Superhero Suits

Jackson has been a whirlwind. After arriving last night and having a delicious dinner at our hotel, The Bentwood Inn, I went on a gorgeous run this morning with views of the Tetons. 

Then, we all piled into the van and drove to Jackson Hole Whitewater for an 8-mile trip down the rapids. They gave us polypropylene “superhero” suits, which we dutifully squeezed into. There was an inevitable mix-up of jackets, as they all look identical but are actually vastly different sizes, and then we clambered onto a school bus for the first time in years. Captain Ron was our character of a bus driver, with a posted sticker that says “My Driving Scares Me Too!” and colorful commentary as he drove us 30 minutes to the put-in point. We then transferred our care to Brian the raft guide, who has been guiding here for at least 17 years but also previously guided on the east coast. We were accompanied by two guides in the training, young blonde women who were from Pittsburgh and Chicago and had guided the prior year and already fallen in love with Jackson. They bantered throughout the trip and pointed out waypoints, and it was interesting to hear Brian impart words of wisdom on the lines he took to balance fun rapids with safety. While none of us got launched out of the boat, one of the other passengers did leap off for an early swim and even stayed out to surf a gentle rapid before we scooped him back into the boat. Given the frigid water, the rest of us waited until the end for our swim break. It wasn’t so bad once your hands settled into numbness. In between the guy’s swim interlude and ours, we paddled through multiple rapids, including Rope, California Curl, Big Kahuna, and Lunch Counter. When we finally reached the end point, Captain Ron drove the bus illegally down to meet us at the water’s edge, in true Captain Ron style.

After drying off and changing out of our (now-soaked) superhero suits, we wandered around Jackson. Highlights included flyers for llama rentals and trail running clubs, the Cowboy Bar with saddle for seats on the bar stools, and some incredibly beautiful photography in the galleries. We spent quite a bit of time wandering around David Brookover’s gallery. His shots of silver foxes were my favorites, but his stories of traveling around the world were just as engaging. He also displays photos by a cardiologist whose side hustle is absolutely incredible photography from his trips around the world. Our guide, Brenda, said that Thomas Mangelsen’s gallery is her favorite (especially the photos of the mama bear named 399 and her quadruplets), but unfortunately we ran out of time to visit.

We closed our trip with an absolutely hedonistic dinner at Gather, including scallops that were possibly the best thing I’ve eaten on this trip, and headed back to the Bentwood Inn one last time to pack and rest up before we returned to reality.

Some Jackson highlights:

The adorable under-road bike tunnel on my run, which feature all the local wildlife riding bikes

The chainsaw carving on the tree outside of the Bentwood Inn

One of four elk antler arches adorning the corners of the central square in downtown Jackson. Apparently, the antler arches have been around since 1960 and are made from the antlers of the 7,500 elk that winter on the National Elk Refuge. After the bulls shed their antlers each spring, the local Boy Scouts pick them up and sell them at public auction in the square.

An opportunity we unfortunately squandered

Josh embracing his inner moose at the Grand Tetons Visitor Center

In closing, some of the Best of:

Best food near Yellowstone: The Wonderland

Best gallery (that we successfully visited): Yellowstone Wild

Best food near Grand Tetons: Gather (get the scallops!)

Best hotel: Bentwood Inn (with its adorable swings and rocking chairs, excellent food, and accommodating staff... although not the best water pressure)