Skip to main content

Wild Wyoming - Star Valley

We had a great family vacation in Jackson, Wyoming. The weather was perfect, the mountains majestic, and we enjoyed relaxing together (most of the time).

On our first day, we drove from Jackson to my high school stomping grounds, Afton. The boys did baptisms in the temple while I took Makayla and Sean to a doctor's appointment next door (strep on the first day of vacation—phooey!).

The new temple is pretty. We had fun taking pictures while we waited for the boys. Gavin isn’t a bad photographer if we can get him to stop taking selfies.












We tried to get some good pictures with Andrew and Ricky. I know Ricky isn’t the only teen determined to mess up nice family pics with giddy faces, but it’s kind of annoying.


After the temple, the boys changed clothes in our roomy rented Suburban and we drove up Swift Creek Canyon (in Star Valley vernacular this is pronounced Swift Crik—makes sense if you want vowel sounds to match, but most of their creeks are criks). 

The Intermittent Springs hike is probably the most popular hike in the valley. It’s beautiful.





















After our visit to the canyon, we went to Star Valley Chocolates. I don’t have pictures, but the couple that runs the place moved there in 1997–just as my family was leaving. They spend their winters with grandkids in England and their summers in Star Valley. It’s a cute little shop and the owners spoiled our kids with free samples. They were super nice to us—especially considering we walked into the shop 10 minutes before closing. 

We picked up antibiotics at Broulim’s which used to be Family Thriftway. Now that Nield’s Market has closed down, Broulim’s is the only decent size grocery store in town. I used to work at Nield’s as a checker and deli worker, so I was sad to see the building vacant. 

For dinner, we went to the Red Baron Drive In. I had been on a few dates there back in the day. The place is the same as it was 20 years ago, and my date this time was adorable—triple chins included.

But seriously, the framed sayings in the booths are pretty funny. 
We had a great first day and now that we have been home almost two weeks, I think I can safely say it might have been my favorite day of the whole trip. I had forgotten all the things I loved about Afton when I lived there. The people are friendly, there are cool places to see, and the slow pace is endearing. Granted, to a teenager, it sometimes felt confining and “judgey” (most of the people that live there are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). But looking back, I think I might have been the judgey one—overthinking what people were thinking about me and my family. A lot of teens can be jerks, and a confined environment with little else but nature to entertain can cause problems.

But as we drove out of Alpine on our way back to our little condo in Teton Village, I remembered a lot of the good things about Star Valley. Without knowing my thoughts, my family said all the things I was thinking—how pretty the mountains were, how nice the people were, and that Star Valley just had a special feeling. They nearly convinced me that a summer home in Star Valley would be perfect (but only a summer home because I would not willingly submit myself to another Wyoming winter). 

And, we saw a moose on our way home. How cute is that?



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

That Sinking Feeling - Real Talk From Your Mother

Also found at Letters from the Nest:   https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/that-sinking-feeling?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web Dear Nestlings, I hope you don’t mind a little stream-of-consciousness letter today. I don’t know if I have anything specific to share, so let’s see what floats to the surface. It’s a bright fall Friday morning. These last few weeks in central Pennsylvania have been lovely, sunny, and warm. I know winter is coming, so I try to be outside as much as possible to take advantage of the sun before it hibernates. I just completed the forty-minute round trip to drive one of you to the high school. You know who you are, but maybe in a few years, when you read this, you won’t know because every one of you has missed the bus sometimes and has endured lectures about planning better and showing your respect for my work by not requiring forty minutes of my life for your convenience. Anyway, everybody is at school and work except...
Post a Comment
Read more

Gavin in a Million Words or Less

 Way back when Emily was in 6th grade, her teacher, Ms. Grey, asked parents to write about thier children in a million words or less. I posted what I wrote about Emily on our blog. I wish I were more organized and tech-savvy to find the link to that post and put it here, but I'm not. It's a nice idea that maybe I'll do later. Anyway, you get to read what I wrote to Gavin's fifth grade teacher who made the same requests of parents: Gavin is the youngest of seven children. His three oldest siblings have flown the nest, so he talks to them on the phone and looks forward to holiday visits. This summer, his oldest sister had a baby, so he’s an Uncle! He has three older brothers, who sometimes make life tricky for him, but are also sources of wisdom, rides to the store to get candy, and annoying TikTok phrases. He sometimes wants to be more grown up than he actually is. This little guy is academically oriented. He loves to read BIG books. He rarely reads a standalone nove...
Post a Comment
Read more

Back To School Meanies

 Letter From the Nest August 15, 2025 https://open.substack.com/pub/lettersfromthenest/p/back-to-school?r=48qui&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web One August, more than twenty years ago, at an evening book club discussion, my “older” friends (now I look back and know those women were the age I am now), were discussing the woes and triumphs of back-to-school season. One woman was anticipating her youngest child’s senior year of high school. She said, “For more than two decades, our lives have revolved around the school district’s academic calendar. I don’t know how I will plan my life without knowing about school breaks or holidays.” I remember her bittersweet tone as she anticipated freedom from school schedule constraints but also mourned how those constraints guided her choices. What would she do? Other women joined the discussion, wondering if their kids would have good teachers, if they’d be able to balance volunteering in the classroom, how to streamline school supply pu...
Post a Comment
Read more