Jackson, Wy

I’m going to Jackson….

This morning I got up around 8 am, showered, dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. After breakfast I headed out about 9:30 am and drove out to the National Wildlife Art Museum just north of Jackson. The weather was partly overcast and in the high 40s going toward the 50s today. All morning before I left I had the song “Jackson” by Johnny and June Carter Cash playing in my head even though the song is about Jackson, MS. Go figure! I toured the gallery of wildlife art for about and hour and a half. There were some sections of art done by school students in a section set aside for their art and a section of waterfowl art of those submitted to the Wyoming waterfowl art competition for a US postage stamp. Some by those 13-16 were very good. I went to gift shop and found two prints of a couple of pictures that I liked that had been the gallery, one of a cougar the other of a bison both for a total of $50. They are in cardboard tubes so they should travel well the rest of my trip. Now to get them framed when I get home which will cost a lot more than $50.

Entrance to the Wildlife Art Museum

Children’s Art

The title of this one is: So You Want to Get Married?

The two prints I bought

Waterfowl Paintings by 13-15 year olds

I left the wildlife art museum and headed back to Jackson to tour around the downtown area and the square. It turns out this weekend was the Boy Scouts Annual Elk Antler Auction and three streets bordering the square was filled with Elk antlers. The auction was going on at one street and the scouts had activities going on in the square as well. There were also professional Elk antler vendors with their antlers and antler crafts. Apparently the antlers go for about $7-$8 per pound. Some of the vendors had antler selling for hundreds and thousands of dollars. The funds raised from the auction go to the Boy Scouts and to the National Elk Refuge just north of town. I cannot say that I have ever seen as many Elk antlers in one place nor am I likely to again.

 One of the four antler arches on the square. One is auctioned off each year and then replaced.

 Surely you joust!

Straw Man Sail Boat Racing

Antlers Everywhere, Even Trailers Full!

A Pile, if that the word, of antlers being auctioned

Around 11:40 I made my way to the Merry Piglets for lunch. I had seen and advertisement for it that said it was authentic Tex-Mex and since I hadn’t had any "good" Mexican food for over a month I thought I would check it out, regardless of my rule not to order Mexican food north of the Red River. I had the cheese enchiladas, rice and beans, chips and salsa. I have to give it my Texas seal of approval for pretty good Tex-Mex, and it’s north of the Red River!

After lunch I walked around the shops bordering and off the square, including a number of art and photographic galleries. I bought a Jackson Hole T-shirt and hat at the Shirt Off My Back store. At one photographic gallery, Under the Willow, I had an interesting conversation with the photographer/owner, Abi Graham and his wife about his photography. He has been taking photos for over 40 years and was involved in the initial photographing of the national parks for the park service over 30 years ago. I bought his 2011 and 2012 calendars which have his photos which can be cropped and framed. The 2011 calendar was half price. One of the things we discussed is a picture considered the most photographed barn in the U.S., the Moulton barn, I realized their were two different barns in some of the photographs. So which one is the most photographed? One is the one you see on brochures, etc. and has an arched roof; the other has a straight-line A-frame roof. Both were out on Antelope Flats Road near the park south entrance.

Abi Graham and his wife at Under the Willow Gallery

I continued walking around a while longer and by 2:30 or so the activities on the square had ended and folks were packing up their things. I went back to the car and drove to Antelope Flats Road to check out the two barns. On the way out there, traffic on the highway came to a standstill as a herd of Bison were making there way across the road.

Why did the Bison cross the road? I don’t know, it has me buffaloed!

I finally arrived at the barns site on Antelope Flats road. At one of the barns, adjacent to it was the Moulton Family Cabins. There I spoke with Howard Blake the great-great grandson of T.A. Moulton who built the A-Frame style barn. The other was built by T.A.’s brother John, according to Howard. Both now belong to the National Park Service. I went and took photos of both and some of the surrounding old buildings. At one I spoke with a couple from St. Louis who had just arrived and had been here last fall and the husband had come out and photographed the barns at sunrise, which is how you normally see them with the red hues from the sunrise coloring the barn with the mountains in the background, etc. But today it was afternoon, overcast sunshine lighting.

  

 T. A. Moulton Barn

John Moulton Barn

I then returned to the Hotel around 4 pm and did some laundry for the week. It’s sort of funny that I put in some “winter” clothes just in case I ran into some cool weather, and I think I have worn those more than others so far.

After I finished my laundry I went to the Gunbarrell Steak and Game restaurant where I dined on a mesquite grilled chicken breast, long grain and wild rice with pecans, green beans, bread and iced tea. There was a sign in the restaurant that said "Welcome to Gunbarrell City", which the hostess said was supposed to have come from Gunbarrell City, Texas.

Tomorrow I drive over to Yellowstone and will spend three full days there. If the weather turns cool and damp like at Grand Teton, as is forecast, I may finish with what I can see at the park early in the week and will explore other sites in the area.

Miles driven since the battery went out at Bryce Canyon on Tuesday. Total miles since leaving Dallas: 5,255

See you down the road!