My Happy Place

Our Jackson trip was so amazing! It was so cool to be back in that special place and get to share it with my sweetheart. I took him all over town. I showed him my favorite used bookstore, the Browse ‘n Buy thrift shop, the really cool eco-friendly library, and of course all my favorite places to eat! I took him to Bubba’s BBQ for breakfast and the Caddilac Bar. I was most excited for Josh to try the little hole-in-the-wall where I fell in love with Thai food!

Josh approves!

Teton Thai Green Curry on a warm Summer evening is heaven on a plate! Unfortunately it’s been shi shi-ed up and moved to Teton Village, about 20 minutes away, but we found out it’s still the same recipes and everything, so yes, we drove out to the Village for Thai. And it was delicious!

On our last night in town we met up with Bekah for Sidewinder’s: our favorite little sports bar. They have the best stuffed pretzels and BBQ Chopped salad in the world! And it was so great to hang out with Bekah and catch up! She’s the one who helped me get to Jackson so a lot of my great memories are of her.

It was great to see her!

I know everyone rafts the Snake when they go to Jackson but man it is EXPENSIVE!! I had no idea because I always went with people who worked as river guides so we just all pitched in a few bucks for the raft rental. Josh and I have both done it before so we decided to just play in the river. Fortunately I worked with locals so I took Josh to a little rock beach where the current isn’t too fast. We made some friends, met some dogs, and enjoyed the river.

I think the best memories of our trip were created at our little campground. This is the view from our spot!

When we pulled into Jackson we went to the Visitor’s Center where they recommended the Gros Ventre (pronounced Grow Vaunt) campground and told us to watch for a herd of bison reported to be moving through. We kept our eyes peeled but we didn’t need to, because the herd was literally crossing the highway!

The next night, while Josh was building us a fire, I was brushing my teeth a few feet away. Suddenly we heard a rustle in the bushes behind me. I shined my flashlight and watched a full grown bull moose trample through the brush and head straight for me! I slowly backed away, knowing full well how aggressive a bull can be. Josh started to edge towards the 9 mil he had just loaded. Mr. Moose passed within a yard of me and slowly lumbered up the ridge, and out into the meadow beyond the campground. My heart was pounding, my eyes straining to catch any hint that he might charge, and all my senses keenly aware of my surroundings and situation. I about wet myself!

That night we watched the most beautiful thunderstorm move up over the Tetons. When the lightning struck, those mountains lit up so grandly they looked even more purple and majestic than in the day. The storm came within 2 counts of us so we scrambled into the car, just in case, and just watched the storm chase itself across the Gros Ventre. It was so incredible!

Then we realized our tent was leaking. Hence Josh’s state of the art…er draining methods the next morning!

We thought about toughing it out, until we had everything almost dry and saw another storm rolling in. We ended up coming home late that night.

In efforts to escape the storm, we visited the Museum of Wildlife Art. You know how I know I married the right guy? We spent the morning looking at paintings, picking out our favorite artists, checking out the super cool kids art studio, and watching a video of the artist creating this painting of a bull Bison emerging from his dusty herd. It was fantastic.

It felt so good to be back in that special little town. It brought back so many sweet memories of my kids and all the fun things we did, and of course Justin, my trusty vanmate. As I look back on that Summer I remember vividly how much my choices were guided by my Heavenly Father and the protection, guidance, and growth I gained from him in Jackson. I cried as we drove out of town, but not so much out of sadness for leaving, though those tears were there too, but out of gratitude for my experiences there and the joy of including my sweet husband in my happy place!