Brenda Hyde: September 2024

As the day approached for us to travel to Wyoming, our anticipation grew! We hoped that this adventure would start out much smoother than our last.

Friends, PW and his wife PW from our golf club in Florida had invited us to play golf with a group of their friends from another club located in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. It would be challenging; however, the location was fantastic – The Old Baldy Club in Saratoga, Wyoming.

We travelled there with our friends, DM and AM arriving on time and excited to hit the road for Saratoga. DM went to pick up the car and we gathered the luggage.

Our first stop was at the Winter Park ski resort. After riding the gondola up to the top of the mountain, we took in the great view.

A chance to sit in Coca-Cola Polar Bear’s lap rounded out a nice break from riding in the car.

Three hours out of Denver we stopped in Walden, Colorado (the moose viewing capital of Colorado – although we did not see any) for the night and checked into the Antlers Inn.

BUT a problem emerged as we found that one piece of luggage was missing! It was still back in Denver.

AM and I stayed behind in Walden while the guys drove back to Denver......we managed to pass the time in a local bar, The Stockman Bar. At 11:50PM when the guys returned, we were having way too much fun.

Here are a few great shots of trophy animals inside the Antlers Inn.

The next morning after a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon with sausage gravy and biscuits, we headed out. Our destination was Saratoga, Wyoming and the Old Baldy Golf Club.

After PW and his wife PW invited us to Wyoming to play with their friends from New Smyrna Beach, we found out a bit more about this traditional trip. PW and PW had been going on this annual trip to Old Baldy for 15 years. The trip was organized by the past manager of Old Baldy (30 years) who currently lives in New Smyrna Beach. There were 14 couples and almost everyone played golf in a special golf tournament held during this trip to Old Baldy. One night there would be a traditional western cookout by the river and one night was a party.

The Old Baldy Club is a special place in Wyoming. This picture of Old Baldy taken from an airplane shows the sea of sage brush with Old Baldy as an oasis in the middle.

The Old Baldy Club was established in 1962 by George B. Storer, the then President of Storer Broadcasting. George, and his parents, had been long term visitors to the Platte Valley for riding, fishing and limited golf. To expand these opportunities and add shooting plus fine dining and parties, George built the Club overlooking the North Platte River. His vision was to pattern the Club after the Indian Creek Club in Florida.

George substituted the mountains, river, and meadows for the ocean view of Biscayne Bay. To accommodate his friends and their families, a Clubhouse, Lodge, Cottages, Tackle Shop, Golf Shop and Salon were constructed. Club Members were welcome to build homes and non-members can stay at the lodge.

Upon arrival we dropped our luggage in our rooms, met up with 4 more friends from Suntree (PW, PW, LR, and ER) and headed out for 18 holes of golf. WOW! I was in for a shock. I expected difficult golf, but this was much more challenging than I anticipated. Fairways were long, slanted to the left and then to the right. Many tee shots were blind to the hole. Thankfully several of our group had played there before.

Old Baldy is a really beautiful and well manicured course. Although challenging, it was just plain beautiful. Pronghorned antelope roam all over the course. In fact, 3 running pronghorned antelope is the logo for Old Baldy.

On hole three I had my first shot of the actual mountain of Old Baldy. GORGEOUS.

This is a selfie of our Suntree ladies in front of the view of Old Baldy.

That evening we met for dinner with all 28 of the Florida group. It was a very interesting group of people. Hubby D and I immediately made friends with several people.

The next morning, we tore ourselves away from the wood-burning fireplace in our room to head out for a round of golf, guys vs. girls. I am not sure who won, but we really had a great time. The course was just as challenging as it was the first day.

That evening was the traditional Thursday night western barbeque held down by the Platte River. A local band played, and fantastic food was served. It was a great time.

DM and AM looked right at home in their western wear. The following photo is our 8 Suntree golfers and then the whole group by the Platte River.

After dinner, our group of 8 Suntree golfers journeyed on into Saratoga for some fun and dancing at the Rustic Bar.

Our third day of golf was a couple's tournament. Hubby D and I were paired up with a very interesting couple from New Smyrna Beach. We didn't play all that well, but we had a great time.

This evening, we had dinner in the main dining room of Old Baldy. It was lovely and the food was terrific.

The last day of golf our group was all mixed with Suntree and New Smyrna Beach playing together. I have to say I probably played my least good game but again it was great fun. Hubby D played well the entire time. Several times during the round we saw pronghorned antelope crossing the course along with grouse (Wyoming bird) and rabbits.

The gentleman who organized the trip has been doing it for 15+ years. He was also the manager of Old Baldy for 30 years. This year, 2024 happened to be his 60th wedding anniversary so on or last night at Old Baldy we celebrated that significant event. Amazing!

The next morning, DM, AM, Huddy D and myself, all left Wyoming for Jackson Hole, Colorado and the Great Tetons. On our way out of Saratoga DM and AM insisted we stop at a hunting and fishing store. They were right, it was great. I told them it would be a store my grandson, LB and son-in-law, RB would love.

As we approached the hills outside Jackson, we stopped in Dubois for ice cream. The local store owner warned us there was a fire in the hills and the road we needed to travel over through mountains would be closing at 4PM. We rushed to get past the roadblock before the road closed. At the check point we were stopped and then escorted through the pass. At one point fire could be seen 30 feet from the roadway. It was a bit unnerving.

When I sent pictures to our daughter, BHB, she sent me a text that fires are needed, and in fact, necessary to replenish some of the plants. We all found this interesting so we asked "Mr. Google" about it. She was right. Fire opens up pine cones and spreads seeds. It is especially important for Aspens.

After checking into our hotel in Jackson Hole, we headed downtown to the famous Cowboy Bar. I was able to claim a seat at the bar on a saddle. What fun!

The next morning, we headed out to explore and hike the Great Tetons. You need to see these mountains. The grandeur cannot be explained by words.

There is a lot of information about the Tetons online. The "Teton Range" is a mountain range and part of the Rocky Mountains. It extends for approximately 40 miles (64 km) in a north–south direction through the U.S. state of Wyoming, east of the Idaho state line. It is south of Yellowstone National Park, and most of the east side of the range is within Grand Teton National Park.

One theory says the early French voyageurs named the range les trois tétons ("the three nipples") after the breast-like shapes of its peaks. Another theory says the range is named for the Teton Sioux (from Thítȟuŋwaŋ), also known as the Lakota people. It is likely that the local Shoshone people once called the whole range Teewinot, meaning "many pinnacles".

I am sure of one thing -- they are BEAUTIFUL!

However as I looked at them, I could not stop asking myself, "How were they formed?"

Between six and nine million years ago, stretching and thinning of the Earth's crust caused movement along the Teton fault. The west block along the fault line rose to form the Teton Range, creating the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains. The fault's east block fell to form the valley called Jackson Hole.

One reason the Teton Range is famous is because of the dramatic elevation profile visible from the eastern side, which rises sharply from 4,000 to 7,000 feet (1,200–2,100 m) above the valley floor. Unlike most mountain ranges, the east side of the Teton Range lacks significant foothills or lower peaks which might obscure the view. This is due to the presence of the Teton Fault at the base of the east slope as well as the range being too young to have eroded into soft hills. The Snake River flows southward through the valley before turning to the west and entering Idaho.

Movement of the Earth's crust and glaciers help form the mountains.

While we were exploring the mountains we took a short hike around a lake and explored the area.

After our journey around the lake, we ended up in Deadman's Bar. What a hoot!

On the way home we passed a herd of bison. They are huge.

All around the Tetons there were breathtaking vistas and amazing rock formations. Here is a great picture of DM and AM at one lookout point.

That evening we dined at the Cowboy Bar Grill. On the way to the restaurant Hubby D and I passed a gallery of the most beautiful photos. I almost talked him into buying one.... but not quite. There were many great galleries and beautiful works of art in Jackson Hole.

The next day we took the Tram to the top of the ski lift area of Jackson Hole. When the Tram first started up the mountain, I was regretting the ride. I am a bit uncomfortable of heights and this ride was HIGH! It was steep and it was long AND MOST OF THE WAY I KEPT MY EYES CLOSED. However, after getting to the top, I was glad I took the ride. It was worth it.

Later that day, on our way out of the Tetons heading to Yellowstone, we passed the bison again. This time, one of them ran right in front of a line of cars stopped to watch them.

We arrived in Yellowstone Park in time to watch Old Faithful erupt and visit the Old Faithful Inn.

After the eruption,we hiked the path around the geyser. There were steaming vents all over the ground.

When I looked at these vents and the steam rising from within the Earth, I was amazed and puzzled. how did this happen?

In the park the geysers are referred to as thermal features. Yellowstone National Park’s thermal features can be seen as the product of millions of years of geology at work. Much of Yellowstone sits inside an ancient volcanic caldera (the exploded crater of a volcano). The last major caldera forming eruption occurred 600,000 years ago. For hundreds of thousands of years following that, subsequent lava flows slowly filled in most of the caldera. Even now, in some places, nearly molten rock resides as little as 2-5 miles below the surface.

Heat from the volcanic activity makes its presence known by heating ground water and creating the thermal features we saw. The four basic types of thermal features present in the Park are geysers, hot springs, fumaroles, and mudpots. Many of these are concentrated in Yellowstone’s major geyser basins.

We were fortunate to be at Old Faithful on that specific day as the photographer, David William Peterson was there signing his books. I bought 2 amazing prints and a book.

We also went into the bar at the Old Faithful Inn and had some refreshments. It was a very impressive building.

A national historic landmark, Old Faithful Inn is the most requested lodging facility in Yellowstone park. Designed by Robert Reamer and built in 1903-1904 with local logs and stone, the inn is considered the largest log structure in the world.

Inside the Old Faithful Inn bar, the Bear Trap, they had some very interesting beers on tap.

After that we went off in search of the cabin we had rented for our stay in Yellowstone.

Along the way, we passed a singular bison just strolling down the road. I have also posted a video here. If you are reading this in an email, you will need to go to my online blog page to see the video.

The next morning, we headed out to visit the Grand Prismatic Spring and view some hydrothermal features. Steam vents and geysers seemed to be all over in Yellowstone and because it was a cool morning, there was a lot of steam coming up from the ground.

We were greeted with clouds of steam at the Grand Prismatic Spring.

After the Grand Prismatic Spring we hiked an area named the Mud Volcano. Mud Geyser was the star attraction of the Mud Volcano Area when first seen by members of the Washburn Expedition of 1870. They described it as "a boiling spring, a placid pond, a deep dry funnel or an active geyser according to the time of one's visit." At that time, muddy water would explode 50 feet (17 m) into the air every few hours.

The geyser died in the 20th century, its plumbing clogged with mud and gravel. In 1993, soil temperatures skyrocketed for unknown reasons and trees began dying around the geyser's south rim. By January 1995, a new feature on the south bank of Mud Geyser had burst onto the scene. Steam vents and shallow pools sizzled. In 1999, mudpots formed and then exploded, leaving a deep hole with more sizzling features and mud.

Driving from one waterfall to another we came upon an "historical marker" describing the building of the road through Yellowston in 1928. Only 763 cars drove the park in the summer. in 1996 6689 drove the park in July. I can't imagine what that number is now. The same road and same stone walls are still in place today.

Our travels took us on a hike to the brink of the lower waterfall. The view was unbelievable.

On Friday morning we headed back to Jackson Hole. This happened to be DM's 65th birthday. As fate would have it, we passed by "Dave's Pubb".....but it was too early and they were not open.

We had another great dinner and a celebration for DM's birthday as we ended another great day in Jackson Hole.

The next morning, DM and AM headed out early. Later as Hubby D and I headed to the airport the Tetons were shrouded in clouds. Finally, they started clearing and we had one last awesome view of Mother Nature's creation from the window on the plane.