Day 3 - It's not about the first mile you drive; it's about the last.

A fantastic view of the Wasatch Mountains greeted us as we woke up in Heather's house this morning.  We left South Jordan, UT with a full tank of gas and heading north for the Golden Spike National Monument.

About a half hour's drive off I-15, the transcontinental railway was completed when the final (golden) spike was driven, connecting the western and eastern portions of train tracks.  This opened up a great deal of travel, migration, hunting, transporting, and many other opportunities for a young America.  We talked with the rangers, arriving just in time to see a "re-creation" of the two trains meeting on the tracks.  

For those of you who were following our pre-trip Facebook posts -- namely the discussion string about the sexy-voiced ranger who gave us Yellowstone National Park road updates as we prepared for the trip -- we were committed to getting some park ranger photos!  Not quite the Yellowstone guy, this train-loving guy did thank us for not trying to run across the tracks to beat the train.  (For some reason, this brings to mind the school milk carton saying, "Kayakers sit in their boats - makes good sense!")

We also watched a slightly biased video at the visitors center (your typical 'white man ruined the Indian way of life' thing), which attempted to detail the history of the railroad and the Promontory.  One quote in particular from the video struck us as relevant. When thinking about the accomplishment of building a transcontinental railway, through plains and over mountains, "it's not about the first spike you drive; it's about the last."

We finished our time at the Golden Spike Visitors Center perusing the displays of different golden spikes that have been dedicated to or by different organizations for their impact on the U.S. rail system.  Here's a piece of track, secured with two spikes:

We left the Golden Spike Visitors Center and headed down some gravel roads in search of the Spiral Jetty, a massive public art project, at the edge of the Great Salt Lake.  It's a very big lake.  We had to navigate some cows along the way. 

Emily accused Kristina of mooing, because it really did sound like it was coming from inside the car (although we had the moon roof open).  It wasn't.

The Spiral Jetty was created in 1970, and isn't always visible if the lake level is high.  There's a link on the right hand side of our blog to read a brief description about its creator.  We decided to climb up the hill to get a better view.  Someone made a mini-spiral at the top.  

Then, of course, we had to walk the entire spiral into the center of the jetty.

Kristina prepped our lunch and we were bound for Jackson, WY.  The temperature dropped steadily, as did the cell service.  The snow-capped mountains flanked us for most of our journey into Idaho, and then Wyoming.  About 30 minutes away from our destination, we made a spontaneous stop at a pottery gallery.  

We chatted with one of the owners for about 45 minutes, and each settled on a beautifully hand-crafted mug.  The other pleasant surprise upon walking up to this gallery was a bell to ring...

Flashing back to our post-prom Belmar, NJ trip, we had a good laugh remembering Grateful Ed's, a dilapidated and partially stocked head shop.  When we approached the door, there was a sign:  "Ring bell for Grateful Ed."  Emily rang that bell, and we took the picture with Ed to prove it. 

We were delighted to arrive at the Rustic Inn, a Twin Peaks-esque lodge with a view of nearby melting ski runs.  Formerly the Wagon Wheel Inn, there's also a link on the right side.  It was listed in one of Kristina's roadside attraction books.  The teepee out front was very inviting, after our stay at the Wigwam Motel on the Route 66 journey.  Walking into the town square for dinner, we tried chatting up a handsome stranger.

We asked for some dinner recommendations at the front desk, and settled on The Local, a steakhouse with locally sourced food and also a slammin' two-for-one entree special because we're still in the off-season for tourism in Jackson Hole.  

The coffee-crusted elk medallions were amazing, as was the Mighty Bison Brown Ale.  We were very happy to have a leisurely dinner this time, instead of the rushed (albeit delicious) meal last night in Utah.

The bartender recommended we head over to the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar, so we could literally saddle up to the bar.  It's hard to tell, but Kristina is gripping the saddle horn.  She's doing pretty well for one who has never ridden a horse in her life!

We walked the half mile home from the square and took in the western decor of the town.  Because we're between seasons, it's hard to imagine Jackson Hole packed full of skiers, and then just as equally crowded in the summer months.  While trip planning in this limbo season has been challenging, we've been enjoying the peace and relaxed pace of our stops so far.  We tackle Yellowstone tomorrow, the day we've been hemming and hawing about for weeks, watching the weather closely.  Fingers crossed for well-timed geyser eruptions and clearer skies, even though rain is predicted.