What is it about the West? Something in this part of the world resonates with me. I can’t quite explain the allure – maybe it’s the pine trees, or the beautiful lakes and rivers. Maybe it’s the wide-open skies or the animals roaming freely. Something about the West just sings to my inner cowgirl.

Five years ago, we spent two glorious weeks in Yellowstone and the Grand Teton National Parks, the absolute crown jewels in our park system. This trip, we splurged on a room at the Jackson Lake Lodge with a spectacular view, reflected in the window behind us as we sip our morning coffee:

Wyoming is The Cowboy State, so we simply had to get in the saddle and ride the trails. This would have been more enjoyable if some of us were not moderately terrified of horses. Adding to the excitement, the teenager in our group was paired with a teenage-like horse that had a mind of its own. Watching your first-born be carried away by a galloping beast makes the heart pound. Ok, so the horse wasn’t actually galloping. And, ok, so one of the wranglers was able to redirect the horse. Still, he could’ve ridden off into the sunset, just like in the movies.

Ninety minutes of horseback riding and my inner cowgirl was screaming, not singing. I’m not sure which was more sore, my unnaturally bent legs crammed painfully into stirrups or my hand with its death-grip on the saddle horn. The youngest member of our group didn’t seem to have these problems.

Much more relaxing was our exploration of Jackson Lake by kayak. The view was fantastic and the water was calm. The kayaks were remarkably comfortable and easy to maneuver. And they didn’t threaten to throw us out of the saddle.

An after-dinner Wyoming treat: huckleberry pie. Need I say more?

Traveling through Yellowstone, we stopped at some of our favorite sights: Old Faithful, the mud pots, and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone.

Here are photos of me hoisting the kids at Old Faithful five years ago, and attempting the same this year. I haven’t grown much.

As to be expected, we saw plenty of wildlife in the national parks. Moving through the Lamar valley, we saw several bears and a huge herd of buffalo grazing peacefully.

We thought the herd would be the animal highlight of our tour – until we rounded the corner and encountered a Yellowstone traffic jam.

At least fifty buffalo were coming toward us, head-on, completely stopping traffic to cross a small bridge. We pulled to the side to ponder our options. Exactly who has the right-of-way during a buffalo stampede? Turns out, the buffalo weren’t the slightest bit interested in us; they just wanted to move on down the road. They passed close by our car – veeeerrrry close to our car – in near silence. Wow.

Another benefit of visiting the National Parks is meeting people from all over the world. We met folks from France, The Netherlands, Oklahoma, Washington and many points in between. Nearly everyone was in a very good mood because a) they were on vacation, b) they were in a place of tremendous beauty, and c) they were on vacation. We gathered some tips on places to visit in other states, and we learned about various modes of travel, such as RVs and motorcycles. Some of the folks we chatted with were seasonal workers who spend their summers working in the Parks’ gift shops, living in dorms and enjoying the location during their time off. Most of these folks were 18-35ish, but some were retirees. Hmmmm.

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Our visit to Wyoming wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a rodeo. Our timing was perfect – we passed through Cheyenne during Frontier Days, when the town hosts “The Big Daddy of Them All” – America’s largest rodeo and Native American celebration, held annually for more than 100 years. None of us had ever witnessed a rodeo, and now we can conclusively state, those cowboys are INSANE!! How else would you describe someone who looks at a huge, ferocious, bucking, wild animal and concludes: “Hey, I think I’ll climb onboard that puppy and go for a ride!”?!!

Or who would ride a horse at full speed and then say, “ I think I’ll jump off now, and tie a rope around that speeding steer’s sharp horns”?!!

INSANE!! We were mesmerized, mortified, delighted, disgusted, concerned, and entertained all at once. We were also seriously underdressed.

Wyoming is also called the Equality State because in 1869 the territorial legislature passed the country’s first female suffrage bill, specifically and permanently giving women the right to vote. Wyoming appears to remain very civic-minded today. We were struck by the fierce patriotism displayed at the rodeo, and the unwavering support for our soldiers and veterans.

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We drove some beautiful highways in Wyoming: State 26, 89, and 287. The Bear Tooth highway (route 212) is considered one of the country’s most scenic roads. We rose up above the tree line to see patches of snow, and then descended via hairpin turns along precipitous drops with breathtaking views. Spectacular, but it took us 2 hours to cover 50 miles. Ugh.

Travel Tip! Don’t be surprised if your teenager forgets to pack his toothbrush. Be surprised if he doesn’t discover this for 4 days.
 
4. Wyoming
Old Faithful