Jackson Hole, named for its placement down in the valley of the Teton range, was our last stop on our trip, and a good one!

Known for its quaint downtown, as well as its many outdoor offerings, there was no shortage of things for us to do.

On our first morning, we decided to take the kiddos to Snow King mountain. We’d heard about an alpine slide there that sounded fun, and were surprised to find they also had a mountain coaster, a bungee trampoline, a treetop obstacle course and mini golf. While this might not be most people’s first stop in Jackson, our kids were in heaven.

Claire was old enough to operate the coaster by herself. She took it at its highest speed, and we could hear her squeals echo from top to bottom. Elizabeth rode with me, and I thought I’d have it easy, but she wanted to take it as fast as it would go, too! Andrew, who naturally does just about everything at maximum speed, never even considered putting on the brakes, and Peter was along for the ride whether he liked it or not.

We spent most of the day there. Claire, who was the only one old enough to do the treetop adventure, showed how brave and agile she could be, while Elizabeth and Peter reveled in turning backflips on the bungee trampoline. After so much regimented time in the car and being on their best behavior, this was just what they needed.

The lodge where we stayed had an awesome pool, and the afternoon was spent there. Peter’s floatie came off here for his first swim lessons with mom, and he was overjoyed to be free of it.

That night, we headed to a great little Mexican restaurant called Hatch, where we finally felt we were all fully in vacation mode. Jackson Hole is so relaxed, and while there were a few things we wanted to see while we were there, we were truly free to make the time whatever we wanted, as nothing was scheduled.

Before the night’s end, Andrew took Peter back to Snow King for one last Alpine Slide, and I took the girls for dessert at our hotel, where we giggled about 2nd grade and kindergarten crushes. It was too sweet.

For the first time on our entire trip, the kids went directly to sleep in the hotel room – no callbacks, no stealing of covers or elbowing anyone. Andrew and I celebrated by having a glass of wine a couple doors down from our room on the 3rd floor lobby.

The next morning, we ventured in to Grand Teton National Park. Despite the holiday weekend, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as Yellowstone. None of us had enough energy to muster the excitement or enthusiasm Teton deserved. It is such a beautiful place, and so stunning the way the mountains rise suddenly out of the valley, but even Andrew and I weren’t quite up for a hike, and our kids were beginning to look like zombies as they stared out at the mountains.

We decided to go for a drive, get the Junior Ranger books, and sit by Jenny Lake. It was a pleasant way to spend the morning without rush, and we were even lucky enough to see a young black bear cross the road about twenty feet from our car.

We went to town for lunch at an amazing little gem named Persephone, where the kids played bocce ball while we waited for our food.

The Barrets, who hosted us in San Francisco, have a home in Jackson and invited us over to play and have dinner that afternoon. Our children were thrilled to see their boys and have space to run and play with no restraints. It was a lovely way to spend the evening, and we were so touched by Phil and Vicky’s offer to host us yet again.

After dinner, from their deck, we saw a coyote hunting for a duck that he just barely missed, and although moose frequent their property (a nuisance more often than not), none made an appearance while we were there.

On the Fourth of July, we were all up early, excited for Jackson Hole’s parade, and it truly may have been the highlight of our time there. The day was rainy at first, but that didn’t keep the crowds away. We found a place to perch on Broadway, and as the cavalry came to start the parade, everyone cheered. Float upon float followed, each one filled with candy-tossers.

Claire was the designated candy-grabber for the siblings, but Peter and Elizabeth made a pretty good haul of their own, and by the end of the parade, they’d received a beach ball, a tote bag, a t-shirt, three ice cream sandwiches, at least a pound of candy and an ear of corn.

When we left, Claire said, “I’m pretty sure this is the best Fourth of July I’ll EVER have!” And she may be right.

We made a picnic near a playground with sandwiches from Pearl Street Market, and the kids ran off all the sugar they’d ingested.

That afternoon, I checked out the shops in the square and went in for one last cup of tea at Persephone, while Andrew took the kids to the pool. I am an introvert, and I’m critically low on alone time right now, so the time I had to myself that afternoon was a treasure.

We closed out the day at the top of a mountain (from a ski lift, not a hike) with a view of the Tetons, the Snake River and the valley, below. After one more dinner in Jackson, this time at delicious Cafe Genevieve, we went back to the hotel to start packing.

We missed a few things in Jackson Hole, especially the rodeo (too late for us) and the fireworks (didn’t start until 10 pm – although Andrew and I had an amazing view of them from the hotel room window). All the more reason to plan a return trip.

Originally, we were supposed to leave Jackson Hole on the 4th, but we were having so much fun that we extended by a day, making our plan to travel back to Nashville a little more complicated.

I was slated to fly out of Salt Lake City with the kids on the 6th, the same day Andrew was to depart Denver for the drive home. Originally, he was going to spend one night with us in Salt Lake, but if he drove us there on the 5th, that would make his total drive time to Denver twelve hours long.

So, on the fifth, in Jackson Hole, I packed the kids up in a tiny rental car headed for Salt Lake City while Andrew and Bessie started driving east. One of his best friends from childhood, and a faithful one for sure, would meet him in Denver for the long ride home.