Brittany I am a Southerner through and through. I was raised in the country, my grandfather raised cattle, and I really love a good monogram. All that being said, I’ve never been to a rodeo. We have them around here, but in my mind they don’t seem “real”. However, we were in the west so I really wanted to see an authentic rodeo. Ideally, I would go to the one in Cody, WY. Realistically, that was too far away, so I’d have to settle with the one in Jackson Hole or the one in West Yellowstone. We decided on Jackson Hole. Jackson Hole is such a small place that we were able to walk from our little cabin that we stayed in. We arrived soon after the gates opened and chowed down on a rodeo burger. It was a beef patty with barbecue sauce and fried onion rings on top. Maybe I was just starving, or maybe it was the atmosphere, but for some reason that burger tasted a little extra delicious. I just have a picture of the burger but it did include a bag of chips.
After enjoying our burgers, we were able to walk around to view the bulls and horses that would be used later that evening. Those things are massive! The opening ceremonies made me tear up a little. There’s something special about a woman riding a horse into the arena with an American flag while the National Anthem is playing. After that, it was all business! I was amazed at the variety of events they presented. There was, of course bull riding, but also bronco riding, as well as barrel racing and even a sheep herding part for the kids. There was roping and also young kids riding bulls. A tiny bull would come out with a tiny human on it and it would do what the big bulls did. It was an unforgettable experience, and it made me want to maybe even try out the ones that are offered in my hometown.
Day two in Grand Teton National Park, I wanted to at least try to hike to Delta Lake.
I’ve read about how strenuous it can be, and how it’s tricky to stay on the trail as you navigate through not just one but two boulder fields. Not to mention, we’re in bear country, which may be another little phobia of mine. The trail is not really clearly marked because it is not a NPS trail, it’s just a little trail that’s been made famous by instagramers and tiktokers, and for good reason. The night before I read up on the best way to get there, took a few screenshots, and we were off. With my bear bell and bear spray, I figured we would not be the only ones hiking the trail, which would lead to lots of other people making noise and scaring off the bears. We made it to the trailhead and got started. It was a fairly easy hike at first, we were also by ourselves for a long portion of the beginning. Eventually, we ran into another couple and when we ended up at the boulder field, against my better judgement, we followed them. We actually went way farther up, when we should’ve just gone straight across the boulders. But we finally made it, and it was absolutely incredible.
It was actually pretty crowded when we got there. We staked out a place on a rock with the above view and ate our lunch. This was by far the prettiest place I have ever seen in person and it gave me the motivation to try other hikes throughout the remainder of our trip.
Next we planned to visit Jenny Lake. My plan was to hike all the way around the lake. We started out and almost immediately we heard people talking about bear sightings. With my stomach sinking, we continued on. After about half a mile, I couldn’t take it anymore, I had to turn back. I was absolutely terrified of seeing a bear. We walked back, past the lake, to the common area. My mind kept going back and forth. I finally decided that I was going to be brave and wanted to try the hike around the lake again. I figured we could at least make it half way and then take the ferry back. We made it a little farther this time until AGAIN multiple people were saying they saw a bear, and asked us if we had seen it. Supposedly, it was right beside the trail. We continued on until I felt like we were about to turn the corner and see it. I’m a scaredy cat and my husband is a very patient man. I was ready to turn around, this time for good. We went back and later that day, saw video footage on instagram from the touronsofyellowstone account of a man posing in front of a black bear. I’m certain we passed that man as he was headed back and we were going toward the bear. Nevertheless, Jenny Lake is nice, but after Delta Lake it was just alright.
On our way out of the park, we wanted to stop again at the Episcopal Chapel of the Transfiguration. We actually stopped by earlier that morning, without realizing that it was Sunday and they were about to begin their weekly service. Walking through the doors, you are immediately greeted with this breathtaking view.
By this time, we were hungry. Bill had read about Teton Village and wanted to visit it. We rode over, rode a gondola up to the top of the mountain, and waited for the singular restaurant to open up for dinner. On my list of must do’s on our trip, was to try bison, most probably, a bison burger. One of the menu items at this place was bison tenderloin, so we both went with that and were blown away. The meat was so tender, and the flavors blended together perfectly.
That concludes our whirlwind trip in Grand Teton National Park. It was a beautiful place, but I think two days was plenty of time for us to see and do all we wanted to see and do. Make sure to check back in soon as we Goforth and Explore Yellowstone National Park. We went right after the flood, so I do have some interesting details to share regarding our experience there.
Awesome!