Our trip began on Saturday
June 14, 2025 with us flying into Jackson, WY, gateway to the Tetons. We rode
up the Snow King ski lift which John famously was afraid to ride 55+ years ago.
Looking at the old ski lift chairs on display there, you can see why. The new
enclosed chairs are luxurious in comparison. That afternoon we saw that a local
theatre group was presenting an old western musical, “The Ballad of Cat Ballou” so we had fun watching that in
the evening.
The next day we looked around
some old Mormon homesteads called “Mormon Row” and then took a 3-hour raft trip down the Snake River. We
saw spectacular views of Grand Teton and heard great stories of Lewis and Clark
and the history of the area. The next morning, we did about a 5-mile run along
a running path that extends from Jackson to the Tetons and beyond for at least
35 miles. We then drove to Yellowstone where we passed “Continental Divide” signs many times in the
mountains.
Yellowstone was spectacular. We
never realized its vastness and complexity. We saw bison, elk, rivers, lakes,
Yellowstone Falls, Grand Prismatic Spring, Grand Canyon of Yellowstone and of
course Old Faithful. We felt in awe of God’s creation. We enjoyed a buffet in the classic Yellowstone
Lodge and then drove around the southern part of the park and saw Lower and
Upper Yellowstone Falls. Jodi was hoping to see a bear, but we never did
although we did have a fine breakfast at the Running Bear Pancake House in West
Yellowstone.
We headed
to Helena the next day but stopped on the way to visit Big Sky ski resort where
John and a group of Westmont buddies had met and skied many times in the past.
It looks quite different in the summer and has a lot of expansion going on. On
the drive we saw some rafters who were rafting in rapids, something we did not
do on our raft trip (which was quite peaceful)..
In Helena
we met Charlie Bauer, John’s long-time friend who he met as a freshman at Westmont in
1968. Charlie gave a tour of the city which included a visit to the library and
a great steak dinner. The next day Charlie drove us to Kalispell, but on the way,
he took us through his old stomping
grounds in Missoula. We saw the football stadium where the University of
Montana Grizzlies play.
Friday
Charlie took us on the Going to the Sun Road through Glacier National Park. We
checked out the lodge and then Charlie took us to the Avalanche Lake trailhead.
On the hike we saw some deer up-close (but no bears) and had a great view of
the lake and the waterfalls going into it. After the hike we continued on the
road with amazing and scary views of the valley, the waterfalls, snow, and the
mountains. We made reservations to drive this route over Logas Pass back in
February. It opened 4 days prior to our arrival and then promptly closed again
the next day due to a snowstorm. We were grateful to have had the opportunity
to enjoy these views!
We spent
two nights in Kalispell in a hotel that was originally built in 1912 but has
been nicely remodeled. It had great homemade breakfasts which got us going both
days we stayed there. We flew home Saturday afternoon via Salt Lake City.
Getting on the plane in SLC, John told Jodi that former Fresno State QB and
coach (and Cal Bears coach) Jeff Tedford was on our flight. We got to talk to
him in Fresno while waiting for our baggage; he was very friendly and
personable and told us that he is enjoying retirement.
