Day 2 August 28,2023: Rock Springs to Jackson, via Teton National Park

Days 2 started clear and bright, heading north out of Rock Springs to Jackson, WY. I travelled this highway last January on a ski trip, but much nicer today. Made the mistake of not stopping for coffee on the way out of town. It would be a good 100 miles before we had the chance to get coffee, we found a good place in Pinedale, WY. My brother turned me on to an App called Autio. Autio tells stories of the places you drive through, using GPS location. Today we learned that Rock Springs was founded as a railroad junction, where nearby water and coal were used to keep the trans American railroad going. The building of the railroad also caused Rock Springs to attract immigrants from around the world as these were the people that built the railroad.  Each story is short, but it does add to the experience as you drive through an area.

Once in Jackson, we kept going to Grand Teton National Park. A note on National Park passes. It's $80 for a year membership, pays for itself after 3 parks, as each entry is $35. I found this year, that at age 62, I can buy a lifetime pass for the same $80 - what a great deal.

 We stopped at the Jenny Lake Visitor Center. From there, we were able to take a boat about 15 minutes across the lake ($20 per person) to a trail head for Inspiration point and the Cascade Canyon.  Michele kept me hiking by promising, "just a little bit more", "a little higher", "a few more minutes" her encouragement turned into a 2-hour, 4-mile hike. The views were great and the hike wasn't that bad, just a few steep spots. After the hike, we headed back towards Jackson, but saw a sign for Teton Village. Teton Village is at the base of Jackson Hole Ski Resort, I wanted to show Michele the ski area, so we headed over. On the way we saw a bunch of vehicles stopped, we pulled over to see what they were watching and it was a Moose hanging out by the river. Back in Jackson for hotel and dinner. Michele was last here 40 years ago or so with her sister, it has grown a lot.