trip down the Snake River include- got drenched, saw a mountain goat high on a cliff, Drew jumped out into the Snake for a few minutes, and a few almost flips of the raft. It was a lot of fun and not too scary. If you want the biggest thrills, go in the spring when the water is the highest and its the most dangerous.
- Dinner at the Four Seasons Jackson Hole, Westbank Grill. We did a 4 course dinner w wine pairings that was a great deal for such an amazing restaurant.
- Ended the evening with the season finale of True Blood.
Monday, Sept. 14
- Hiked Jenny Lake in the Teton Mountains (about 4 miles). It was a breaktaking hike with waterfalls, wildlife and an inspiration point. It was an easy hike for the most part with a few vertical spots.
- Ate lunch at Signal Mountain lodge in Teton- every aspect of the lodge, food, etc. is certified green.
- Drove through Grand Teton National Park into Yellowstone.
- Once in Yellowstone we saw a huge Bison walking next to us on the road. The rangers say to stay far away from them but I could have touched this guy.
- Saw a large harem of elk with a bull- it was rutting season while we were there.
- Exited Yellowstone through the west entrance into Montana and drove along the Gallatin River through Gallatin National Park, Big Sky, etc. BEAUTIFUL
- Stopped for snacks and wine at Albertson's (had never been to one) in Bozeman and arrived at our Bed and Breakfast - Howler's Inn before calling it a night!
A little about Howler's Inn- it is North America's only bed and breakfast and wolf sanctuary, set at the foot of the Bridger Mountains. They are set on 42 acres and are surrounded by majestic mountain ranges. Howlers is home to 7 wolves who live on a 3 acre enclosure that adjoins the house. This is the perfect place for nature lovers, fishermen, outdoor enthusiasts and those looking for beautiful scenery and a relaxing place to kick back and slow down.
Tuesday, Sept. 15
- Breakfast at Howler's with other patrons- mostly from Europe. The owners are fantastic cooks. Every breakfast was gourmet quality.
- Hiked the Bozeman "M" - not a long hike- only a little over a mile but VERY vertical so it was tough for us at the 6,000 elavation which we were not used to. There were two options for the hike and we chose the more vertical and difficult. Drew realized when we were almost to the top that he left our camera 1/2 way down the moutain. So down we went to retrieve it and rehike the steepest part. It was worth it though- the views from the top were amazing.
- Lunch at The Garage (very cool and it literally was a garage)
- Walked around/shopped downtown Bozeman
- Drinks at cool wine bar Plonk where we chatted with a bartender from Richmond and found out we had mutual friends. This was a theme throughout the trip. One of our gas station attendants in Yellowstone went to Drew's high school. Small world.
- Went to an amazing farmers market downtown (kicks anything on the east coast's butt).
- Dinner at Naked Noodle - pretty good.
- Went to the movie and saw inglorious bastards- highly recommend!
Wednesday, Sept. 16
- Amazing breakfast at the inn, then walked around the wolves area. Howler's has 2 packs and a new baby!
- Drove to Chico Hot Springs and went horse back riding in Pray, MT. We LOVED this place. Want to stay here sometime when we go back. This was both of our first times horseback riding. Drew liked it and I LOVED it. We had a private 2 hour trail ride with an awesome rangler. Drew's horse, J.D., was pretty slow and liked to stop and eat weeds every 2 minutes. My horse, Deuce (a Tennesee Walker), enjoyed breaking into a trot whenever he felt like it which I loved. We rode all through Chico, saw Old Chico- still a functioning gold mining town. It was awesome.
- Drove to Livingston, MT - an old wild west town that was recently featured on Anthony Bourdain's show No Reservations (which we love). A River Runs Through It was filmed here too (which we watched the night before we visited).
- Amazing lunch of porchetta over cheese polenta at Adagio.
- Stopped by vistitors center and then grabbed a couple drinks at the local bar where we were able to ask the bartenders for advice on where to buy boots.
- Took the bartenders advice and headed to the Livington Mercantile where I purchased by cowboy boots.
- Went to farmers market (not as good as Bozeman but still awesome).
- Dinner at 2nd Street Bistro, which was featured on No Reservations. It is located in the historic Murray Hotel. It was excellent! Also stopped in the Murray Hotel bar. Very divey.
- Drove to the North Yellowstone entrance (the original entrance) and stayed the night at Mammoth Hot Springs. The hotel at Mammoth is the only part of the trip I could have skipped. No harm was done by staying there but it is the oldest hotel in Yellowstone and the hotel room reminded me of my dorm room sophomore year.
Thursday, Sept. 17
- Woke up and headed to the only hot springs you are allowed to swim in at Yellowstone. Drew swam for a bit while I stayed dry and drank my coffee.
- Saw another harem of elk on our way back to Mammoth- stopped and watched for a bit. Ranger was upset because a few people were getting too close to the bull who had been seperated from his harem and was not happy. We couldn't believe people were that stupid! It was unsafe for them and the animals.
- Ate brunch at mammoth and then walked the upper and lower terraces of the geothermal area. Mammoth is a large hill of travertine that has been created over thousands of years as hot water from the spring cooled and deposited calcium carbonate (over two tons flows into Mammoth each day in a solution).
- Drove the from Mammoth around the Yellowstone Loop to Old Faithful - meaning, we went through the Canyon portion of Yellowstone (our favorite), all the way down through the Lake region of Yellowstone and back up to Old Faithful. It was out of our way for sure but we were able to see a lot of Yellowstone this way, plus Norris Rd was closed.
- We stopped a lot on our drive to see waterfalls, canyons, do a few short hikes.
- Checked into the Old Faithful Inn that evening which is simply spectacular. We stayed in the original portion of the Inn which was awesome. This Inn seriously represents everything great about our country and made me really proud to be an American.
- Watched Old Faithful upfront, as well as from the bar at the Inn which overlooks the gyser. Had dinner at the fabulous Old Faithful Inn Restaurant. Sat by the fire and relaxed. I can't wait to go back here when we ski out west and relax in front of the fire with snow outside.
Friday, Sept. 18
- Breakfast at Inn- wonderful
- Hiked the entire upper gyser basin where we saw many erupt.
- Got caught in a rain storm- thank goodness Drew brought ponchos.
- Hiked up the mountain to see Old Faithful erupt from high.
- Rented mountain bikes and went on a 10 mile bike ride through the woods to Lonstar Gyser which is located in backcountry. Saw lots of bear poop and not many people which was exciting but a little scary too!
- Had dinner and drinks at the Bear Bar to go with the theme of our ride.
- Hung out at the Old Faithful Inn relaxing on the leather couches, reading, sipping wine, listening to pianist. Could have done this for weeks. So comfy.
Saturday, Sept. 19
- Drove back to Jackson, arrived around noon
- Checked into Cowboy Village - cool place recommended by my sis.
- Lots of shopping!
- Watched the Hokies beat Nebraska in the last minute at a local sports bar.
- Drew bought awesome cowboy boots!
- Stopped at a Koshu wine bar for a couple drinks before grabbing a great dinner at Trio.
Sunday, Sept. 20
- Woke up sad to go home, but we went. Long journey home- arrived at BWI around 11 p.m. My dad is the best - he picked us up.
There is so much more to write but I am tired so just ask me if you have any questions! Love, A&D
