I will preface this blog post with, this post will be a little more self centered than most. This is more of a diary entry, more of my introspective story. This one will tell you some tips and tricks, but not many. This one is more about me, about my self discovery, my new found freedom, my new found life. So if you want all the deets on me, keep reading. If you want some links to great food and tours, keep reading. Or if you just want to read, keep reading.
As I sat in my Uber, leaving Jackson Hole airport and watching the sun sink behind the mountains of Jackson, Wyoming, it hit me—this was my first solo trip after leaving my husband, a bold journey marking my 46th birthday and my new found freedom. I felt a strange combination of exhilaration and serenity, knowing I was stepping into something new. Something just for me.
Day 1: A Sunset Welcome
Leaving home behind at 0618, I arrived in Jackson just in time to catch the sunset. My Uber driver was a gem. He took the scenic route through downtown Jackson, pointing out the town’s highlights before dropping me off at Cache House, where I’d be staying for a few nights.
After checking in, I headed to Kalu, a restaurant with views that felt almost spiritual, seated right across from a beautiful church. I treated myself to a delicious dinner, did some window shopping, and finally wound down with a hot shower, ready for the days ahead. While window shopping, I found a ring, at JC Jewelers that I knew I had to have; I had no idea just how special the ring would become after the trip though.
Day 2: Exploring Jackson Hole
The next morning, I started my day at Cowboy Coffee with a veggie burrito—no eggs, no cheese. It was the perfect start for a day full of adventure. Lunch was at Merry Piglets, where the spicy margaritas paired perfectly with a bean crisp and guacamole. I savored every bite as if it was the only thing that mattered in the world. I also enjoyed wine tasting downtown at Jackson Hole Winery, where the Old Faithful Brut was my favorite pick.
After the winery, I went back to JC Jewelers and placed my order for my custom made ring. It is a stack of three rings; the bottom ring is a simple band of blue diamonds, the second band is a gold band of the Grand Teton Mountains in a hammered texture and the top band is a band of white diamonds to represent the snow and stars on top of the Tetons. I also added a diamond on the top of the top band to represent the full moon. I have a very important person that I needed to represent and see on my hand everyday. We speak through the moon even when we are miles apart and it is an important part of our relationship. The photo below is a photo of the ring mockup before I added the customization of the moon.
That evening, I went on a sunset wildlife tour with Eco Tour Adventures. We saw a moose, elk, and pronghorn. As I watched the wildlife move through their natural habitat, I couldn’t help but feel a deep connection to my own journey. It was as if the animals understood freedom better than anyone, moving instinctively and unapologetically through life.
Day 3: Grand Teton National Park
The next morning, another early wake up with breakfast at Cowboy Coffee. It is the only place to get breakfast and coffee at 0600. Another Veggie burrito 86ed the cheese and egg. Today was my 46th birthday, so I wanted to make sure my day was exactly the way I wanted it to be. I booked a full day tour of Grand Teton National Park with Yellowstone Day Tours.
Schwabacher’s Landing Trail offered stunning reflections of the mountains on the river, and a boat ride to Hidden Falls at Jenny Lake revealed a hidden world of cascading water at Hidden Falls and rugged beauty at Inspiration Point. We also visited Mormon Row, the Chapel of the Transfiguration, Jackson Lake Lodge and its infamous Pioneer Grill bar top and Oxbow bend.
My tour guide was Ben and it was a truly fabulous way to spend my birthday. Ben and I will be lifelong friends for sure. Later in the trip, there was a point, that him and some other travelers even brought tears to my eyes!
I went back to Cache House for a shower and to get dressed up for my night out. That evening, I did some restaurant hopping; First I went to Merry Piglets for an appetizer and drinks, then I indulged at Hatch for dinner and drinks and then grabbed a snack and drinks at Jackson Drug. I had spent the day hiking and exploring, but in between, I found time to stroll through town, shop, and just enjoy the small moments of being by myself.
After my food and shopping stroll, I came back to Cache House and re-showered, charged camera batteries and got repacked to begin my G Adventures tour the next morning. I also contacted my Uber Driver to pick me up the next morning to take me to the meet up point to meet my tour group.
Day 4: Meeting G Adventures Tour Group
On Day 4, I woke up at 0330 and went for a walk through town. Of course I had my normal breakfast at Cowboy Coffee at 0600. I met my G Adventures tour group for the Yellowstone Camping Explorer at 0800, a lively bunch who’d be with me as we ventured into Yellowstone National Park. Our first stop was at Albertsons to get our groceries for the week. We drove through Grand Teton National Park, where we spotted elk, bison, white pelicans and even a mama moose with her baby.
Arriving at Old Faithful at 1330 was like watching history unfold in front of me. We explored the boardwalks and admired the geothermal wonders of the park. We were fortunate enough to be able to see Old Faithful erupt twice before we headed to the boardwalk at Fountain Paint Pots before heading to West Yellowstone, Wyoming to Madison Arm Resort for camping.
When we arrived to the campground, we unloaded the van and trailer, set up camp, made dinner, and started a campfire.
That night, as I watched the sunset over the lake, I reflected on how far I’d come. I was here, halfway across the country, making new memories on my terms.
Day 5: Yellowstone National Park
I woke up at 0400. This trip and since leaving my husband, this was typical, as I had not been taking any sleeping medicine due to an incident that happened post move out from my ex’s house and fear for my safety. This was ok, I had been enjoying my peaceful alone time watching sunrises and quiet time alone in the mornings.
This day we were on the road by 0700. We entered Yellowstone National Park and stopped at Canyon Village for a restroom break before hitting the Mt Washburn Trail at around 0900. It rained on us and was quite windy at times. We were still able to spot marmot, pika, bighorn lamb, bighorn ram, pronghorn, and chipmunks.
When we got to the summit, we ate our lunch, luckily there is a building that we were able to go in to escape the rain and enjoy lunch, because the rain started to come down harder. We waited it out for the rain to slow and then headed back down the mountain. Once down, we headed over to Canyon Village to regroup at around 1300.
We visited the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone, Artist Pointe, South Rim Trail, Upper Falls, Brink of Lower Falls, and Grand Prismatic.
After exploring Yellowstone, we drove back into West Yellowstone and ate at The Buffalo Bar. I had a few Palomas, Buffalo Cauliflower and Bean Tacos. Then we headed back to the campground to shower and settled in for the evening. This evening was a rough evening for me, I had a night full of back spasms and had to resort to muscle relaxers just to be able to lay on my camping mat. Eventually I was able to drift off to sleep.
Day 6: Yellowstone National Park
I thought I might sleep a little since I had to take a muscle relaxer, but I was up by 0330 to watch the sunrise. We left camp by 0700. Our first stop was Tower Falls. Then we went to Lamar’s Valley Wildlife viewing. We saw Pronghorn, Elk, Ground squirrels. Then we headed to Trout Lake for a short hike.
We drove to Slough Creek Campground and had our picnic lunch on the creek. After lunch, we went to Mammoth Wyoming Hot Springs. We drove to the top of the terraces and hiked down. Our tour guide met us at the bottom with the van.
Then we went to Norris Geyser basin. Once we finished there, we went back to camp, cooked dinner. We were rushed to get dinner cleaned up as a storm quickly blew in. The wind was blowing so strong I thought my tent was going to take flight.
Day 7: Headed from West Yellowstone back into Jackson
We woke up and tore down camp, cooked breakfast. After breakfast a juvenile bald eagle flew right in to the campground.
We loaded up the van and trailer and hit the road by 0800. As we were driving through Yellowstone, we saw 2 juvenile coyotes cross the road and run across a field. We stopped at Fairy Falls to see Grand Prismatic from above; it was about a 2-mile hike.
On the drive, we passed the Continental Divide and Duck Lake. We passed by West Thumb at Yellowstone Lake, the largest lake in the park. I didn’t realize how close the north side of Grand Teton National Park is to Yellowstone National Park.
We headed to Coulter Bay in Grand Teton National Park for a picnic there at Jackson Lake. After lunch, we stopped at a viewpoint and then headed to Mormon Row. Before heading to our campground in Jackson, we stopped at a sandwich shop to place a sandwich order for the following day’s lunch order.
Once we arrived to the campground, Snake River Cabins and RV Village, we unloaded the van and trailer, set up tents, cooked tacos for dinner and then cleaned up.
Day 8: Grand Teton National Park
This morning was an even earlier wake up than usual; 0240 on this particular day. I was able to walk down to the river and catch the Milky Way on my cell phone.
Once everyone else was up, we had breakfast and loaded up in the van around 0700 to head to the Jenny Lake Trailhead. The hike that was planned I had already done on my birthday, so I hiked onn my own and am so glad I did. As I was rounding a corner, I saw some rustling in the bushes and honestly thought it was a deer, so I backed up to see and low and behold a beautiful black bear walks out right in front of me.
Luckily there was another hiker near by, not from my group, but she donned her bear spray so I was able to keep taking photos of the bear, while she was keep us safe. We had backed up to a safe distance, but still wanted the bear spray just in case; remember these are wild animals and we are in there homes. We have to respect that.
I hiked two miles from the boat dock to the other side, and then up to Inspiration Point, and into Cascade Canyon. I ended up hiking about 6 miles on this trail. Along the way, many hikers mentioned moose sightings in Cascade Canyon, but unfortunately, I didn’t spot any.
On my way back down, I stopped for lunch at Inspiration Point, where a cheeky chipmunk decided to join me. It climbed into my lap, up my arm, and even perched on my shoulder, all while trying to steal my lunch. After the playful break, I hiked back down to the boat dock and arrived around 1215. Our tour goup was supposed to meet at the van by 1300, but the line for the boat ride back was so long that I didn’t make it to the van until 1315. In hindsight, I probably should have hiked the trail back, but I was just too tired. I did text my tour guide and let her know I was running late; I ended up not being the only one.
One of the highlights of my entire trip was seeing this black bear up close. It was a reminder that life is full of surprises, and sometimes, you just have to stop and watch.
This day ended with an exciting whitewater rafting trip along the Snake River with Dave Hansen Rafting Company. As the cool water splashed against my skin, I couldn’t help but feel like I was washing away the remnants of my past and embracing the person I was becoming.
After rafting, we came back to camp, got quick showers and headed into town to Snake River Brewing for our farewell dinner. After dinner, everyone went back to camp, except for me. I explored into Jackson Hole, met up with some new friends for drinks and did some more shopping.
Day 9: An Unexpected Twist
We woke up and tore down camp. Then we prepared a big breakfast and loaded up the van and trailer. Our tour guide Michaela took us all to our follow on locations and dropped us off. I headed back to have some more of my favorite from the winery.
After saying goodbye to my G Adventures group, I checked back into the Cache House and had to go shopping for a new duffel bag. I had bought so many souvenirs that I needed something to get everything home in. I had also booked a tour later in the day with Teton Floats. My tour guide was Luke and he just happened to originally be from Warner Robins, Georgia of all places. There were only 2 other on the tour, so it was a nice slow pace with a lot of good conversation.
When I returned from this tour, I met up with one of my new friends from my G Adventures tour group for dinner at a Thai Restaurant. While at dinner, I learned that my flight back to Atlanta had been canceled due to a Microsoft update issue. When I returned to Cache House, I had to figure out what my next step was. When I tried to reach out to Delta, there was a 600+ minute hold time.
I had no idea what to do. There happened to be two other men trying to get back to Atlanta as well and one happened to be Diamond medallion, so he handled all of my travel arrangements for me and the other gentleman. He said we were his travel companions and he would not leave without us. The other man was his travel companion, but he was very kind to take care of mine as well. He was able to get me booked, but the next available flight wasn’t until 4 days later.
Instead of panicking, I decided to make the best out of my extended vacation. Lemonade was made out of these lemons I was given. I rented a car, booked an Airbnb, and set my sights on Glacier National Park. It was going to be a long drive, but it ended up being well worth it.
Day 10: Drive from Jackson to Columbia Falls
The morning of Day 10, I texted my Uber driver friend and he came and brought me to get my rental car. I hopped in and hit the road. The drive to Glacier was peaceful, cutting through Idaho and Montana. I stopped at a weekend market and a health food store for lunch. I arrived into Columbia Falls Montana at my AirBnb just in time to watch the sunset over the field. The AirBnb was very conveniently located to Glacier National Park.
It took me all day to arrive to the AirBnB especially after a snafu on the drive there, but I will not mention that. I also had to stop to get bear spray because I knew I would be hiking alone and G Adventures and the other tour companies had provided the bear spray thus far.
Day 11: Glacier National Park
I woke up very early and made my way into Glacier National Park before reservations were required, catching the stunning sunrise at Apgar Village by Lake McDonald. After soaking in the peaceful morning light, I re-entered the portion of the park in which reservations were required and showed my park reservation at the gate.
From there, I passed the Trail of Cedars, but by 0800, the parking lot was already full though, so I wasn’t able to stop. I made a few stops, including Red Rock Point and a scenic pull-off near the tunnel. Next, I explored the Loop Trail, admired the Weeping Wall, and even spotted a marmot near the restroom!
At Logan Pass, I took a break at Lunch Creek before continuing on, passing through another tunnel and getting a glimpse of Heavy Runner Mountain. I stopped at Jackson Glacier Overlook for a view of the receding ice.
After visiting the Logan Pass Visitor Center, I exited the park for a quick lunch. Later in the day, I made my way to Many Glacier, waiting for times that reservation were required since it was not tied to the Going-to-the-Sun Road reservation. Once I finished exploring the Many Glacier area, I drove back along Going-to-the-Sun Road, enjoying the scenic views once again, before heading back to Columbia Falls.
To wrap up the day, I grabbed a vegan pizza from North Fork Pizza in downtown Columbia Falls and headed back to my Airbnb for a well-earned rest.
Day 12: Glacier National Park
I was not able to get a reservation to go into the park early, so I had to wait to go in the park until after reservations were no longer needed.
In the morning I slept in and went into downtown Columbia Falls to do some shopping. I had lunch at the Vaqueros Mexican Restaurant and then drive out to Polebridge. I visited Polebridge Mercantile and then headed to Bowman Lake. Ok
After I visited Polebridge I entered the North Fork area of Glacier National Park. I visited Bowman and Kintla Lakes within this section of the park. When leaving Bowman Lake I saw this beautiful bear and he stopped to pose for me. I hiked at Bowman Lake and visited at the campground at Kintla and met some new friends there.
Day 13-14: Returning Home, New Connections
On my drive back to Jackson Hole, I made a pit stop in Bozeman to meet up with a new friend and have the best vegan burger I’ve ever tasted at Backcountry Burger Bar.
I also made a pitstop at Firehole Falls in Yellowstone National Park.
I got back to Cache House and checked in.
Once settled in, I headed back to my favorite restaurant in town, Merry Piglets. That night, back at Merry Piglets, I met another kindred spirit. As we laughed over margaritas, he admitted that he hadn’t expected much from our conversation but was pleasantly surprised. It felt like the universe was confirming what I already knew—this trip was more than just a getaway. It was the beginning of something new.
Once I came back to Cache House after dinner, I met up with some of Cache House employees that I had grown fond of during my 3 separate stays at Cache during this trip. I had to get my hugs and say my goodbyes. I had earned the nickname of Mama Best Friend and heard on multiple occasions how I was the nicest person they had ever met. Now if this doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will?
That next morning early flight delay notification allowed me to have one last breakfast with my new friend and one last veggie burrito from Cowboy Coffee before I headed back to the airport. As we ate breakfast, we planned our next meetup in Oklahoma City in a month or so (where we both we already traveling to at the same time), with his partner, his daughter and her family; another life long friendship in the making.
That morning, as I boarded my flight back to Atlanta, my heart was full. This solo adventure, sparked by my 46th birthday, was a journey of rediscovery, healing, and freedom. I returned home stronger, more confident, and excited for whatever comes next.
I may have started this trip alone, but I came back with a load of new friends, a renewed sense of self and a reminder that the best is yet to come. I was told by many that the impact that make and the mark I leave on others is something that is indescribable. This trip was something way more than a vacation, way more than an adventure, it truly was the start of my NEW LIFE!
What’s next? Well, you’ll have to wait for my next solo adventure! Stay tuned. A road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway was soon to follow this trip.
-S
