Block 7, Week 2: A week at Ethete clinic and trip to Dubois, Jackson, Victor

We arrived at the Ethete (E-th-E-T) clinic Monday morning to start off week 2. This clinic is the smallest of the three Wind River clinics. Sadly we had to cut Monday short as we found a screw in one of our tires and had to go get it patched. One of the pharmacists recommended a place out in Lander (about a 15 minute drive) that turned out to be friendly, fast, and surprisingly cheap! We had a great time getting to know the staff at Ethete who were all so friendly and generous with our learning experience. We gave vaccines, removed and replaced Freestyle Libre sensors, and even did some inventory on the slower day.

The Ethete clinic is about half the distance from the house as the Arapahoe clinic so we got to leave a little later in the mornings. This let us see some gorgeous sunrises on our way in each morning. 

We also got the chance to try out the famous Ethete pretzels across the street from the clinic. We only got the regular size to split but it was still pretty big already. We could not even guess how big the Texas size could be.

We left for an early weekend to head to Victor, Idaho so that we could explore the Grand Teton National Park. Sadly, Yellowstone is closed to cars during the winter and the North gate is the only one open. This time of year the only way to see Yellowstone is by snowmobiles and specialized vehicle tours. However, Idaho and the Tetons kept us plenty busy. 

On our way to our cabin Friday, we stopped in Dubois to visit the Big Horn Sheep Center where we met Trudy at the front desk, a fellow Alabamian! She was super helpful in pointing out where to best stop to see some sheep and also recommended the Cowboy Cafe in town (we liked it so much we ate there twice!!). We definitely needed the four wheel drive toward the end of the 4 mile dirt road due to some piles of snow, but it was totally worth it! We saw some deer on the way in but the real prize was at the very end of the road where there was a group of 9 sheep grazing. They were unphased by the car, so we sat and watched them for a while.

We continued on our journey through Jackson Hole and on toward Victor. This required us to go up the mountain. The car struggled a little but she got us to our cabin in one piece. Some of the drivers on the mountain were going much faster than we were intending to so we got passed a good bit but us southern gals weren't testing the car's limits in the snow and ice. Jaden found the most adorable resort with a beautiful cabin (yay queen sized beds)! 

Although Victor is a one stoplight town, we had a ton of things to do nearby and were never bored. The food was great, and everyone was so friendly around town. 

We ate out a few times in Victor and even tried an elk burger. It was pretty good! Jaden was craving cheese so we found her some delicious grilled cheese and mac n' cheese during the weekend.

On Saturday we headed to Jackson Hole to go visit the Elk Refuge. The sleigh ride was so cold (make sure you bring toe warmers), but the Elk were majestic. 

We even got to greet our drivers Johnny (pictured), June, and their handler, Maggie. We learned so much about the elk and the history of the refuge, it was well worth the trip out there. 

After grabbing a bite in town and doing some much needed souvenir shopping, we headed to the National Museum of Wildlife Art. Although we did not see a live moose during this trip - despite our best efforts - Lori got a picture with the moose statue at the Museum.

Sunday included a day trip through the Grand Teton National Forest. We walked on a frozen lake and Jaden even got her toes wet (it was terrifying)! We made some snow angels before heading onward to get some great pictures of the mountains. We also got the chance to make some snowmen - it's a lot harder than it looks to pack the snow. 

Overall, A+ for Jackson and Victor.