Giving Back to JH

As we anxiously, and not so patiently anymore, await the arrival of summer, we have found many opportunities to stay busy and connected to this wonderful community. Jackson Hole boasts not only a beautiful landscape to call home, but a thriving population of those who like to support it and give back in various ways. We have found some very enjoyable outlets for meeting new people and getting connected to our community.
Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole Community Dinner
Each Wednesday our church sponsors a Community Dinner. We serve between 160-200 meals a night. The dinner is open to the entire community, and is provided free of charge. We have a wonderful group of volunteers that coordinates the entire event each week including:  menu planning, food purchase,food preparation, setting of the dinning room, food service and clean-up. I have been blessed to be a part of this group since February and Ashley has jumped in and joined the crew since she arrived in JH. The kitchen staff has been amazed at her abilities and comfort level in the kitchen - last week Ashley and I were head chefs for a Mexican Fiesta themed evening. Rave reviews, "Best meal to come out of the community kitchen in 9-years," followed the evening. Ashley has been a great addition! She even made the Church Newsletter (picture below) and was highlighted in the Missions Sermon at church.

Our favorite place to be on Wednesday's - the Church Kitchen!

Climb the King

Barry, Ashley and I have enrolled in a local summer-long fundraising opportunity called Climb the King. Participants hike, bike or run (you can probably guess my mode of assent) to the top of Snow King, known as "Town Hill" and collect pledges for each summit. Snow King boasts the steepest elevation gain of any ski resort in North America - therefore earning the name of "The Jackson Hole StairMaster." The climb to the summit is 1,571 feet and 3.6 miles round trip. The event's purpose is twofold: Raise funds to help pay for a new counseling facility and raise awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness. If you are interested in sponsoring us (Team Nelson), or just following our number of summits, check out the website http://climbtheking.org/scoreboard/teams

First summit!

The benefits are great for this fundraising opportunity: raise funds for a great cause, get lots of exercise, enjoy beautiful views from the summit, repeat as often as you wish!

Jackson Hole Bike Week
This event was sponsored by Rocky Mountain Bank and other local organizations. It is absolutely amazing how many people in this town bike - for pleasure, to work, competitively. The ski/snowboard racks that were on top of the cars until last week have been replaced by bikes!
~Run & Ride for a Cure (proceeds to cancer research) - Barry and our neighbor/good friend, Paul Hanson, participated in this fundraising event tied to bike week. Barry ran the 5K leg of the race, and Paul biked the 15K leg. They came in 6th place in their category!
~Walking School Bus - Barry volunteered to walk the elementary children to school in town. Unfortunately the rain kept the kids in their parents' cars for their commute to school.
~Adult Bike Rodeo - We attended the week's conclusion Party hosted by the local Brewpub (naturally) to celebrate Bike Week. It was a beautiful, sunny evening and provided lots of entertainment watching the adult version of a bike rodeo - tricycle races, wheelie contests etc. No doubt, there are plenty of "adult children" in the JH community!

Town Shootout
Okay, this might not be Community Service oriented, but good pictures to include for the support of a fun community event that is held nightly on the Town Square - The Jackson Hole Shootout!

Present day cowboys...not bad!

As you can tell we are continuing to keep busy and are enjoying the many things Jackson Hole has to offer. Derek arrives home today - yippee! And Courtz is arriving on Friday for a long weekend visit. Sure that we will have lots to blog about on our upcoming planned adventures!

Oh yeah, about the summer light switch thing, it may be "on" for good now! Yesterday was 77 and sunny and today is looking to be amazing as well! We will keep or fingers crossed....we are sooooo ready for Summer :)

Signs that summer is here (hopefully):

Finally able to plant or flower pots. Bella likes this :)

The Light Switch

We have drilled many locals about the "interesting weather" patterns of late. They all seem to have the same answer: in Jackson Hole summer arrives as if a light switch were turned on. One day it is winter (oh yeah, they do admit that spring doesn't really exist in these parts) and the next day, "poof" it is a glorious Jackson Hole Summer!

Houston we have a problem.....we had a record breaking winter season with 687 inches of snowfall being recorded at Rendezvous Bowl at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Combined with a cool spring, this has left a snowpack in the mountains of 157" (oh yeah, it is JUNE)! The snow depths are deeper than anything seen in the region in the last 45 years, measuring 311% above normal!

As the doors to the Resort's Aerial Tram slid open on Memorial Day Weekend, a throng of skiers and snowboarders spilled out. This provided for some unintentional comedy - the summer tourists, many in shorts, shivering in the 20 degree temperatures at the top of the tram for some scenic summer pictures,  watched the skiers head off for some backcountry turns! The calendar read May, but the slopes said December. And that made many locals very happy - free lift access (the Tram if free for locals through June 16)!

Needless to say, whoever is in charge of flipping the switch is obviously having a difficult time finding it underneath all of the snow. Yes, they have managed to get a finger on it a few times, we have experienced some beautiful summer-like days over the past few weeks - temperatures soaring into the high 70's and blue-bird skies. Unfortunately haven't had more than three consecutive days of summer yet, but the glimpses we have seen have been AWESOME and we can't wait for summer to be here for good! We have taken full advantage of the beautiful days, and have found ways to enjoy the not so beautiful too - here are some of our latest adventures....

Memorial Day Weekend Celebrations:

Rotary Club 23rd Annual Winefest - THE place to be and be seen! Over 400 wines from around the world! Absolutely fabulous event - lots of wine, friends, good food, wine (oops I said that already) and a great Auction. Barry "won" a round of golf for the family and I won (raffle - so my luck does continues) a case of wine...yippee!

Old West Days Festival Parade

A true old-fashioned Town Parade!

Check out the Memorial Day Weekend clothes the parade-goers are wearing (no shorts or sandals here)!

Wild West Brew Fest - the best way to cure the Winefest hangover! Great regional beers, and many of the same friends from the Winefest.

Wild West Chili Cook-Off

Can you guess the secret ingredients of this chili?

Crawfish Boil - an annual party at our neighbors - they are true southerners, Virgina and Alabama natives. Beautiful weather and delicious food - crawfish and jambalaya!

Keeping busy in and around Jackson Hole with Ashley as we wait for summer to arrive for good!

Ashley & Bella Hiking on Game Creek

B

Bella "cooling off" in the freezing cold water!

Mud season has ended for the most part - just waiting on some leaves on the trees!

Bella and Ashley enjoying the snow on Cache Creek hike!

Hiking Putt-Putt Trail

A not-so-fortunate hiker on the trail

Hiking to the top of High School Butte - Bella thanks Ashley for the adventure!
We made it down just before the storm moved into town.

A beautiful rainbow in our backyard on a rainy Memorial Day

On our way to the top of Snow King Mountain (a.k.a. the Jackson Hole stairmaster)!

The Grand on a glorious, almost summer day!

As you can see we are having plenty of fun and keeping busy as we patiently await summer. We are also anxious to get Derek home from his whirlwind trip through Europe over the past 4 weeks.

Hope that you are having a restful and fun summer. We are looking forward to welcoming many friends and family to "The Hole" over the next few months. It is not too late to book a trip - we'd love to see you out here. I promise we will have had the "Switch" to summer by the time we welcome you!