Antlers, Antlers and More Antlers

today i went on an excursion to jackson hole, wyoming.  it’s on the other side of the teton pass from victor.  the elevation of the teton pass is 8,431 feet and victor is 6,207.  it’s a real hike up there, a 10% grade!  it was an amazingly beautiful drive, especially since we have had snow every day except day (and another storm expected to come in tonight).  the mountains are lined with pine trees, that are covered with snow.  it’s like something you would see on a postcard.  jackson is only about 35 miles from victor, but it’s a heck of a climb over the mountain to get there and then you drop back down to 6,234.  it was a crisp 12 degrees today with a windchill of -9 as we strolled the streets of jackson, dressed in as many layers as we could keep our elbows and knees bending in.

arch of antlers

jackson is a cute, though odd, small town.  it really looks like one of those little towns you would run into up in the mountains, like a ski resort town.  yes, i know you’re saying, that’s because it is one.  well, combine that ski resort feel with the hunter/outdoorsman feel and that’s jackson.  i’ve never seen so many antlers in my entire life.  the whole city is practically built of antlers.  just about every business has or sells chandeliers made of antlers.  you can just buy antlers to take come and make something out of.  there are candleholders made of antlers.  anything you can imagine, they have made it with antlers.  and then there’s the park in the center of the city with four giant arches on the corners made entirely of antlers.  do you realize how manyof some kind of animal had to die to keep this industry alive?  it’s just wrong, not to mention creepy.  there are thousands of them!  and then, don’t even get me started on the stuffed this and that.  on facebook in have a jackelope (seriously creepy), a racoon wearing a broncos helmet, some other creepy thing that is supposed to be big foot and another picture of an array of creature up for sale that you can dispay in your very own home.  i wouldn’t have believed it, had i not seen it with my own eyes.  it’s like snow bunny meets taxedermist. 

but all that said, i had a great time with my mom, brother and cousins.  my cousin “a” always makes me laugh and i have a great time with him.  i’m super excited to spend christmas with him.  tomorrow we already have plans.  my brother got us tickets for a sleigh ride.  i’m hopeful for reindeer, but we’ll see.  at the very least it should be a good time, as my other cousins will come along, so the whole fam with be there.