Our day started this morning with boys getting to sleep in a bit and then they were treated to breakfast in bed by our four able-bodied waiters – AKA Mark, Ray, Howard, and Jeff. It wasn’t much of a breakfast but the boys enjoyed the special treat.
After we packed up we checked out the Welty General Store in Dubois. This store, in existence in Dubois since the 1890s, sells lots of cowboy clothes and other Western supplies – like knives. And yes, some boys bought some. They had to have adult permission and we gave it. The knives are supposed to stay in the boxes and packed in the luggage and not removed until they get home. Once those knives get home I guess parents can decide what to do with them.
After the general store we drove one minute and saw our first glimpse of a giant jackalope and were lucky enough to get a photograph of each boy riding it. You’ll see those photos in today’s posting. In fact, you’ll see photos from four years ago of the three boys who are repeating this trip – a “then” and “now” photo. It was a hoot. Mark Gilbert, Stephen Baker, and Hunter Smith were all on this trip in 2008 and rode the jackalope back then when they were 11 years old and were “more than happy” to ride it this morning at age 15.
The final stop in Dubois was at the National Bighorn Sheep Center. The docent presented an excellent overview of bighorn sheep and then we saw a short video about these great animals. Dubois is home to the largest herd of wintering bighorns in the lower 48 states. Boys got to spend some time exploring the museum after the video.
After leaving Dubois we started the relatively short trek back to Jackson for our last couple of days. We drove along the Togwotee Trail motor route which is an incredibly beautiful drive through the mountains with views all around for the entire route. The highest point on the drive was Togwotee Pass at almost 10,000 feet in elevation. As we started our descent we could see the Tetons in the distance and it wasn’t long after that we re-entered the Grand Teton National Park. By this time just about everyone needed to use the bathroom and one wasn’t to be found – so keeping in the cowboy tradition we found a bunch of trees. Nope, no photos of this activity!
We gave the boys a couple of hours of down time after checking into the hotel. They could hang out in their rooms and/or go swimming and hot tubbing.
And finally we ended the day with a visit to the Bar J Ranch in Wilson, WY (just ten minutes away) for our chuckwagon dinner and cowboy musical revue. The boys were pretty impressed with the yodeling.
It was a great day! I’m already starting to miss the boys and the excitement and adventure of this trip.
Click to see photos from our trip.
Check out this ten-second video of the Bar J Wranglers at our chuck wagon dinner. It's a little shaky, but considering I was hand-holding the camera from near the back of the house - I was pleased.
After we packed up we checked out the Welty General Store in Dubois. This store, in existence in Dubois since the 1890s, sells lots of cowboy clothes and other Western supplies – like knives. And yes, some boys bought some. They had to have adult permission and we gave it. The knives are supposed to stay in the boxes and packed in the luggage and not removed until they get home. Once those knives get home I guess parents can decide what to do with them.
After the general store we drove one minute and saw our first glimpse of a giant jackalope and were lucky enough to get a photograph of each boy riding it. You’ll see those photos in today’s posting. In fact, you’ll see photos from four years ago of the three boys who are repeating this trip – a “then” and “now” photo. It was a hoot. Mark Gilbert, Stephen Baker, and Hunter Smith were all on this trip in 2008 and rode the jackalope back then when they were 11 years old and were “more than happy” to ride it this morning at age 15.
The final stop in Dubois was at the National Bighorn Sheep Center. The docent presented an excellent overview of bighorn sheep and then we saw a short video about these great animals. Dubois is home to the largest herd of wintering bighorns in the lower 48 states. Boys got to spend some time exploring the museum after the video.
After leaving Dubois we started the relatively short trek back to Jackson for our last couple of days. We drove along the Togwotee Trail motor route which is an incredibly beautiful drive through the mountains with views all around for the entire route. The highest point on the drive was Togwotee Pass at almost 10,000 feet in elevation. As we started our descent we could see the Tetons in the distance and it wasn’t long after that we re-entered the Grand Teton National Park. By this time just about everyone needed to use the bathroom and one wasn’t to be found – so keeping in the cowboy tradition we found a bunch of trees. Nope, no photos of this activity!
We gave the boys a couple of hours of down time after checking into the hotel. They could hang out in their rooms and/or go swimming and hot tubbing.
And finally we ended the day with a visit to the Bar J Ranch in Wilson, WY (just ten minutes away) for our chuckwagon dinner and cowboy musical revue. The boys were pretty impressed with the yodeling.
It was a great day! I’m already starting to miss the boys and the excitement and adventure of this trip.
Click to see photos from our trip.
Check out this ten-second video of the Bar J Wranglers at our chuck wagon dinner. It's a little shaky, but considering I was hand-holding the camera from near the back of the house - I was pleased.
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