May 2nd: Dubois to Jackson

Hello!

I took sooooo many pictures and videos in Yellowstone that they won't all fit in one blog post. So here are the photos from the first part of the day - driving from Dubois to Jackson, which is a town in the Jackson Hole valley in Teton County just before you get into Yellowstone. I totally fell in love with this place and rang Stef to tell him I wanted to live there ("They even have a wellness and yoga center and a couple of theaters we could run!") and then found out that basically only millionaires can afford to live there. That last part I haven't told Stef yet, but he'll laugh when he reads it, because I have incredibly expensive taste in everything and hey - who knew - apparently it even extends to land prices! Damn. 

On the way to Jackson we listened to a free CD made by Wyoming D.O.T. which had ditties and stories about Wyoming, and was pretty interesting! From it we learned that The Town of Jackson elected the first all-female city council in the US, in 1920. Go, Jackson! 

Driving from Dubois, this was the kind of view the day started with.
It was just a taste of things to come. 

There are the Tetons in the distance!

Little car, big country.

Tetons and cows.

One of my first attempts using the panoramic setting on the iPhone. These are the Tetons.

Getting closer!

While out taking photos I got snow in my hiking boots (I hadn't bothered to tie the laces) so this is me walking along a wall holding one boot and sock to air them out to dry. Which, I might add, occurred in less than 10 minutes, because the air was so dry. The Irish girl in me was rather dumbfounded and amazed at this. Dry boots after 10 mins?! Wowza!

A lake just outside Jackson. 

Very cute western style boarded sidewalks in Jackson

There are actually a couple of theaters in Jackson, which is kind of amazing for a town of  9,000 people. 

Antler arch. At first I was quite horrified at this, thinking that all these deer had been killed just for this arch, but apparently these are not uncommon in this part of the country - people find these shed antlers around the place and make stuff from them. And there are a lot of deer so a lot of antlers. 

View of the church in Jackson, where we sat and ate our lunch. 

Road trip Day 1 Colorado --> Wyoming

On May 1st, Judi picked me up in Westminster and we started our road trip across the US!

Day 1 was mostly Colorado and Wyoming. Now, whenever I spoke of the road trip and our proposed route, I often heard things along the lines of "Ugh, and you'll have to go through Wyoming… boring." Let me now respond to those people: 

I. Loved. Wyoming. 

It is wild, it is desolate, and it is incredibly beautiful. My photos do not do it justice in the slightest. It was the first place I've been to that reminded me of Northumberland (UK) at times. 

The first night, Judi had found a motel in Dubois to stay in which brought us within 25 miles of the Tetons. After a nightmare of an experience in Phoenix, Arizona years ago where I stayed in a dingy, smelly hotel on my own where I swear-to-god someone had been either extremely violated or possibly killed (coupled with growing up watching American movies where the Bad Things always seem to happen in motels) I am someone who is very wary of motels in general. But they're a lot cheaper than hotels and, after Dubois, I know now that not all of them are creepy. This one was actually super clean and lovely! Yay! And they had a microwave in the office where they let me heat up food I'd prepared earlier in the day at Acacia's house. Nice. 

We went to have a drink in one of the two bars in town, and it was weird. There were a lot of dead animals on the walls. A lot. I guess it's a hunting culture, so I don't judge it at all. It was just different. 

Off we go! 10am, May 1st

Judi took this for me as I was driving. This is Colorado still. 

Eez velly vindy

Oil refinery and town

COWS

I honestly don't know how people don't find this stunning. 

Fun with my fish eye lens app! Our wee ''DoodleBug"

DoodleBug and Judi

Sinks Canyon. The river disappears under ground. 

Sinks Canyon

After a long day driving, Rachel is so happy to have a Smithwicks (!) that she grows antlers.

Ok fine they weren't my antlers. 

My feedback. I am the TRAIL BOSS.

"Is it real?"

Westminster, CO

Nissa and I take a walk

I walked up the highway to go to the supermarket. Check out the Rockies!

For about a week last week I stayed in Westminster, Colorado with Meg's Mum Acacia, her stepdad Kevin and their German shepherd Nissa. Oh wow, what cool people. Acacia is this awesome, generous painter (her work is really good) and Kevin is a warm, lovely guy with more Grateful Dead vinyl than probably the G.D. themselves - I was salivating over his record collection. Seriously cool people. I had fun going for jogs around their neighborhood and cooking and baking for them. Here are some pics.

Spelt chocolate chip

We had crazy winds, and it was cold.
This is how much of an eegit I looked when I went running. 

Cheery blossoms!

Playgrounds are the best places to work out.

Denver Art Museum

"No rules. If you always stick to style, manners, and what will work, and you're never caught off-guard, then some beautiful experiences never happen." - Helen Frankenthaler (1928 - 2011) on her creative process.

Inuit printmaking: Top - Sonosilutoo 'Woman Fighting Sea Serpent' (1973)
Bottom - Victoria Mumngshoaluk & Martha Noah 'Bird Woman' (1977) I loved these. 

This post is a few days late - I'm actually in Wyoming now (more on that once I've caught up!) - but I wanted to do a wee post about my day exploring Denver Art Museum on April 25th, which locals call DAM, which I think is great. 

I got the number 6 bus from Westminster, which took an hour and 20 minutes into the city, and on my way I saw a prairie dog! Which I was super excited about but apparently they're considered vermin and a nuisance in Westminster. Oh well. I had a nice wee chat with my bus driver too:
"Do you need a transfer ticket?"
"Uh, I don't think so…"
"Well, take one, in case you feel like a transfer later!"

Some signs I saw on the way:
An auto-repair shop called Butts that had a sign "Butts has gas!"
A comic book shop called "Mile High Comics" (which I thought Stef would like)

Also… buses in Denver have bike racks on the front. Which I think is p-retty cool. 

So here are some pics from my day exploring on my own. I decided it was an Artist Date day. 

One thing I found interesting while meandering around Capital Hill on my way to DAM - every now and then the breeze would waft two scents and two scents only my way - the smell of beautiful cheery blossom trees and the bang of weed. Here's to you, Colorado! No-one is supposed to smoke this (legal) stuff outdoors here, but they do. All the time. In front of cops. Cops who I saw stop, look at the offenders, tell them to move their dogs, (who were not supposed to be sitting in the flower beds) and then move on. Fabulous. 

It smells like cherry blossoms here!

It smells like weed here!

Ok this is a squirrel eating a pb&j sandwich with BOTH HANDS. LIKE A HUMAN CHILD.
Oh man I nearly fainted from the cuteness. 

Day-um!

I might have this mixed up with the other painting below, but I'm pretty sure this is a Joan Mitchell, and boasts the amazing title: George Went Swimming at Barnes Hole, But It Got Too Cold. (1957)

I cannot remember this woman's name, but her art was awesome.
(That's hers just below too)

Urm… can't remember. One of the famous Modern Masters.
I just love it. Oh I think it's an Elaine de Kooning. 

Vertigo-inducing staircase design. 

HUGH KNIVES ON THE WALL. I want this in my restaurant kitchen. 

As part of the Nick Cave 'Sojourn' exhibit there's a bit where kids can make Nick Cave type art using felt on walls. Having tried everything that is meant for children while at DAM, I can attest that this was pretty fun. 

Marie Watt - Blanket Story. A totem pole of local resident's donated blankets. Attached to each was the story of each blanket. It was quite moving, reading some of them. 

A still from Nick Cave's 'Sojourn' with dancers in his Sound Suits. 

Bit'o'Denver

Bit more Denver. This was actually taken another day.

So was this. Bit more Denver. Yes, there are even hiking trails within the city.
Pretty freaking awesome.

After DAM I walked around and got a bit lost and ate some Pho and finally went to a Tourist Information Center to ask where I could get the number 6 back to Westminster, as I'd forgotten where I'd gotten off. The lady was super helpful but told me that the next bus wouldn't be for another hour. I asked her if she had any recommendations for killing the time, and (bear in mind I was within a few blocks of several museums, the Denver Center for Performing Arts - which houses several theaters and shops - a busy shopping area, and some really cool book shops) - this was her cheery answer: "It's happy hour! Have a drink!"