the return to jackson hole

This past weekend (well, weekend and a few extra days rather) I returned to Jackson Hole. And sometimes I really wonder why I ever left. I know I had to do what I had to do, but man, I really love Wyoming (and a certain person there). Don’t get me wrong, I like Utah, but it’s not the same. In Jackson, you’re so cut off from the rest of the world. You’re hours and hours and mountain ranges and mountain ranges away from everything. Park City may be quite comparable to Jackson, but with Salt Lake just a stone’s throw away, it’s hard to feel cut off from the world. And though this close proximity to Salt Lake sometimes has its benefits, I miss that feeling of really being in the middle of nowhere. I don’t get that here. I think I really just need to get into the Uintas more often. It’s a beautiful thing when you can get out of town and away from all the people.

It’s for this reason that I quite enjoy long drives (as long as I’m on two-lane U.S. and state highways rather than the interstate). You can go for miles and miles without seeing a single soul. And in this part of the country, the scenery alone is enough to keep you company. There are no big ugly billboards or signs. All there is is the open road, a beautiful backdrop, and a car stereo. I’ve driven all over the country, and even the most boring drives have their beauty… especially when you’re seeing things for the first time. There’s always something about that first sight. I can’t even begin to describe the way the Tetons first appeared to me as I came out of a snowstorm down Togwotee Pass and into a summer sunset. Or the way the mountains in Pennsylvania formed out of farmland on my way from Minnesota to Maryland. Or how the horrifyingly boring state of South Dakota suddenly turns into a mountain paradise once you hit the Black Hills… and if you continue west, goes straight back to boring through most of Wyoming. On long drives, you see the subtle changes in the land that produce those drastic changes. And on those long drives, I just sit and think (and honestly, a lot of the time I don’t even do that). Everything is so simple when you’re driving those deserted highways. You think about things like how many trees there must be in the world. I wonder if anyone could answer that.

Anyway, I spent my long weekend hotspringing, climbing, campfiring, listening to the best damn bluegrass in Jackson, and sleeping in the bed of a pick-up truck, among other things. Photos will be included in this week’s edition of the week in photos.

Of course, I was quite sad to leave Jackson again, but it is nice to be home. Although the truck bed was actually quite comfortable, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find heaven on Earth sleeping in my own bed again last night. And as much as I’d like to stay on vacation and not work, it’s not too bad being back in the swing of things.

And get this, Sarah Jr. clocked in at over 54 MPG on the way home yesterday. I likely caught a tailwind south, but who cares! 54 MPG! In the 154 miles between Alpine Junction and Evanston, Wyoming, I only used 2.83 gallons of gas. Stunned? Yeah, me too. She’s amazing. Strangers even approached me this weekend to ask me about her. No one has ever seen or heard of her, but everyone loves her. I’m pretty sure I sold a mother on buying one for her son. And even a 6′5 guy loved her as he was stunned that he had more than enough leg room in the backseat. She is a hit, what can I say.

Filed under: misc, the great outdoors
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