The Teton Country: This Side of Paradise

"Good Day" A local carpenter in Victor, Idaho, who was working on a wooden sculpture in his garage greeted me. "Another day in the paradise eh?"

The T.A Moulton Barn at the Mormon Row, one of the most photographed places in the United States

I looked at the mountain behind his house. It was tall, very tall that some of the peaks reached all the way up above the clouds and its slopes were relatively gentle. The surrounding area was indeed, as the carpenter described, a pastoral paradise. Farms stretched out as far as the horizon meets the rolling hills.  Town buildings seemed to be the same as the time when they were first built. The streets were empty, maybe because I was there at nine o'clock in the morning as most of the businesses open its door at ten o'clock sharp.

But it wasn't the paradise I saw only 30 minutes ago, on the other side of the tall, tall peaks.

The Teton Range

On the other side of the tall, tall peaks, the landscape looked very different. The degree of slopes could only be described with the word "dramatic" and the mountains there could only be associated with "being vertical". Pastoral scenes were replaced with wilderness. Cows and other domesticated animals were nowhere to be found. Instead,  one would expect to see wild horses, buffaloes, elks running free under the big sky. 

The Grand Teton

The other side of the tall, tall peaks actually has a name. Grand Teton National Park is named after the iconic Teton Range, which obtained its name from French speaking trappers and explorers in the early days. The Tetons is shortened for  les trois tétons, which literally means "three tits" due to the resemblance of the three Grand Teton peaks and breasts. Somehow the name was passed down generations after generations, and eventually became an American icon.

"The Tit" of the Grand Teton

In fact, Grand Teton over the years has almost equaled itself with being the front cover of Wyoming tourism. Despite the fact that the nearby Yellowstone is more famous and has more visitors, it's always the images of the Grand Teton people are more likely to find on a postcard or one page of an magazine advertising for the state of Wyoming. 

The scenic oxbow bend and Mt. Moran

The History Mormon Row was established by the Mormons during the Mormon's western exodus from Missouri. Some chose to settle near the Tetons while many others kept moving west and eventually reached the Great Salt Lake.

 On the scenic driveways inside the Grand Teton National Park, it was very easy to spot families doing all sorts of activities. There were even designated bike lanes so people could ride a bicycle and enjoy the great sceneries of the Teton Range at the same time. The park did offer many different outdoor opportunities for everyone, from its shinning lakes to the seemingly endless trails within the magnificent mountains. 

Jackson Lake and the Teton Range

Jenny Lake

Grand Teton is blessed with wildlives. The scenes of buffaloes grazing or someone somehow spotting a group of aren't just some legendary explorers' stories, but rather a very common sighting throughout the park. Near the town of Jackson, Wyoming, there is the largest elk refuge in the world created to protect the local wild elk population.The refuge, together with the Grand Teton National Park, have provided not only shelters to wild animal population, but also "a refuge" for human beings who long for returning to the great nature with full of breathtaking scenes and plenty of wildlives you just can't find in big cities.  

Horses and the Grand Teton

Because the elks shed their antlers on an annual basis, a gigantic elk refuge means that there will be a lot of antlers being left on the ground by the elks every single year. In George Washington Memorial Park in Jackson, Wyoming, there are four arches made of elk antlers at each corner of the park. Each year Boy Scouts of America, who were responsible for collecting all the antlers in the refuge as well as the ones used in the constructions of the arches, would auction the antlers and donate 75% of all proceeds into maintaining the research and protection within the National Elk Refuge. 

One of the elk antler arches in Jackson

Jackson, Wyoming is the center of the Teton Country. It's a bustling tourist town with a western root (and a nice ski slope). In the middle of the George Washington Memorial Park, visitors can find Wyoming's famous Bucking Horse and Rider statue, which reflects and celebrates the state's cowboy culture.  One of the town's landmarks is the neon sign atop the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, which was added in 1953 and instantly became a popular object for photography. Jackson was also the first place to be governed by a all-women city council, when most of women elsewhere in the United States couldn't even vote. Today residents of Jackson include Walmart heiress Christy Walton, actor Harrison Ford, and former Vice President Dick Cheney, who was also a native of Wyoming. 

Bucking Horse and Rider, an image you can find on Wymong's license plate

The neon lights of the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar

The Teton Country has constantly reminded us that the reason why it seems to be such an ageless and stunning paradise is not only because of the nature and its creator's wonderful works, but also thanks to the incredible conservation and protection efforts contributed by the American public and government agencies throughout the years. The area's interesting natural and human history is definitely worth seeing regardless where you are traveling from, or how many hours you have to drive from the nearest major cities ( I know it's a long drive).  I sincerely believe the reasons (or should be the reasons) why we all love the notion of paradise are because it exists, and we care about it.

A cabin at the Mormon Row