My First Couple Days in Jackson, Wyoming

From Eastern Washington I drove through Oregon & Idaho towards Jackson, Wyoming. This drive ended up being my longest drive yet at around 11.5 hours. Thank you Dan Deacon, wherever you are, for keeping me awake for the last part of the drive. I got into Jackson around Midnight and upon driving down the Mountain Pass into Jackson was greeted by an entire family of Elk crossing the road. 2 babies, a Mom or 2, and a BIG, glorious dad. It was the perfect way to enter the state of Wyoming. Magical even. Especially in the mental state I was in after 11 hours of driving by myself. AKA: Shiny things looked cool so you can imagine how cool seeing some ELK was.

(congratulations Margot on making the almost 700 mile drive in one fell swoop)

My first two days here have been filled with a lot of beautiful views and amazing wildlife. As well as the Elk family, I have seen a herd of Bison, a coyote, and FINALLY…AFTER YEARS OF WAITING…I HAVE OFFICIALLY SEEN A MOOSE. I realize that someday I’ll be dead…but now I can die happy. Not only did I see a bull moose with a huge Rack, but I saw 2 huge bulls with full antlers…AT THE SAME TIME. Is there anything better in life? Yes…there is…and it Manifested itself as Jackson Lake.

I spent a large portion of today (along with Nick & his roommate Coop) building a magnificent Jetty into the cool crisp waters of Jackson Lake. What started as a childish game of throwing sand into the water turned into a (childish) full scale operation including the use of a (real) shovel, the moving of large rocks/boulders, and the excavation and manipulation of large pieces of drift wood. The Jetty ended up being about 5 feet long and will probably be used by the locals to Fish or enjoy the views of the Lake as we did.

I have also been enjoying the fires being made each night in the Wood Burning stove that are usually lit with the aid of a Blow Torch. Can’t beat it. Life is good.