Into the Hole

“My favorite place in the whole world is Jackson Hole, Wyoming.”

- Miguel Ferrer

I really don’t know much about Wyoming other than its abysmal taste in politics.

In all of our travels, Colleen and I have never visited the state. So it was a surprise that we have managed to squeeze in these few days here before moving West to California to see my son and his fiancé.

So, for many people, what I have to say is old news. Yellowstone is the Disneyland of National Parks and many have already traveled here to see the wonders it has to offer. We have tried to schedule it several times, but have been thwarted by one thing or another.

So, today we traveled to our first stop, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the major town near the park where the airport is located. There is a reason it’s called “The Hole”. It sits in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. Coming from the endless corn fields of Indiana, you are immediately gobsmacked by the surrounding landscape. It is stunning, especially on a clear, mild day like today.

We had a little time to kill before heading to our Air BnB so we walked around the downtown area. It is smaller than you would imagine.

But, it is wealthy. Very wealthy. The stores are all high end and the cost of everything is excessive. The zoning laws are all strictly reinforced to maintain the facade of a western frontier town, but make no mistake, there is money here and a lot of it.

One of two grilzzley bears ever recorded to be killed by a man with his "Bare hands"

That is what puzzled me. The average yearly income for a citizen of Wyoming is $62, 500 dollars. However, home prices here START at 3.8 million dollars!

So, who lives here?

We passed art galleries selling works for thousands of dollars that were laid out across huge canvas. Who has a home that can house such a work?

Anyway, it is quite beautiful and uniquely American.

Tomorrow, we climb into the Yellowstone

The view from our Air BnB with the Grand Tetons in the distance