Certainly not a perfect picture, but this one comes from my road trip files as seen first-hand just outside of the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. There was something about the way the ice sat on top of the plants that enchanted me. Obviously I didn’t get many a pleasure or chance to see snow and ice back then, but the times have definitely changed. I’ll be seeing snow, ice and feeling a lot of cold over the next couple of months up here in the northeast, so it probably won’t fancy me as much in another couple of weeks.
U.S. National Parks from Coast to Coast
Perhaps this site has made the Gadling pages before, but at the same time I’m willing to bet we’ve somehow managed to look over this fine jewel packed with National Park info. A buddy of mine who happens to be good pals with one of the creators of the USA-C2C venture pointed it out to me a few days back and after accessing the very thorough and detailed information, I must recommend that anyone with an interest in National Parks bookmark this page – NOW. Having toured almost all of the 358 National Parks, National Historic Site, National Battlefield Park, National Battlefield and National Monument officially recognized by the National Park Foundation within the United States, Michael and Gabrielle have created a highly dynamic ranking system for each, all on one site. (Very easy to navigate through as well.) The park museums, ease of access, ranger to tourist ratio, and park facilities are all critiqued for each and every park including anything else imaginable. I look at the amount of work placed into this project and I am baffled. With around 29 more parks left, once this project is fully finished I’m sure it is going to spread like wildfire. Maybe we’ll get lucky enough to see it in a paper / book version perfect for the backpack on long summer or fall road trips.
Shogun Sushi
Almost everywhere I turned in Jackson, WY I had someone tossing out a restaurant recommendation or two. This absolutely delighted me, however it is during these times when everyone wants to provide you with the most delicious dish on the most delicious dish, that you aren’t quite ready to saddle up and dig right in because your taste buds are craving something totally different. For instance, while walking around the Old Faithful gift shop trying to kill time before the big geyser blew, the manager heard my partner and me talking about where we should dine. Being as helpful as can be, he suggested we go to the nearby lodge that made an amazing bison burger or something. My stomach immediately felt heavy. As much as I like red meats I was in no mood for anything that could be the size of a small dinosaur. I wanted some lighter international fare which leads me to the moment I actually had the chance to nab some in Jackson.
It was the day after our big adventures in the park that we walked into Shogun Sushi. For the most part Shogun Sushi wasn’t knock-your-socks-off sushi, but it was decent. I ordered spicy hamachi maka and my pal had an order of shrimp tempura. I enjoyed my dish, but my friend found his only to be okay. Both of us each had a side of tasty plain inari. At Shogun Sushi they offer stuffed inari with items like crab, tuna, etc. It’s a bit unusual, but our super friendly waiter said it sales. The food was only slightly expensive considering everything in the mountains is slightly expensive, but it is certainly worth stopping in if your belly isn’t ready for bison burger.
Shogun Sushi is located at 265 W. Broadway, Jackson, WY. Ph. 307.733.9168. Lunch and Dinner 7 days a week. M-F 11 AM- 11 PM and Sat-Sun 5 PM to 11 PM. Take out or delivery.
On the Road: Yellowstone Report
Yesterday while Erik was busy typing up this great summary of National Parks to check out during winter, I was more than likely uploading my very own photos from America’s most well-known park – Yellowstone. I’m no National park geek, but having done several over the last two weeks it is pushing me to want to see them all. Yes, I’m finally beginning to understand the beauty and wonder Erik has so often mentioned in his park promoting. Anyhow, I won’t go largely into detail here on my day parading around the park snapping photo after photo of falls, wildlife, geysers and frozen snowy plant life. For the most part I found visiting Yellowstone at this time of year chilly, but incredibly awe-inspiring.
During the summer I’m told about 97% of Yellowstone’s annual visitors flood the park making major attractions like Old Faithful extremely difficult to view. On the flipside, I hadn’t one problem clearly seeing the geyser push 3,000 to 4,000 gallons of water from the Earth’s core into the air. I stood there waiting with numb finger tips and the wind ripping through my jacket joined by about 30 other people (nothing in comparison to the 25,000 who may show up during summer) who shivered and wished for the show to begin so we could all retreat back into our warm vehicles. Once Old Faithful had done it’s thing I took off and started heading back into Jackson wishing I had more time to see all the geysers and all the park had to offer. The park rangers noted too much interest is invested in Old Faithful and that Yellowstone has much, much more to offer visitors who place loads of time into their stay. Loads of time is exactly what I did not have, sadly. In addition to lack of time, we found several roads were a bit too icy for our vehicle (unequipped with snow tires) to travel down safely or during late night hours with all sorts of wildlife all over the place. In brief, Yellowstone is an awesome choice for winter if you can stand the cold temps, but after looking at Erik’s piece, I’d have to say some of the other parks could very well give Yellowstone and her Old Faithful a run for their money.
Photo of the Day (9/27/06)
Today we go to carlhancock for our POTD. Taken in Wyoming at the Grand Teton National Park this shot feels as if you’re just a few miles from the base of the mountain and is simply amazing. Don’t know whether this was taken through Photoshop or not, but either way the colors are absolutely eye-popping and pull you in. I’ve always found it hard to tell with certain pictures. Anyhow, I’m very surprised we never picked this before now, but I’m hoping to see more of Carl Hancock’s photography in the Gadling Flickr pool.