jackson hole.
obsessed. is the only word that really comes to mind...
jackson hole was always one of those places that i thought would be nice to go to but wasn't on my list of must visits (mostly because i didn't know much about it besides that you could ski...). But honestly, I totally and completely fell in love with jackson hole, wyoming.
our trip was planned around the wedding of one of my best friends from college. her and her (now husband) have grown up in or vacationing in jackson hole so it was the perfect place for their wedding. the whole group of us decided to make a trip of it going for 3 full days instead of just for the wedding. we rented an airbnb (ours was admittedly not the most glamorous but we needed something close to downtown that could sleep 11). the view from the house more than made up for how outdated it was.
day 1 was spent getting settled and eating one of the best grilled cheese sandwhichs with tomato soup i have ever had at Cafe Genevieve. the weather was perfect for sitting outside and everyone (except me of course) enjoyed mimosas, bloody mary's and a glass of vino or two. it was pretty much adorable. the night kicked off with a gondola ride up to The Deck @ Piste which was a windy adventure but the perfect way to kick off a trip to see the valley for miles around jackson hole. while everyone kicked off happy hour i enjoyed a warm cup of tea to warm up and take in the gorgeous views.
day 2 kicked off with the most gorgeous 3 mile hike coordinated by our expert tour guide, our friend nell. while I will admit that mama was moving a little slow up the mountain, it was amazing! living in a city, you tend to forget what it's like to be out in nature, breathing totally fresh air, hearing animals, seeing running water and just being completely distracted by the natural beauty of it all. it was incredible! the trail we hiked was around Phelps Lake and we really only did half of the full hike to the lake, just up and back, but again... mama was moving a little slow. the air was so clear and the day so beautiful that you could see for miles... and miles... and miles. post hike and taking some time to wind down, we drove around a bit to take in more of the land. recommended by the bride, we had dinner at a jackson hole favorite, the snake river grill. the SRG potato pancake, truffle fries, flatbread and steak were the big winners (and the manhattans were a big hit with the boys).
day 3 was wedding day for our dearest friends! while the boys went on a fishing trip down the snake river, i kicked off the day with a walk through town to take photos and explore... all by myself. something about bring pregnant and having alone time is really amazing. and i got to play around with my camera (a constant goal to take incredible pictures of life in general)! on my adventure i encountered the most amazing bakery i have ever been to - enter persephone into my life. while i think i bought 1 of everything, the fan favorite was definitely their onion focaccia. having grown up in italy, i appreciate an amazing piece of focaccia and this piece was beyond that. i then met up with my friend allie for lunch again at cafe genevieve (could not get enough of that grilled cheese) and we did some shopping and before we knew it we were getting ready for the wedding back at the house. tori and ian's wedding was the most magical location for a wedding i have ever been to - it was gorgeous and their happiness was infectious (even for us sober folk).
day 4 was dedicated to exploration for our final day in this incredible place. we opted to travel to find the infamous granite hot springs - yet another activity that is not approved for pregnant chicks (submerging yourself in hot water). however, i couldn't come all the way there an not experience it so i took a quick 5 minute dip and it was everything. nature can be so cool sometimes to create something like that all on its own. definitely worth the 5 minute risk! once we had enough of the warm water we cleaned up and ventured on our final hike which, minus the gorgeous lake view, was just as amazing as our first. how nature is able to make you feel so small and yet so calm and at peace is amazing to me, and something i truly appreciated about the whole trip.
all in all... if you haven't heard me say it a thousand times since august, i will be going back to jackson hole asap. i am completely and totally smitten with you wyoming. next trip? ski season!
e