Jackson, Wyoming

This is the second journal entry from our trip to Yellowstone National Park. We entered the town of Jackson, Wyoming at about 5 p.m. on our second night of travel. I would suggest you make reservations if you are planning to stay here. There aren't many towns near Jackson, and it is a very popular destination. The town lays just south of Grand Teton National Park so it becomes a basecamp for many. Fortunately, we found a spot at The Virginian RV Resort. The Virginian was a nice place to stay as it was pretty centrally located in town. It is an urban-type campground, so if you are looking for a more traditional camping experience, you would probably want to try a campground outside of town. Below is  the view of the Snow King Ski Resort as seen from downtown Jackson.

Jackson is a very clean and tourist friendly town. There are many themed stores, restaurants of all types, and even cowboy exhibitions in the streets. When we were there, we witnessed a good old-fashioned shootout.

The picture below was taken at Town Square, a beautiful park located in the center of Jackson.

I would definitely recommend stopping at the Jackson Hole & Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center just north of Jackson and south of Grand Teton National Park. It is very much worth a visit.

"Cruising Down Memory Lane: Olympic National Park"

Olympic National Park, Rain Forest, Circa 1966:

The trailer is a rental, and I'm not sure of the make. The name "Playmate" is displayed on the back. Anyone have any idea regarding the company name or model? The tow vehicle was our family vehicle; Pontiac, Tempest, station wagon (aquamarine).

Afton, Wyoming

This is the first of many posts that will chronicle our trip to Yellowstone National Park. Along the way, we ran across many interesting "sidetrips" and "photostops." You can see all the photos of our whole trip when you visit my photography website. Driving through Wyoming, we passed through a town called Afton. As you drive into town the World's Largest Elkhorn Arch comes quickly into view.

The town isn't very large, and it being Sunday late afternoon, not much was open or happenning.
















Afton is located on US 89 south of Jackson. The arch gives the traveler a good reason to stop, stretch a little, and take some photos.

On a personal note, seeing the "Afton Arch" was revisiting a special time in my life. It was the Summer of 1971 and my brother had just graduated from high school. My father thought it would be great to take a trip across the United States together. So we piled into my Dad's customized Dodge Tradesman 200 "camper" van and we saw many wonderful places including Yellowstone, Mount Rushmore, Niagara Falls, Washington D.C., and many more. I remember my Dad seeing the arch, in Afton, and stopping to take pictures. We read about how it was put together and it seemed pretty cool at the time. Well, all of these years later, of course that memory is more than cool... it is GOLD. I no longer have my Dad around to recollect that day, but I do have the photo... thanks, Dad.