Climbing steadily up an impressively steep descent, winding around hairpin turns and hugging cliff edges at freeway speeds… we made our way over the dramatic Teton pass and landed in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Jackson was outdoorsy chic typical of a destination ski town, and set amid the dramatic Grand Tetons. We decided to stay the night in the Antler Motel… surprising charming for its outwardly rundown appearance. Our room was set up like a log cabin, including high angled ceilings and curved doorways. With the heated cranked… it felt extremely cozy.
We set out to explore the town, however most things were closed until ski season begins. Being it was 7pm and quite difficult to find a place to eat…this is clearly a very seasonal town. So many fancy shops, restaurants and nightlife, yet everything closed. We are beginning to realize that November is an odd time to travel. So many towns are completely shut down for the winter or waiting for winter to begin. Some call it slack season.
One thing we found interesting in Jackson was the insane amount of antlers everywhere. For example, park in the town center had four massive archways built entirely of antlers. At first, this felt a bit strange and overkill, but then we learned that every Spring thousands of elk shed their antlers in the meadows just outside of Jackson. The local Boy Scouts go pick them up and auction them off in the park. Therefore they have an abundance and use many of them for artistic purposes.
The following day we headed out to explore Grand Teton National park. Once again, parts of the park were closed, but we were able to see the dramatic mountain panoramas and a bit of wildlife including a moose.
