Evanston to Grand Teton National Park
Woke up feeling grateful for my night in Evanston - the Prairie Inn Motel was very cute, and gave me space to get myself organized, laundered, and ready for a couple days of being in the Grand Tetons. The people working and staying there who I encountered were all very kind and smiley and welcoming. In the morning I snapped some pics of the Inn and went next door to Jody’s Diner for some coffee and a $6.34 breakfast sandwich with ham and american cheese. I love these cheap meals because I can swing giving a big tip! My server was sweet as sugar and I shared my table with a military vet named Jeb who had to be in his 80s. He was eating a short stack of pancakes covered in blueberries and whipped cream and was enjoying the hell out of it.
Only had to drive three hours today - listened to my book, Casper Allen (on recommendation from people I met in Silver City) and a lot of Weyes Blood.
Driving through Wyoming was lots of farms, hay, and cows. As I got closer to the park, I passed through a few small towns that had some great signs!
And then suddenly, there they were! I gasped.
I couldn’t check into the Climber’s Ranch until 4pm so I thankfully had some time to explore. I went straight to the visitors center and asked the ranger at the desk, “Which lakes in the park am I allowed to swim in?'“ And she smiled and replied ALL OF THEM!
I took my map to the car, quickly identified 3 lakes with doable hikes around them and set a goal to swim in all of them before I left. First on the list was Taggart Lake! The hike was 3.8 miles with a perfect inlet to the lake and a perfect view about 1/3 of the way through. I was feeling hesitant to get in the water since no one else was - it feels so weird to get in while all these people are hanging out looking at the view! There was a family of three adult brothers and their parents next to me and they were thinking about going in so I went for it and they followed suit! It wasn’t too cold at all and we were all better for it. They thanked me for inspiring them to do it when I left :)
Extremely grateful that I found the Grand Tetons Climbing Ranch to stay at during my time in the park. The ranch is 10 cabins with bunk beds, a large covered area for cooking, really nice bathrooms with showers (such a plus), a kitchen packed with tools for cooking, and a library full of climbing books and comfy chairs which I absolutely adored.
While I was checking in, two women who were also staying there welcomed me with huge smiles and were so excited to hear that I was there for the first time - they assured me that I was going to love it. I set up my bed, took a shower, went on a tiny walk, made myself some tea and dinner, and retired to the library. In between reading my book (Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb) I ended up chatting with 4 twenty-somethings who were all on a roadtrip together before heading back to college in Florida. They played Rummy and listened to jazz while sipping on some Moonshine they bought in Montana. They offered me a sip which I accepted :)
