Last Day Bittersweets...

We all knew today was going to be our last full day in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.  To say that we loved our time here would be an understatement.  Honestly, we have had a pretty big bucket list of things we wanted to do here, so the pressure to empty the bucket was on today!  Going in to the day, we knew it was going to be a day to explore the mountain and to do some hiking.

We started our day early and arrived for a breakfast at the base of the ski mountain.  We've discovered some of our favorite little spaces in Teton Village, so we knew where to find the "good stuff." 

After breakfast, we made our way to the lift ticket area and before we knew it we were on the Teewinot chairlift.   This was the only open air chair lift available in Jackson Hole, but is almost soley used by mountain bikers.   After a quick ride up and down, we moved over to the gondola.  From other resorts, I recall gondolas carrying a lot of people, but the JH gondolas  only carry about 5 people.   Even though they are enclosed, I did like the smaller, quainter feel of these...

After surveying the top views from the gondola, we were on our way down and onto the tram...  much higher on the mountain..



There were a couple of big couches and chairs as well as a restaurant at the gondola stop.


Up next....  The Tram.



The tram is not messing around....   There are two that balance each other out, riding opposite of one another and always departing at the same time from opposite ends so to balance each other out.   The Tram holds around 50 people...  It climbs and carries skiers and snowboarders up over 4,000 feet to the most elite skiing...   This link explains the Trams greatness...https://www.jacksonhole.com/aerial-tram.html



















At the summit, we took pictures, marveled at the extreme views and nature...  We even caught a paraglider doing his magic on the side of the mountain....







After enjoying the legendary waffles from the top of the mountain we began our decent down the mountain.   I opted to get to the front of the tram, but honestly, the views and drops were a little scary!!
The view going down the tram...

Here's a video of our descent...





After our ski mountain exploration via chair lifts, gondolas, and trams, we wanted to find the perfect afternoon hike that would finalize our Jackson Hole experience...  After multiple options proved to be fruitless (closed roads, hikes that turned out to be a 4 mile walk to the trailhead, etc) , we finally chose the Schwabackers Landing Road hike...   This hike did not disappoint!   We discovered lots of  wildlife, a beautiful creek which flowed into the Snake River...   The kids had so much fun exploring and swimming in such a spectacular location.


We joked that this almost look too good to be real, half expecting to have someone roll back the scene drop.






See the momma duck and her lil ducklings..

We had to be careful, the Snake River's current was strong.   Runcie only had to fish out a few kids.






I had to work to stay upbeat...  Rushing rivers, tall seedy grass... I was not in my comfort zone..  Haha

When we finished our hike we piled in the van and planned on going to Nora's for dinner.  Getting stuck in an hour long traffic jam was never in our plans, but explainable as there are only three main roads that go between Teton Village, Jackson, and Wilson (which also explains why so many residents use the flat and easy bike paths to move through the area).

The dream of a delicious dinner at our favorite restaurant, Nora's was was the only hope that helped us survive the awful traffic jam.  As we pulled into Nora's vacant parking lot, we were crestfallen to learn that they close every day at 2:30.  Famished, we had to come up with a new dinner plan.   After several attempts at a few crowded restaurants, we opted for the dining section of the Mangy Moose.    An hour later,  with full bellies and lighter spirits, we headed back to our condo to pack up.

The parking lot to Teton Village is full of these beautiful fir trees... the lights at night created a magical touch...


Tomorrow we set sail for home .... A bit bittersweet, but ohh so thankful for our trip!!





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