Driving thru Idaho and into Wyoming

After the wonderful time we had in Utah, we were excited to see what adventures lie ahead, so we drove north and east, through the state of Idaho and into Wyoming. Everyone knows that Idaho is famous for its potatoes, but other than that I knew very little about the state. Now I know that this is really lovely country, with beautiful farms, rivers, creeks, and mountains.

We drove past an enormous field full of dark green plants with lovely flowers. These are the famous potato plants. The fields are just beautiful this time of year. Large irrigation devices provided plenty of water and we watched a crop duster as he flew overhead. Intermixed with the potato fields are acres upon acres of corn and grains. One particularly large field of grain was utilizing some new water conservation equipment and the signs said that it was research being funded by Anheiser-Busch; we assume these fields were barley but we’re not really sure of that. So the countryside is a beautiful patchwork quilt of all of the different fields, like a study in green with an infinite array of hues.

Just over a hill, suddenly a very bright yellow field came into view. It practically glowed with brilliant color set in among the other fields of green. After seeing a couple of these I decided to investigate and found that they are canola fields. What we were seeing is the bright yellow blooms. Idaho is fourth in the nation in the production of ‘seed oils’ (canola, safflower, etc.). So Idaho is indeed a farming state producing potatoes, grains and seed oils but that is what also makes it a state of quiet beauty set in the shadow of the towering Rocky Mountains.

Jim’s sister, Steffie and her husband Dennis lived in Jackson Hole, Wyoming for about 4 years, so he gave us directions so we could travel into Wyoming without crossing the extremely high mountain passes. It proved to be a beautiful drive, along the Snake River and past the Palisades reservoir. Now those of you who know me well know how I feel about snakes. Basically the only time I like snakes is when I’m wearing their hide to decorate my shoes. But the Snake River is so named because it winds through the countryside. And as it does so, the views are astounding. The Snake River has quite a few white-water rapids which have their own beauty. It cuts through deep cavern walls of rock and winds it way through the mountains. We followed it for about 2 hours and Jim kept stopping so I could take pictures (yes, he is a very patient husband).

We arrived at our campground in Jackson Hole and were amused to find we had chickens as neighbors. We set up the camper and then went for a drive into Teton Village, where we got our first glimpse of the Tetons, tall and majestic, their tops covered in snow. We drove up the pass that we would have crossed if we followed the gps, to a high altitude with an amazing view of Jackson Hole, the Tetons and the whole countryside. It was so beautiful, like a painting; again, it is a little hard to comprehend that we are here.

For dinner this evening, Dennis had reminded Jim about the Bar J Chuckhouse. This was my surprise for the day – Jim said we were going to dinner but didn’t tell me anything about it. What a fantastic place! For the past 40 years, this family has held their ‘Chuckwagon suppers’ on their working cattle ranch. They operate from Memorial Day thru the last week in September. Before dinner, guests were invited to walk around the property and moose were spotted in a field. We watched the cook set up an enormous charcoal-burning grill and load it with at least 45 enormous rib-eyes for those, like Jim, who ordered it for dinner. The other choices were BBQ beef, ribs or chicken. I chose the ribs. Guests are seated at long picnic tables in an enormous room. As each table was called, we picked up a tin plate and silverware then started through the serving lines. We got a baked potato and chunky applesauce; then a serving of cowboy beans which were made from an authentic recipe used by the chuckwagon on this ranch; then the entrée you chose with a biscuit and a piece of spice cake. Pick up a tin cup of either lemonade, water or coffee and head back to your table. Pitchers of lemonade and water were on the table and servers walked around with coffee. They explained how they made the coffee, but I’m not sure I’ll be trying this at home. They bring a stock pot of water to a boil, fill a clean (never-worn) tube sock with ground coffee and tie it at the top. The tube sock is tossed into the water and the pot is kept at a slow simmer. After about an hour, the sock sinks to the bottom; when it rises to the top again, the coffee is ready. Jim said the coffee was very good, and supposedly it tastes like the cowboy coffee served out on the range.

The dinner was delicious and a lot of fun, but the highlight of the evening was the entertainment. The Bar J Wranglers are well-known for their Western music and travel all over the country entertaining during the winter when the Chuckwagon suppers are not operating. These five guys have a great sound – they sang some traditional songs, some you may have heard (such as John Denver’s Thank God I’m a Country Boy) and some of their original music. They have 2 guitars, a string bass, and a fiddle player who is the current National Champion Fiddler in the United States. He’s also won Idaho state championships numerous times. He was just amazing. The fifth musician played mostly steel guitar but also the banjo and he also is a very accomplished musician. The duets between the fiddler and the banjo player were my favorite part of the evening. Not only are the Wranglers accomplished musicians, they are also hilarious, accompanying the music with a lot of jokes and fun. The Bar J is a fun evening for the entire family, and well worth the visit if you are in the area of the Grand Teton National Park and/or Yellowstone. Just a fun, fun evening with an authentic western taste and sound.

After dinner, we stopped to visit Don and Bev Landis. Don is Dennis’ brother and they run a Christian camp, school and one-year college. The camp is called the Rocky Mountain Lodge and it’s located here in Jackson Hole. They gave us maps of the Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park and pointed out areas that we don’t want to miss. Don has authored a number of books, including one about Yellowstone, and he gave us a copy of that book and signed his latest book, Living Legacy, and gave it to us as well. Don and Bev, thank you so much for your generosity and the suggestions for the next part of our trip. Tomorrow, we head to Grand Teton and Yellowstone. More adventures to come.