Friday May 12, 2023 - Pinedale, WY to Jackson, WY

Deb here to give poor overworked blogger Milo a break. We slept okay at the RV park, although the campground lights came on at some point, and they were a bit bright. Big excitement this morning, since we were heading to the Museum of the Mountain Man, and then on into Jackson to catch up with a couple of friends that I hadn’t seen in years.

First stop was breakfast at the Wrangler Cafe, a true blue locals’ restaurant with lots of pickups outside and flannel shirt wearers inside. I overheard talk at the next table and it was all about rodeos, so there you have it. Decent egg sandwich and pancakes, and by the time we finished the museum was open. John knew a bit about mountain men and the fur trade business, but I knew nothing. Turns out the whole reason those rugged mountain men sprang into existence was because of the fur industry between 1820 and 1840. The fashion of the time was beaver tophats, and beaver pelts were in high demand. These men spent part of the year trapping, then holed up during the winter, and then once a year participated in “rendezvous” meetups involving fur traders and Native Americans. Basically a huge once a year camping party involving lots of trading, selling, and drinking. It was a small but interesting museum, with many cool artifacts including clothing, old guns, paintings, and other memorabilia.

After a few hours we drove to Jackson on Rt 191 (what else?) and it was another drop dead gorgeous stretch of road. We arrived in Jackson around noon and headed to the National Elk Refuge Visitor Center for some info and to see the elk. We ate our lunch on the benches facing the refuge. I’d made plans to meet with an old grade school/high school friend, Patricia Read Pistono, who I realized I hadn’t seen since I graduated in 1975 (gasp). At 2:30, Patricia was done for the day with her dive coaching responsibilities, and she met us at Hand Fired Pizza on the square for some pizza and drinks. So very fun to catch up and learn more about Jackson, since she’s lived here for 45 years and raised both her kids in town. 

By 5 we said goodbye to Patricia, and I texted another friend in town, Sarah Mickler, who’d planned on meeting us for the evening and said she’d give us a spot for our van in her driveway that night. Sarah and I guided the Georgia tour for Country Walkers, and I hadn’t seen her since 2019. We made a plan to meet at the Roadhouse Brewery, also on the square, for drinks and dinner. Again, so very fun to catch up, and meet her significant other, Thomas. Following dinner Thomas and Sarah took us into The Wort, a historic bar/restaurant, and then on to the Cowboy Bar, another historic establishment.

We then traveled the 15 minute drive to their beautifully located apartment, high up in the mountains outside of town, met their dog Frank the Tank, and said our goodnights.

Odo = 6797