Our western adventure

It has been a whirlwind these past couple of weeks, returning from vacation and starting the real business of winding down my job (and career). 

Mixed emotions have abounded but, with each passing day, I have begun to let go of the past and deal with the fact that, for all practical purposes, I am yesterday's news at the workplace. And that is fine. Things will carry on just fine without me. 

Although my last day of employment is December 1st, I am going to wrap things up next week. Being an "Irish goodbye" kind of guy, I am thankful there will not be a long one

More on all of this at a later date. For now, I'll tell you a little more about our recent vacation. 

Our first stop was Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park. Jackson Hole is not a city, but a region. Jackson Hole Airport is inside the national park, and we flew into it from Salt Lake City, where we flew from Nashville.

The city of Jackson is a great little western town, and we stayed at a nice but rustic hotel in walking distance of the town square. 

The Tetons are a majestic mountain range and throughout the park there are gorgeous views from various perspectives. 

We did a day on our own and a day with a guide. The day with the guide was great, in that he had keen insight into the best places to see wildlife. We saw elk, moose, bison, prong-horn and a grizzly bear. 

Before we left Grand Teton and headed to Yellowstone, we went on a leisurely morning float trip on the Snake River and saw 21 (that's right, I counted them) bald eagles. 

Yellowstone was just as fascinating as I remembered from being there back in the eighties. The mountains, hot springs, lava pools and geysers provide nothing less than sensory overload. Like Grand Teton, we did a day with a guide, which was extremely helpful. 

I might add that both the Grand Teton and Yellowstone guides were extremely sharp. Both had college degrees (wildlife science and biology, respectively) and seemed to love what they were doing. We benefitted greatly from their knowledge and expertise. 

From Yellowstone it was on to Cody Wyoming, home of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, five museums inside one building that had more information about the American West than one person could possibly absorb. We arrived early in the afternoon, and our admission ticket was good for the next day. 

Because I tend to geek out at museums and read just about everything on the signage next to the exhibits, I had to return the next morning to finish. Wife said she did not feel the need to do so, she being more the "flyover" type when visiting a museum. 

After Cody we crossed into South Dakota where we visited the Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Custer State Park and Badlands National Park. 

We were only nominally affected by the government shutdown. Our last day in Yellowstone was the first day of the shutdown, and it seemed most park rangers and employees reported to work that day in hopes the shutdown would be brief. (Yeah, right.)

The impact was minimal at Mount Rushmore and Badlands. Since virtually everything we were seeing was outside, the impact was negligible. I am sure, however, with the shutdown dragging on, the effects will be more significant. (Gee, wouldn't it be nice if Congress would do its job?) 

It was a great trip. The pictures don't do it justice and I am not much of a photographer, but I am happy to share a few here. Full disclosure: our Grand Teton guide took the picture of the elk.