Day 4 – On the Way to Lake Jackson Lodge

Menor’s Ferry and the Chapel of the Transfiguration

We took our time getting up and out of Victor.  We went back over the mountain pass and planned on seeing some of the sights we had missed on our self guided tour.  We decided to go a shorter way to get to where we wanted to be but discovered at the check point into the park, that the road was closed.  We had to turn around and go another way. We finally arrived at Menor’s Ferry and Chapel of the Transfiguration.

Visiting the Menor’s Ferry gave us an insight into the homesteading and pioneer life in Jackson Hole. Menor’s Ferry once belonged to William Menor who came to Jackson Hole in 1894, taking up a homestead beside the Snake River.  Here he constructed a ferryboat that became a vital crossing for the early settlers in the Jackson Hole valley. Menor was alone on the west side of the Snake River for 10 years.  Bill Menor built the original ferryboat and cableworks.  Today’s ferryboat and cableworks are replicas.  Menor also built a general store with a connecting cabin in the early 1900s. He later sold out to Maud Noble in 1918.

The chapel of the Transfiguration is a small log chapel built in 1925. It is owned and operated by St. John’s Episcopal Church in Jackson.  It was built to frame a view of the Cathedral Group of peaks in the large window behind the alter.

Shawn and I went inside and took photos.  To get a good shot of the cross and the mountains we had to kneel in front of the alter.

Shawn and I enjoyed our visit  into the past and learned many interesting facts  about pioneer living in the early 1900s.

Lake Jackson Lodge Arrival

We arrived at Lake Jackson Lodge about 12pm. It is quite a huge complex with rows of cottages, swimming pool and changing room and bar, the main lodge has three restaurants, clothes shops and gift shops.

Since it was past 12pm when we arrived, we thought it would be nice to have lunch at one of the restaurants. First we went to the grill.  It had seats all around a bar. It looked like a giant diner.  There were not that many people, but no one came to wait on us or even acknowledge that we were there.  We waited for a while and then decided to try the main dining room.  After a wait, we were taken to our seats by the window but right next to a huge party of about 20 people – it looked like a family reunion. Again, we waited and no service.  So we left and went to the bar.  We were waited on right away.  The food was good – Shawn had a burger and I had a beet and kale salad. After lunch, we checked out the shops and walked outside. The back of the lodge had huge windows that looked out on the lake and the Grand Teton mountains.  It was beautiful!.

Checking out Colter Bay

After our walk around the lodge, we returned to our room for a short rest.  Later, we thought we would go and check out Colter Bay.  They had a small grocery store, a marina, gift shop and various other amenities. We bought some groceries for our dinner and then took a look at the marina.  It was starting to rain so we took a few quick photos and jumped back into the car and returned to our cottage.

The weather has been quite chilly for the most part with showers once or twice a day.  So glad I brought my raincoat but forgot my umbrella. That afternoon we had quite a heavy shower.  We were both pretty tired that evening after such a busy day. We had to get up at about 4am for our wildlife tour the next morning, so we went to bed early (as least Shawn did).  I stayed up to work on my blog.