The Lee Family: Summer Vacation Day 4: Off to Jackson Hole

We woke up at 7am, showered, packed up the car and headed to Lotus up for coffee and breakfast. Of course, we also saw our favorite local and his buddies, who were playing cards, and had to say goodbye to them. After, we drove to Spearfish and loaded up the Baron. We were sure to thank the airport front desk lady and the man working the line for all their great advice and information on what we should see and do! We loaded up and headed to Jackson Hole, flying over Devil's Tower on the way. I'm sure Devil's Tower is really impressive from the ground, but it is crazy to see it from the air and see how it sticks straight out of the ground when everything around it is flat and totally different! We took a few photos and then continued on our 2-hour flight, flying over Yellowstone and Grand Tetons National Parks along the way. It was unbelievably beautiful and it felt like a movie backdrop instead of something real!

We landed and the Tetons were even more majestic from the ground. We got in our SUV and drove 20 minutes or so to Teton Village, which is actually a ski resort during the winter, but was equally crowded and very beautiful. We stayed at the Snake River Lodge which was gorgeous and directly across from the Village's horse stables! The girls thought it was meant to be! We were all hungry and after we unloaded all of things in our little room overlooking the pool, we headed out to explore the various restaurants. We ended up eating at a little Italian restaurant, with CK and me splitting a salad and pizza and the girls each getting a kids cheese pizza. The food was actually amazing, even if the service wasn't. While we waited for our food to arrive, Olivia FaceTimed with Marisa, telling her every detail of our trail ride and how amazing galloping feels! It was so cute. Sofia read, of course and our friends from Washington DC, Karina and Dave, stopped by to say Hi. Karina, Dave and their four kids, ages 13 through 4, rented a house about 10 minutes from Teton Village for the month! They have made the most of their extended visit and we looked forward to connecting with them later for dinner.

After our delicious Italian lunch, we went down to swim in the pool, which was heated (thankfully) and really cool. After a while the girls "headed upstairs" and we realized that neither of them had a key! So, after about 30 minutes, when they didn't return to the pool, we headed out looking for them. I suspected they were over with the horses, but they were not there. CK went to check in the room, but I thought there would be no way they could get in..sure enough, they were hanging out on their bed watching Walking with Dinosaurs! They explained that they got the our room and realized they didn't have a room key, so they visited the front desk, gave the clerk our name and room number and got a key! I couldn't believe it!

We relaxed for a while and then we walked to the Mangy Moose where we met Karina, Dave, Annalise and Sonya for dinner. We had the nicest server ever who was super helpful and did a great job. The food was also fantastic! I had the trout and salad which was very good and CK, Karina and Dave all had the prime rib which was huge and looked great. After diner we split a mud pie, which was always a favorite of mine when I was younger and I haven't had in years. The girls asked for some money and headed downstairs to play the video games and hang out. It was so cute. After we lingered after dinner, we headed outside where it was chilly! We talked for a bit, although it was too cold to stand around too long. The four girls climbed all over the rocks lining the stream and played with their bouncy balls that they had all won at the little arcade downstairs. They had a great time together and Sofia and Annalise immediately hit it off, while Sonya and Olivia had fun together. It was really a perfect situation for all the girls! We said our good nights, looking forward to seeing them all for our rafting trip together followed by a bbq and then fireworks!

Loaded up and ready to go in Spearfish, SD.