Western Epilogue

This is always where I write my thoughts on the trip after I’ve had some time to digest.

I was very impressed by all the people that we met throughout the trip. Granted, many were tourists, but we mingled with some Westerners as well. I really expected an angrier, more hostile crowd in this divided country before an election. Instead, I found almost everyone we encountered to be accepting and thoughtful. There is very much a live and let live approach to life, and everyone might need to depend on everyone else at some point.

Yellowstone and the Tetons are certainly impressive, but in our world of video and Disney, they weren’t as impressive as I had imagined. I’m not a science geek, so thermal pools were interesting, but not gobsmacking. We were already at 7000 feet, so the the mountains didn’t seem gigantic. Mount Washington is almost 7000 feet and you start at sea level. So it felt similar. Old Faithful was terrific, but if you’ve seen the water show at the Bellagio, it’s kind of meh. The animals were lovely, but White Oak Conservancy spoils you for life.

Beauty is what I crave. Lake Jackson, the largest glacier lake in the lower 48, is gorgeous, but the Achensee in Austria was far more beautiful (to me). The Val Gardena in Ortesei was exceptionally beautiful, and there’s nothing like a well appointed room with a goose down comforter and a great glass of wine with a lovely meal after being outdoors. I’m a creature of comfort and luxury.

With that said, it is an amazing thing that these gorgeous parks are wild and free. The fresh air and views are lovely, but they are not the British Cotswolds or Cortina d’Ampezzo.

I totally relaxed because I wasn’t in charge and Brad had a whole group of lovely English speakers to chat with. It was stress free and I learned a lot, but I don’t crave going back.

The best part of the trip for me was the small museum in Bozeman that described all the people that settled the West. I love to envision the lives and experiences of those pioneers. Montana State was a revelation. So many interesting kids and such a terrific campus.

Bozeman was really liveable and lovely, but the little town of Livingston has my heart. Artists, authors, a real Western town without the tourists. Jackson is gorgeous – pictures below – but it’s Nantucket. A made up town that has priced out the locals.

The air was dry, my skin was rough and my nose crusty. How can these towns surrounded by pristine streams and lakes have such putrid tap water? Why does the Park allow those bandit corporations to provide such mediocre lodging and food? The entire world comes here and this is what we show them? You can go to a rural town in Scotland or Sicily and get an old fashioned room that is charming and comfortable. And let’s not discuss the food. Can’t some billionaire who loves the West make this his or her passion project?

Anyway, I digress. It was a wonderful getaway with lovely people and exceptional guides. We covered a lot of ground, got a taste of everything, learned a lot and unplugged.

I am home in my linen sheeted bed after a long scented soak in my tub, the air has moisture in it, the moon is high in the sky and I get to pick tomatoes tomorrow!

Here are some pictures of Jackson, WY.

Yippee Aye A….