Jackson

Mark and I were able to sneak in a little getaway to Jackson last week. It originated because of an AIS meeting he needed to attend.  We picked up Ashlee from the airport late Tuesday evening and were on the road by 5 am Wednesday so Mark could make the meeting by noon. 

We hit some amazing views at sunrise near Laramie.

Our accommodations were pretty sweet at the Snow King Resort. A little more upscale than we would normally go, but it was technically a work trip and this is where the meeting was held.

 That first afternoon I spent time working on some photo projects while Mark went to his meeting. Later we walked around the Town Square and grabbed some dinner at Merry Piglets Mexican Grill. We knew Emmrey would love all the piggies they had on the walls so we took a few pics to show her.

 The following day was filled with more meetings for Mark. I enjoyed some quiet time with my photos. When he finished up late afternoon, we took off for a hike to Phelps Lake in Grand Teton.  As we neared the trail head (in our car) we came smack face to face with this guy. Literally in the middle of the road until he spooked. We pulled off and watched him for a bit. By the end of this trip we had seen a Black Bear, Grizzly, Moose, Elk, Bison and several other critters.

The trail is a pretty easy (albeit a bit soggy) 4 mile hike. If I wasn't so uneasy about the bear sighting, it would have been even more enjoyable.

 The scene at our destination was absolutely gorgeous!

We took some time to relax and take in the scenery before heading back.

We arrived back in Jackson in time for dinner.  Mark commented that when just the two of us travel it seems like all we do is eat. That is not entirely true but we do enjoy trying places we might not if we had the girls in tow. We had pizza at Caldera (which actually is a place we have been with the girls). It was delicious but we definitely over ordered and had a bit of a pesto overdose.

 Friday was a "field trip" for those attending the meeting. Mark opted for the two of us go into Yellowstone instead. We branched out from our morning bagel and tried E.leaven for a breakfast burrito. It was pretty darn tasty.

 We stopped for a quick look at Lewis River Falls. 

Things sure feel different in the park when there is snow.

 We went to Old Faithful and walked the Midway Geyser Basin. Since we have seen OF go off so many times, we are more entertained listening to the visitors who are watching it erupt for the first time. Despite knowing we "really don't need another picture of Old Faithful" we somehow manage to come away with one. It is pretty spectacular.

  It was surprising how busy it was. We thought we would almost have the place to ourselves. Our much anticipated quiet cozy lunch at the Geyser Grill was nothing of the sort ... in fact it was chaos.     

After learning it was UEA break it all made sense. 

A trip around Biscuit Basin

 One more stop with the Tetons as the backdrop and we were on our way!

 We had dinner (eating again?) at Snake River Brewery. We had some interesting dishes. Mark had a Caesar salad with charred Brussels Sprouts and I had Pasta topped with smoked pork and pickle-pepper relish. I thought the combination of ingredients was so unusual it could only have been conjured up by someone who knew what they were doing. It was so weird but good.

 We spent our last night wandering the streets of Jackson. It was definitely wintery compared to the nice fall weather we left, but I just love it there and loved spending some extra time with Mark.