Wyoming… WOW!!

We just spent the last week in Wyoming! Here’s a day by day account.

Monday March 27th: We woke up really early so that we could get on the road and miss the traffic on 880 (we had to fly out of Oakland Airport). Evan kindly drove us, so we got a little personal time with him. It only took 45mins – quite a shock, as we had planned a 2 hour trip! So we got to know the Airport quite well. The plane to Salt Lake City was a puddle jumper, with about 50 seats, and even I managed to bang my head on the ceiling a few times (I’m only 154 cm!!!)
So, we got to SLC, and rented our Ford Explorer 4×4 and headed up the mountains towards Rock Springs. This country is gorgeous!!! I just kept saying “WOW!” The mountains still had snow, so I was really enjoying myself. I wanted to jump out of the car and play, but the snow had turned to ice, so it wasn’t gonna be any fun. And it was really cold!! So we drove and took pictures from the safety of our warm truck 😉

We arrived at Rock Springs around 5pm, and found that Sean’s cousins were waiting for us at Aunt Margie’s. It was a nice surprise. Aunt Margie has horses, so we saddled them up, and took the 2nd cousins riding (4 & 2 years old). Sean and Darin also played cowboy, which we got on video for blackmail at a later date. It was beautiful out there at dusk, with the snow capped mountains all around, but as soon as the sun ducked behind the hills, the temp dropped to about 30, and I thought my fingers were going to drop off. There is only one thing in this world I am truely afraid of, and that’s the cold!! So we went inside, and enjoyed the warmth and dinner.

Day 2, Tuesday: We set off for Green River at 10am to see Grandma at the Villa. She was lying down when we came into her room, and didn’t recognize us when we entered. It was heartbreaking to see her – she’s stick thin, and so pale and weak. The last time we saw her, she was up and independant, driving herself all over town. After getting over the initial shock, we took her out to lunch with Darin, Alicia, their 3 kids and Aunt Margie. The food wasn’t that great, but I enjoyed getting to know some more of the family. We hung out with Grandma for a little while after the others left.
That evening the another cousin showed up with his family, Brian, Anika, Jaden and Daylin. Then the plans for the Tetons came into effect, and we began to get excited about seeing a little more of Wyoming.

Day 3, Wednesday: The day Grandma had to get some xrays. We took her to the hospital for a 10am appointment, and pretty much spent the entire day there!! What was supposed to be a 1 hour visit took forever! I think the hardest part was trying to convince Grandma that everything was okay, the doctor was just being thorogh. It was a little scary when they started asking q’s about family history (after they had started the xrays and tests) – we began to wonder what they had found.
We finally got out of the hospital at 4pm, put Grandma to bed, and then went home to have a rest ourselves.

Day 4, Thursday: The trip to Jackson and The Grand Tetons. This is totally Brian and Anika’s idea, and we’re so glad they came up with it. It’s a 3 hour drive, and the landscape changes regularly. It was freezing cold, but absolutely beautiful! We saw the ranch where Grandma was born and raised, but unfortunately the restaurant that has photos of G-ma and other relatives was closed for a private party. Apparently the whole area was owned by the family until it was (unwisely) sold. I’m gonna have to post some photos, cause it’s just too hard to describe the beauty in this area.
We had lunch in Jackson, and then drove another hour to the Grand Tetons. The Grand Tetons are part of a mountain range, about an hour south of the entry to Yellowstone National Park. They are my favourite type of mountain. We stood on a snow covered plain (about 2 feet deep), and looked up at the mammoth mountains rising directly out of the plain. No foot hills. Just Rocks and Dirt, reaching straight up to meet the heavens. It was amazing. I finally got my chance to play in the snow, and if our schedule had allowed, I wanted to stay a few more days and try to take iin a fraction of Yellowstone. But I guess that just gives me an excuse to go back 😉
So, after a snow fight and photo shoot, we turned around and headed back to Jackson. We had noticed an Elk Preserve, and you could take a 2 horse open sleigh out to see them. So we jumped on the last ride of the day, and joined the Elk as they grazed. The young bulls spar and play, and the big bulls watched to and judged, while the young cows pretened to be uninterested and graze (but really kept a good eye on the action…). Oh, wait a minute, that’s high school. Amongst the Elk were two Cyotes that were feeding on the carcasses of a couple of dead elk. Adam, our driver, followed them around for a while, so we got a good look at them.
It was super cold, and the locals were laughing at us all rugged up, but as a result of the cold, my nose has been a little bloody for a few days.
As we drove back to Rock Springs, we saw a Moose, a couple of mountain Goats and lots more snow on the mountains and plains. I loved it!! I really want to spend a winter there some day.

Day 5, Friday: We visited Grandma one last time, and said goodbye to our new friends that the Villa. Everyone we met at the home wanted to talk to us and get to know us. It was really hard not to cry at times, cause some of the men and women seemed to have noone to visit them. They just craved the attention of someone new and different. There were times when we wanted to stick around a little longer for Grandma and the others there, too.
So, we finally drove away, and it was really hard to leave, both Grandma and the other relatives that I’m just getting to know. As I said, I’d love to spend a winter there, cause it’s so magical (always wanted a white Christmas) and also to get to know all the cousins and aunts and uncles in the area.