This past weekend, we left the bustling city and flew out to Jackson Hole, Wyoming for a family friend’s wedding! Maybe it was the lack of cellular connection or the antler arches overhead, but we were instantly transported back into western times (maybe that’s why they call Jackson “The Last of the Old West”).
Travel day! We left Baltimore very early, like 4:30 am-early, and after a long travel day, we arrived in Jackson Hole’s airport around 11 am (shaved 2 hours off going into mountain time!). We weren’t able to check into our accommodations (The Antler Inn) until 4 pm, so we dropped off our bags and went to grab tapas and wine at Bin22. We walked around the iconic square (each corner had an antler arch) and popped into shops, like Jackson Mercantile (where all the taxidermy animals were!).
For dinner we went to The Local where I ordered the short rib pasta (braised lockhart cattle co beef, fresh house-made pappardelle pasta, natural jus, morning dew farms oyster mushrooms, herbed ricotta and pea shoots)- it was AMAZING.
The bride and groom invited anyone in town to meet up at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. The live music, saddle barstools, and great company made for a fantastic night!
We were fairly tired after a long day of travel, so we made our way back to our hotel. In my eyes, a day isn’t complete without a little dessert, so we grabbed a sweet treat from Moo’s Gourmet Ice Cream.
We woke up bright and early to meet other wedding guests for a wildlife tour (Jackson Hole Wildlife Safaris). For four hours, we drove around and looked for animals! We came across several amazing spots, including: Schwabacher’s Landing and Mormon Row Historic District. If you’re looking for stunning sunrise photos, you’ve just found you’re winning tickets. Schwabacher’s Landing has an amazing pond that, when clear, allows you to capture the reflection of the Grand Tetons. Mormon Row Historic District has the iconic rustic barn that sits just below the mountain range.
Since animals tend to graze at sunup and sundown, we knew we were likely to see a few! Our first stop did not disappoint, as we came across a female moose (called a cow)!
We also found elk, deer, pronghorn antelope, beavers, and bison (sadly missed out on the bears on this outing).
Note: if you see people pulled over, it probably means there’s an animal! So pay attention!
After the tour, we explored more of the downtown area and came across a few fun murals. Per our Uber driver’s suggestion, we stopped in Roadhouse Brewery, which was a great choice for lunch! Tristan’s dad ordered the most visually appealing item on the menu, Elk Tostadas, so I grabbed a picture- yumm!
For their welcome party, the bride and groom encouraged ‘western’ attire, so Tristan and I went on the hunt for the perfect gear (we’re coming from Baltimore, people). We stopped in Wyoming Outfitters, where I found a beautiful Stratton hat. I 100% knew I was buying a marked-up item (it’s a resort town after all), but I did it for the memories (lol)! I selected a crisp, olive-green hat adorned with a few feathers that I think I’ll be able to wear with my fall outfits!
After a quick-change, I went to help set up the welcome party. Everything was decorated with a western theme (cowboy boots, mini hay bales, rope, stars, and American flags). The bride picked out boots in various sizes so they could re-use them once they had a child (such a cute idea)!
After good beer and a delicious dinner, we made our way to the Jackson Rodeo! We had a great time, even if I was the one cheering for the cows that got away from the cowboy’s lasso!
Tristan celebrated his 30th birthday today! 🍰 What better way to ring in the new decade than an early morning roll call?! That’s right, another 4:45 am alarm went off, as we were determined to catch the sunrise off the Grand Teton mountains! We made our way to Schwabacher’s Landing (Tristan’s first time here), set up our cameras, and watched as the sun lit up the mountain range! GORGEOUS! Not only did we witness one of the best sunrises ever, the mama moose was back out with her calf! Such a special morning!
By the time we made our way back into Jackson, Cowboy Coffee was open! I grabbed a much needed coffee and a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit.
I accidentally left my camera charger at home (so foolish!), so I popped into Wyoming Camera Outfitters who literally saved me. While we were out exploring, Tristan and I came across the farmer’s market in the town square. There were local goods, live music, and anything you could possibly want made out of huckleberries!
Even though we had just finished breakfast (sorry, I’m literally always hungry), we stopped in Peal Street Bagels where I picked up a colorful smoothie (full of bananas, OJ and seasonal fruit).
We went back to change for our next activity- rafting on the Snake River! We walked over to Dave Hansen Whitewater and Scenic River Trips store and waited for our bus to take us to the water. Along the way, our driver have us a history lesson on the Grand Tetons before dropping us off with our river guide, Vlad Dandu.
We choose the scenic tour, so we could keep and eye out for wildlife. On the 13-mile trip along the water, we found 13 bald eagles, 1 golden eagle, beaver dams, herons, ospreys, ducks, and even a few houses of the rich and famous (Hi Sandra Bullock, Harrison Ford, Tiger Woods and Kanye!). We had such a great time and I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to see the area from the water!
After we finished our tour, we hopped back on the bus and made our way into Jackson. We grabbed tacos at Hatch for lunch and quickly went back to change for the wedding!
We had so much fun celebrating with Kate and Tucker at their gorgeous wedding and loved dancing the night away at such a beautiful venue! Cheers to the Hornes!
If you want to know my top five favorite things to do in The Grand Teton National Park, check out this blog post!
Guess what? Another early morning (it’s the only way to do it, really!). We checked out of our rooms and made our way to Yellowstone National Park! It has been a dream of mine to visit and I was so excited to hear most of the park had reopened following the horrible flood that devastated the area in June.
Where we went:
And boy did we see animals! We were literally saying “Aw man, another bison? When will we see a bear??” and it had only been one day! The bison are everywhere! Shocking how close they came to the car, you could even hear them grunting!
Despite little to no cellular connection, we were somehow able to check into our flights (for the following day). Usually, this wouldn’t matter, but we were flying Southwest and needed seats towards the front if there was any hope of us making our connecting flight (only a 45-minute layover).
After touring the area for the day, we checked into our hotel (Lake Yellowstone Hotel), where we also ate dinner for the night.
If you want to know my top five favorite things to do in Yellowstone National Park, check out this blog post!
The next morning, we woke up early to pack up. However, right as we were loading the car, we came across this delightful morning greeter standing outside our hotel door. Luckily, there was a back exit to sneak out of (and he didn’t seem too interested in creating chaos…yet). I wish we had recorded everyone’s reactions coming out that door! 😂
After our morning scare, we made our way back to Grand Prismatic Spring. We wanted to take advantage of the clearer sky and hike up to the overlook for a better photo of the hot spring. The walk was just under a mile-long and took us about 15-minutes to complete. After snapping a photo and taking in the beauty, we hopped back into the car and said goodbye to Yellowstone (for now!).
We drove 1 hour and 43 minutes to Bozeman, Montana (where our flight would be leaving from). We walked around the town, popped into stores, and ate at SHINE Beer Sanctuary + Bottle Shop. Afterwards, we made our way to the airport and started our journey home.
We couldn’t end a trip without a little excitement, now could we? Our first flight was delayed to the point that there was zero chance we’d make it on our second flight. Huge bummer because that was the last flight to Baltimore for the day. Our gate’s help desk constantly called out, “Could the individuals connecting to Baltimore please come to the front?” 🙋 We were told nothing could be done and we’d just have to hope the second flight was delayed (which we wouldn’t know until we were in the air). Luckily, the unreliable and pricey airplane wifi pulled through and told us our next flight was delayed 30-minutes. Let me tell you, we SPRINTED through that airport like it was nobody’s business. Although we rolled up to our gate gasping for breath, we made it! 😂
We had so much fun and I’m already looking forward to our next trip out west!
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