Postcards

Be sure to bring your mountain flying skills

First things first: The name of the town is Jackson, not Jackson Hole. Valleys were once called holes, and this valley was named after a mountain man named Davey Jackson. Jackson was a rather ambitious mountain man, and worked his way in the 1820s from beaver trapper to corporate mogul for a fur-trading company. For a while it was called Jackson's Hole, but that has shortened over the years to Jackson Hole. So Jackson is the town, and Jackson Hole is the valley. Now you know.

Neither Jackson nor the Indians would stay there in the winter, though, when temperatures reach minus 40 and even minus 60 degrees Fahrenheit. "The Indians didn't ski," explains longtime resident Ron Diener.

The obvious attraction, other than the city itself, is Yellowstone National Park, 60 miles to the north. See elk and bison in their natural habitat by day, and then drive back to Jackson that evening for New Zealand elk and farm-raised bison meat in the Gun Barrel Steak and Game House restaurant. Another popular tourist attraction is the Million Dollar Cowboy Steak House, featuring saddles on the barstools and a knobbled pine interior decorated with Remington and Russel works of art. m Speaking of the airport, when was the last time you went to an uncontrolled airport with a 6,299-foot-long runway? (A control tower is to be built this year.) Be aware that this is the mountain flying your flight instructor warned you about. Spring and summer weather often creates microbursts at the Jackson Hole Airport, bringing brief winds of 60 knots. Having given you that warning, I made several flights there in July and there were no problems with wind shear or microbursts. While the field elevation is 6,445 feet, the mountains — only four miles from the airport — are from 10,400 feet to nearly 14,000 feet high. A good investment before flying there is to buy Sparky Imeson's Mountain Flying, available through pilot supply houses and aviation book companies. An enjoyable flight is through the narrow Snake River Canyon, but pilots are urged to maintain 2,000 ft. agl over most of Teton County, where Jackson is located. Nearly the entire county around Jackson is federal land. The airport is open year-round. You will also want to spend time in beautiful Grand Teton National Park, only 10 miles north of Jackson and two miles from the airport.

Jackson is a ski community in winter, and is served by three ski resorts: Snow King Resort, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (12 miles away in Teton Village), and Grand Targhee Resort in nearby Alta, Wyoming. (The resorts offer summer activities as well.) In summer, Jackson turns into a Wild West attraction, complete with a stagecoach ride and evening shootouts on the town square. Fourth of July fireworks — launched from a mountain — are spectacular, with the blasts echoing a half-dozen times through the surrounding mountains.

Hotel rooms all seem to be about $90 a night, no matter which one you pick, but luxury rooms worthy of the name at the Wyoming Inn start at $189. The Flat Creek Motel north of town, nearest to the Grand Teton National Park, has rooms starting at $88 that are quite comfortable. It is across from, of all things, a flat creek in a meadow that happens to be a national elk refuge. Elk were heard more than seen, and started their natural call — which sounded like a hacking cough. (The best chances of not only hearing them but also seeing them occur in fall.)

The Jackson Lake Lodge is the place to stay in the Grand Teton National Park — when (and if) you can get reservations. Yellowstone has numerous lodges.several flights there in July 1995 and there were no problems with wind shear or microbursts. While the field elevation is 6,445 feet, the mountains — only four miles from the airport — are from 10,400 feet to nearly 14,000 feet high. A good investment before flying there is to buy Sparky Imeson's Mountain Flying, available through pilot supply houses and aviation book companies. An enjoyable flight is through the narrow Snake River Canyon, but pilots are urged to maintain 2,000 feet agl over most of Teton County, where Jackson is located. Nearly the entire county around Jackson is federal land. The airport is open year-round. You will also want to spend time in beautiful Grand Teton National Park, only 10 miles north of Jackson and two miles from the airport.

Jackson is a ski community in winter, and is served by three ski resorts: Snow King Resort, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (12 miles away in Teton Village), and Grand Targhee Resort in nearby Alta, Wyoming. (The resorts offer summer activities as well.) In summer, Jackson turns into a Wild West attraction, complete with a stagecoach ride and evening shootouts on the town square. Fourth of July fireworks — launched from a mountain — are spectacular, with the blasts echoing a half-dozen times through the surrounding mountains.

Hotel rooms all seem to be about $90 a night, no matter which one you pick, but luxury rooms worthy of the name at the Wyoming Inn start at $189. The Flat Creek Motel north of town, nearest to the Grand Teton National Park, has rooms starting at $88 that are quite comfortable. It is across from, of all things, a flat creek in a meadow that happens to be a national elk refuge. Elk were heard more than seen, and started their natural call — which sounded like a hacking cough early in the morning. (The best chances of not only hearing them but also seeing them occur in fall.)

The Jackson Lake Lodge is the place to stay in the Grand Teton National Park — when (and if) you can get reservations. Yellowstone has numerous lodges.

Trying to drive the entire road system, built in a figure eight, is a dawn-to-dusk job. While in Yellowstone, I observed one bear, three elk, three deer, 50 buffalo, 100 fly fishermen, and 1,000 camper trucks — all in their natural habitat.

Grizzly bears number only 300 in the Grand Teton/Yellowstone area, so you aren't likely to meet one. A grizzly who found food left by bicyclists in June 1995 began to associate humans with food and had to be relocated to a remote area after stalking several visitors. A grizzly paw mold made from actual tracks hangs on the wall in Bubba's BBQ restaurant and has two-and-a-half-inch claws. A grizzly came to downtown Jackson for a visit in 1994 and was relocated after pawsing for a newspaper photograph. (Get it? You don't get that kind of humor in other aviation magazines.) Speaking of danger, a few visitors have been gored by buffalo after approaching too closely. They're not as peaceful as they look.

Tour Jackson's 65 art shops, some of them offering $15,000 paintings, and relax afterward over an inexpensive meal at Bubba's (where the locals go).

It is only 65 miles south to Afton, Wyoming, where you can tour the Aviat plant to see how Husky and Pitts aircraft are built. Be sure to visit the CallAir Museum, newly completed with a gift shop. The community is justly proud of the role Afton has played in aviation history. If you should fly down the Snake River Valley to reach Afton, you will undoubtedly see raftloads of tourists getting their $50 introduction to whitewater fun. Afton is in the Star Valley area, yet none who live there can explain why Jackson is in a hole and Afton is in a valley.

To enjoy the area vicariously, send $12 to Yellowstone Journal, Post Office Box 1099, Lander, Wyoming 82520, or call 800/656-8762 or 307/332-2323. See Yellowstone Journal Online at ( www.yellowstonepark.com). The tabloid newspaper is published five times a year. Contact the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce at 307/733-3316 for information on the entire area. For information on Yellowstone lodging and activities, call 307/344-7311. Information on Grand Teton National Park can be obtained by calling 307/739-3399. Jackson Lake Lodge and Colter Bay Village (cabins, tents, and RV parking) can be reached by calling 800/628-9988, 307/543-2811, or 307/543-3100; look for it and other lodges on the Internet ( www.gtlc.com). General information on Jackson is also available ( www.jacksonhole.com). E-mail the author at [email protected].