Jackson, Wyoming

Jackson was only an hour away from the Grand Tetons and we were super excited to relax and spend very little time on the road, finally. We found a pet friendly room at The Inn at Jackson Hole in Teton Village and rolled in next to a field of cows and parasailers. Slightly hungry but mostly thirsty, we checked in and headed to Nick Wilson's at the tram base for some sustenance. The giant red tram looked promising as did the thought of a the view from the top of the ski mountain so we decided to buy tickets and head to the top.

The moment we got on the tram, Erica struck up a conversation with 2 parasailing instructors who were heading up for their last sail of the day with giant packs strapped to their backs. She made the comment, “that looks somewhat terrifying…but awesome”…to which the guy answered, “well I have an extra seat and there’s only one way to find out.” Intrigued but in a dress, Erica spent the next 5 minutes chatting with Mike, the instructor, who showed her pictures of his daughter and texts with his wife insuring he was going to be home for dinner and that there was nothing to be afraid of. Slightly more concerned about flashing all of the Tetons for the 2nd time, Tim suggested fashioning her dress into a romper and she signed on the dotted line. Mike escorted Erica to the top of the mountain and the two strapped in for one hell of a ride.

If you have never tried parasailing (on land) it’s incredible. Since I had gone sky diving, I was anticipating a similar experience, a jump, a free fall, a complete fear for dying and then of course the gratitude for landing. I was completely wrong! This is much more euphoric and peaceful. Once the sail lifts you off the ground, you climb higher, move further and just relax and enjoy the view. During my 20+ minute sail, I learned that Mike had actually started as a base jumper. He had made friends with a jumper from red bull who sent him on a few wild rides before he had even learned to sky dive. After sky diving for years, he realized that parasailers had an advantage—once you have the gear all you need is the wind. With sky diving you need a plane, a pilot and the perfect conditions. He had only been keeping record of his sails over the past 3 years but had logged over 3,500 trips from top to bottom. Mike, I think you’ve got the right idea, sailing the open skies is pretty awesome and I will definitely do it again…if the opportunity presents itself.

The bear scare had been enough adrenaline for Tim so he snapped some great photos and met Erica at the bottom. We’d gotten enough excitement out of Teton Village so we opted for the town of Jackson for dinner. The town actually had lots to offer. Photo ops with antler archers, unique bar stools, tons of shops and loads of great restaurants, we could have spent much more time here. We explored for a bit and wandered into Gather for dinner. The elk bolognese was excellent as was the venison and left us just enough room to hit The Million Dollar Cowboy Bar for one last beer (thanks for the tip Eagle). With tons of pool tables and live music, we settled into our saddles at the bar. We decided, while sitting side saddle, that we definitely want to come back to Jackson during ski season to really make a mark on the town and take another sail down the mountain, but this time on skiis.

Jackson Hole Ski Terrain: 50% Advanced/Expert
Best Bar Seat: Cowboy Bar Saddle Stool