Let It Snow!

Let It Snow!

By Susan Traylor Lykes

Photo by Susan Lykes

Now that the Snow Gods have started to bless the Tetons, it’s nice to see a lot more smiles around town. Clearly, there are a lot of folks around here whose home element is snow.

If you decide you need an activity or two away from the ski hill, though, here are my suggestions:

Ralph Mossman and Mary Mullaney, the excellent artists of Heron Glass in Driggs, are offering glass blowing classes this winter and spring. Beginner classes are offered on February 20 and 21, though they have reportedly filled up quickly. If you have a little experience with glass and want to improve your skills under the tutelage of the pros, there will be a five-day class in late May or early June. I took one of Heron’s beginner classes some years ago and loved it; my husband Mayo and I still use the glasses we made. Contact Ralph and Mary if you want to get on the waiting list for the February classes, or for more information about the spring class. www.heronglass.com or info@heronglass.com

If you'd like to strap some skis on your feet but would enjoy a little different experience, there's fantastic touring right now in Grand Teton National Park. From the Granite Canyon trailhead, you can head west out to the Valley Trail for an undulating tour along the base of the mountains (though there is little traffic on the Valley Trail to the south of the Granite Canyon junction, so you may find yourself breaking some trail). Or start up the closed road to Phelps Lake. A Phelps Lake circumnavigation makes for a stunning outing that can stretch up to a half day, depending upon your slack factor. Of course, you can also head up to Taggart Lake for the ski up the groomed road. But don’t forget the skier-laid track that leaves the park road to the west just before the Cottonwood Creek bridge. The track takes you up to Jenny Lake via a more remote, less populated route. (Remember that dogs are not allowed off of the park road, so these are dog-free tours.)

Now for a “My Favorite Merchant” plug: If you are heading through Victor about lunchtime, or first thing in the morning on your way to a backcountry tour, be sure to stop at the Fresh Cut Deli on Main Street. Derek stocks a wide variety of Boar’s Head meats and cheeses and cuts your cuts to order. The best, though, are the fresh rolls and subs that Derek makes daily. Not too much bread, not too little, and very, very fresh— they make fantastic sandwiches that hold up to a morning in your backpack.

Enjoy!

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About This Blog

Michael McCoy

Editor Michael McCoy is a native Wyomingite who, through no choice of his own, moved to Iowa (“the third greatest state in the nation,” he says) when he was only a few weeks old. After high school graduation, he beelined it back to the University of Wyoming, where he earned a degree in Anthropology and the nickname of “Mac.” In addition to his Teton-area editorial duties, Mac works for the Missoula, Montana-based Adventure Cycling Association and writes freelance articles and books about the outdoors. “But that’s enough about me,” he says. “This blog is about you. I will prime the pump with an entry now and then--but ultimately, we hope it will be our readers, both locals and out-of-staters, who keep the streams of conversation flowing.”

Contributing blogger Susan Traylor Lykes was born and raised in the Denver area, a third-generation Coloradan. She spent much of her childhood in the mountains, and took up fly fishing at the tender age of ten, wielding her grandfather’s old bamboo rod and Pflueger reel. After graduating from the University of Vermont, Susan earned a master's degree in Town Planning from the University of Montana. For the past decade, she has focused on nonprofit land conservation and land use, serving on the boards of the Land Trust Alliance, the Teton Regional Land Trust, and the Orton Family Foundation.
Susan and her husband, Mayo, call both sides of the Tetons home. They are enthusiastic travelers and outdoorsmen — hiking, skiing, fly fishing, and bird hunting.

Contributing blogger Jeanne Anderson is a Cheyenne native and graduate of the University of Wyoming who has spent the last 25 years as a writer, PR consultant, columnist, and editor. Her passions include hiking, cooking reading, traveling, community, and creativity (she’s in her third term on the Idaho Commission on the Arts). She credits her broad practical streak to her parents, who started the first travel agency in the Cowboy State—from them she learned “every bathroom in the world is down the hall and to the left.” Jeanne and her husband Peter started Dark Horse Books in Driggs in 1995; their two-year experiment lasted 14 years. Now out from behind the bookstore counter, she’s looking forward to many new adventures.