The Dynamic Duo

As promised in the tbc, I am now going to write about antlers and driftwood, in that order. This is kind of like a “Where’s Waldo” kind of puzzle. You will have to watch sharply to find the references you seek, so stay alert. There may be a pop quiz.
We enjoyed seeing Yellowstone’s many natural wonders, and also its many Park gift shops. As we browsed through them, Dan was fascinated with a book called “Death in Yellowstone.” He entertained us with one particularly gruesome story about a man who had jumped into a boiling hot spring to rescue his dog who had jumped in ahead of him. Both died, but the man lived long enough to struggle out of the water and regret his hasty decision. Now, dogs are not allowed on park trails. I think we all spent a little money on souvenir postcards and T-shirts to bring home. Mary’s dad bought himself a very attractive Yellowstone Park jacket. But what to get UltraDad? I finally picked him up a copy of “Death in Yellowstone”, and one for Dan, for good measure.

A boiling pool in Yellowstone

We left Yellowstone and all its snow on Monday morning, and headed west out of the park. Our final destination for the day was Idaho Falls, but there was no way we could pass through Jackson Hole, WY without a little stop-and- look-around. I was a bit familiar with ultra-touristy Jackson, as its nearby resort had been the scene of two Women’s Retreats I had been fortunate enough to attend. Most years, women from my church in Howe, ID joined women from surrounding churches ranging from Sun Valley, Jackson, southeast Idaho, and parts of Utah for a weekend Christian retreat. We usually had a dynamic woman christian speaker, uplifting music, good food, and lots of laughing and bonding. The retreats had been held in various locales: Logan, Utah, Grand Targhee and Sun Valley in Idaho, and, of course, twice in Jackson Hole.
The most notable feature of the town is a square, or park in the middle of town. Each of the 4 corners is marked with a massive antlered archway. Rustic hunting lodge is a recurring theme in the log shop buildings. One exhibited an entire herd of taxidermied migrating elk. Upstairs we found, also stuffed and displayed, a coyote, fox, wolf, and grizzly bear.

It always amazes me that shops in a tourist town like this can actually make a go of it selling such superfluous and super-expensive items as pottery, jewelry, trinkets and trendy clothing. They must not do too badly, considering the abundance of them. It was raining steadily as we made our way along the streets, but I think most of us made it back to the car without lightening our pockets much, despite frequent trips into the various shops, mostly to get in out of the rain.
Our next stop was Pocatello, home of Idaho State University, where Panther and I had visited her son UltraMess, only a few days previously. Panther and Dan were both alumni of this college, and Dan, not often in the area, was able to visit one of his favorite History Professors, who was still teaching at the University. Panther claims her photo is displayed in the nursing college, but we never seem to have time to go look. UltraMom attended this college for a while also, but dropped out after 1 1/2 years to marry UltraDad, a decision she sometimes regrets…........the not finishing college, not the marrying UltraDad! We met up with UltraMess and his charming GF Erin, and went to Buddy’s, a local favorite of a restaurant, where Heather, also a resident of this town, was meeting us for lunch. We had planned to lunch at Sizzler, where Heather waitresses, as she didn’t think she could get time off, and at least we would be able to see her as she was refilling our water glasses and fulfilling our every demand. . She was able to get off early, though, much to my great delight, and for some reason suggested we eat somewhere else.
Buddy’s is famous for its salad with garlic dressing, so we all had to have some of that. For our main course, we ended up ordering three large, delicious pizzas, and there was enough leftover to provide a meal of take-home for both UltraMess and Heather. Then it was time to say goodbye and head towards our final resting place. (for the night).
Idaho Falls is a town even more familiar to me than Jackson. When my family first moved to Idaho, we spent the first month or so in the Westbank Motel, one of many inns in close proximity to the waterfall in the center of downtown, while waiting to move into our house. The waterfall orignally consisted of a series of steep rapids, but has been damned to provide hydro-electric power, and now more closely resembles a traditional waterfall. There are walking paths, picnic tables and acres of green lawn all around the fenced-off falls, and it is an extremely popular site in good weather for dog walkers, strolling couples, or families wanting to picnic or feed the numerous ducks and geese always milling about.

On this particular trip we stayed in the nice, very reasonably priced Driftwood Motel, just a short walk from the Falls. There is something about the sound of natural rushing water that evokes agreeable emotions in me. The rhythmic sound of gurgling brooks is soothing and calming, while the sound of rushing waterfalls or rapids brings forth something a bit more powerful, and awestruck. And then there is the ocean, always changing, immense and mysterious….........I guess I just like water, okay?
We had dinner downtown at Smitty’s, a restaurant we all remembered for great breakfasts. Our dinner wasn’t halfbad either. Then we headed to the New Sweden Cemetary on the edge of town where our parents are both buried. It looks much as I remembered it, though the adjacent pine tree had grown much taller and fuller over the years. We took some time to just reflect on the good times we had together as a family, because of Bob and Kathleen Wesley and their dedication and caring, and just because of the remarkable people they were.

Idaho Falls: I really like the reflection of the water tower!

The next day we enjoyed a continental breakfast in the motel breakfast room, and then checked out some of the numerous walking paths around the waterfall. Too soon it was time to leave. My vacation was nearly over.
Before dropping me off to retrieve my car from the Shopko parking lot, we decided to take a little side excursion to view Shoshone Falls, a nearby natural wonder billed as the Niagara Falls of the West. It was about 1/2 hour detour and as we drove we talked about the various last times we had viewed this waterfall and how magnificent it was. We passed a small waterfall trickling down the side of the mountain and someone jokingly said “Well, there it is.” Unfortunately that little trickle was probably more impressive than the real thing; Shoshone Falls was, at least on this day, a rather pififul little paradoy of a waterfall. Only one small section had water flowing over it. “I think I’ll stay in the car,” said Mary. “I don’t blame you,” said her dad.
We did all end up getting out of the car and walking around a bit, but if anything, the waterfall looked even lamer at close view. “It was much more impressive a year ago,” Pather informed us helpfully.
Back at my car, none the worse for sitting in the mall parking lot for 4 days, we parted ways. The rest of the group were heading to Panther’s home in Emmett (near Boise) for more adventures, but it was time for me to head back home and back to the real world. I’m a little afraid of sounding like a book dedication, but I do want to express my appreciation (and fondness) for each fellow traveler for making it possible for me to come along. Your generosity is legend, and I love you all.

UltraMom

Did you find the antlers and driftwood hidden in this story? Send in your guesses; you could win valuable prizes, in a manner of speaking.