Buffalo, WY

Going in, I was amped for Buffalo. The drive through Wyoming was pretty, and Cameron's dad, virtually unprompted, was talking about how much he liked Buffalo when he biked through (albeit a few decades ago). From the drive in, I knew a snowy pass with recreation options was nearby and per the town's tourism website, I knew there was going to be a charming historic downtown.

The day we arrived, we treated ourselves to a paid campground for their showers and laundry services. The morning was brisk and frosty, but yellow leave were falling and I felt clean and fresh – a great start for this town to make a good impression. 

While there, we worked from City Park, and ate dinner at the Virginian. I also spent some time walking through town and some neighborhoods, and stopped in an outdoor supplies shop (the Sports Lure), a thrift store (GiGi's Vintage and Upscale Resale), and a local art gift shop (Wyoming in Color). All were nice, and had degrees of small-town charm, but it was obvious that everyone I interacted with knew I was an outsider. I don't know if it was just the time of day, or the tight-knitness of the town, or my yellow corduroy pants, but I could tell I was not blending in. 

The Good

• Historic downtown with character and some seemingly long-standing businesses. 
• Close proximity to Bighorn National Forest. We spent a night there, and it seemed like there were lots of hiking trails and likely snowmobiling access in the winter. 
• The in-town trail system parallels a pretty creek and has direct access to the national forest. 

The Bad

• Very limited amenities in town. It seemed like if you wanted anything more than a limited local grocer, you'd be driving at least 35 minutes. 
• Felt like a locals-only vibe. I think all of the store owners recognize the economic value of tourism, but I didn't feel like I'd be welcomed if I moved there. 
• Per Cameron – too dry and shrubby, despite being able to see snow-capped hills nearby.
• When looking for a place to eat, only ~20% of the nearby options were opened on a Wednesday night. Maybe the town is popping on the weekends, but weekdays are pretty bland. 

The Verdict

No. It was hard to not compare to Jackson, WY given the proximity of our visit, but whereas Jackson was far too bougie, Buffalo was not bougie enough. I'm not against a remote town, but Buffalo didn't have enough on the good side to counteract the challenges that there would be. 

Per the town's website, they are unsure if Buffalo is named after the animal or the town in New York. As an outsider, it seems far more likely that it's named after the animal.

There were lots of murals around town and they all seemed to boast odd facts and slogans that made me giggle. This one reads "more than a one horse town"...

...and this one: "a creek runs through it."

The main town square is named "Crazy Woman Square." I thought that was simultaneously funny and rude, but then we started so see more spots and shops around town boasting the Crazy Woman nomenclature. Turns out there is a nearby creek and canyon that bears that name.

It seemed like Clearwater Creek was the primary selling point for the town. It was nice, and the parallel trail took you into the national forest. 

Maybe it was the time of year or the time of the week, but downtown seemed pretty lifeless, despite the historic charm it seemed to boast. 

The town notice board advertised some upcoming events. A showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show is a plus in my books, and, although not pictured, another flyer I saw nearby was for a weekend fall arts and crafts and crafts fair. 

All of the statues in town were historic in nature. I prefer a bit more whimsy, but I suppose this one's proof that it's more than a one horse town. 

Frank Prosinski Park, where we hung out most of the day, was nice and relatively-well attended, albeit mostly by retirees walking their small dogs. 

We parked next to a fenced-in horseshoe lawn, so Pancake got some unleashed outdoor time. 

Jackson, WY

I knew very little about Jackson (or Wyoming in general) before arriving, other than there is a well-regarded ski area there (Jackson Hole) and that there are grizzly bears. Thanks to a Utah friend’s enthusiasm, I had some expectations that it would be pretty, negated by my mom’s scorn that it would be a “tourist trap.” After a few days, I can confirm all of the above.

The drive up from Utah was snowy and rainy, but nonetheless quite pretty, especially once we got within 45 minutes of town. We drove along the Snake River, which is known for it’s rafting and hot springs, and then ultimately drove out through Grand Teton National Park. (We considered going into Yellowstone National Park, but decided it was a little too far out of the way for this quick trip.)

In town, we enjoyed Persephone Bakery; Workshop, which sold locally-made art; the Center for the Arts; and Hand Fire Pizza, which is located inside of a converted theater. We tried to get breakfast burritos at D.O.G., but our timing was unfortunately off. Out of town we did 15-miles of hiking in the National Park in the snow, but didn’t see the majesty of the mountains until our drive out the following day.

The Good

• Cute town with interesting and varied shops and restaurants. I especially liked how art-focused things were.
• Tons of options for outdoor adventures. There are multiple nearby national parks, national forests, rivers, lakes, skiing, and surely any other adventure sport I could hope for.
• Jackson Hole Ski Resort is a definite draw. We didn’t make it to the ski area this time around, but there’s a good chance we’ll spend a few days there later this winter.
• It seems like Utah may become my family’s hub, so it’s nice that this is only a 4 hour drive away.
• Additionally, it’s a destination location, so I expect we’d have more distant friends and family interested in visiting us.

The Bad

• Excessively touristy. Even though we visited during off season on a rainy day, the sidewalks were bustling and restaurants were packed during peak hours.
• Excessively expensive. There’s not a single property on the market within 50 miles of town that is less than a few million dollars.
• It feels like a resort town, not a residential town. As an indicator, quite a few shops were advertising limited hours or extended closures while in “off season,” which for some spots seemed to be from October-May.
• Similarly, many of the access roads within the national parks were advertising closures from November-May. Although the snow predictions are heartening for skiing, I think the winters might leave me feeling cooped up and antsy.

The Verdict

No. Although Jackson boasts tons of nearby public lands and is a charming place for visitors, we’ve decided we don’t want to live in a resort town.

The main town square has four of these antler arches – there's definitely character, but maybe not my vibe. 

I really liked the large-scale art all around town. These nest-like structures were outside of the Center for the Arts.

In addition to the art, there was something very Wyoming-esque to the buildings around town. 

My initial impressions were good. Despite the gloom, I though the drive along the Snake River was gorgeous. The waterfall across the way was hot springs runoff. 

This was our view of the mountains on Sunday – we chose this hike at Lake Jackson's Hermitage Point in hopes for mountain views and limited snow, but both hopes were unfulfilled. 

We did a second hike to Hidden Falls. Despite the cold and snow there were plenty of folks out on this popular trail.

We saw plenty of beaver lodges, a small herd of elk, and lots of interesting birds. Thankfully we didn't see any grizzlies, even though the rangers and signs reminded us we were in bear country.

It was cold, especially for mid-October. It was below freezing all day and I was wearing 3+ layers everywhere. 

Work Shop was so adorable! I can't wait to furnish my future house with overly-priced handcrafted art like this. 

Although Jackson Hold Ski Resort is about 25 minutes outside of town, there is a small ski area that is just a few blocks from the main downtown streets. 

Although Hand Fire Pizza is fully converted into a restaurant, there are still aspects of the former theater flair. 

Finally on the drive out, we had clear views of the Teton Range. This photo is from the Wedding Tree – a popular spot for small weddings thanks to these views. 

None of my photos capture how spectacular these mountains are! I'd love to come back and backpack here in the summer. 

I'll close this off with my pleasure at finding so much rabbit-themed art in one of the local galleries. 

Van Life: Public Lands

I'm starting to hone in on some of the qualifications that my just right town will have. It wasn't on my original list of mandates, but I'm realizing how important it is for us to be near to public lands: state parks, national parks, national forest, BLM land, Bureau of Reclamation-managed spaces...basically anything that's covered under the America the Beautiful Pass. Surely we're appreciating those areas now more than ever (we've definitely paid off our annual $80 pass this year) since we often park for the day or overnight in some sort of government-managed land, but I'm also realizing the fact that they exist at all is exceptionally cool.

Not only are public lands typically really beautiful natural landscapes, but they provide so much benefit. For humans, you can stay on BLM and national forest land for 14 days hassle-free, and more heavily trafficked areas often have toilets and dump stations available for free. Many of these same areas are protected for wildlife conservation or for resource management. Others preserve natural and cultural history. Whenever I begin to panic about human's impact on the environment, I'm calmed by the knowledge that there are at least some spaces that are being protected from excessive human-caused change. 

On our 3-week backpacking trip (during which we went through the Inyo National Forest, Kings Canyon National Park, Sequoia National Park, John Muir Wilderness, Ansel Adam Wilderness, and Yosemite National Park), virtually every foreigner we talked to marveled at the vast American West. Although Europe and South Africa (and other parts of the world) have national parks and protected lands, wilderness is hard to come by. Even as you move east across the USA, wilderness becomes more and more rare. And it makes sense – by the time conservation became a national and global discussion point, a lot of places were already too densely populated to have much untarnished land left. 

This isn't to say that we are going to disregard anything east of the Continental Divide – there are many eastern towns that I am very excited to assess – but I do want to be more mindful of their proximities to public use spaces. I do not ultimately need to be walking distance to a vast national park network, but having nearby state parks, county parks, national forests, etc. may be more heavily weighted on my pros lists from here on out. 

It's the onset of autumn, but I have been thinking a lot lately about what is my go-to cozy place. The stereotype is to be snuggled up on a comfy chair on a wrap-around porch with a hot mug of coffee and a beautiful view. I don't regularly drink coffee and I'm not gung-ho for porches, but looking outside and seeing an impossibly high mountain and thinking to myself, "give me a few hours and I could climb to the top of that" is especially cozy for me. I don't think that fantasy can be true without public lands; my ideal location will have beautiful vistas that are accessible to me, not privately owned nor will ever be privately owned or developed. 

Thanks for reading my little half-rant. If you can, support our public lands by buying a park pass, donating to your state park system, or volunteering with a trail maintenance team. Enjoy these photos of various public lands we've visited with Vanjie thus far (in no particular order, and by no means comprehensive):

Arches National Park, UT

Rae Lakes, Kings Canyon National Park, CA

Devil's Postpile National Monument, CA

Thousand Islands Lake, Ansel Adams Wilderness, CA

Clouds Rest, Yosemite National Park, CA

BLM land adjacent to the Mojave Desert, CA

Bear Canyon Reservoir Wildlife Area, NM

White Sands National Park, NM

Bandelier National Monument, NM

Rio Grande Gorge, NM

Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, MI

Prehistoric Tracks National Monument, NM

Zion National Park, UT

Bryce Canyon National Park, UT

Zebra Slot Canyon, Escalante National Monument, UT

Capitol Reef National Park, UT

Dead Horse State Park, UT

Canyonlands National Park, UT

Antelope Island State Park, UT

Rock City Park, KS

Gateway Arch National Park, MO

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, MI

Tahquamenon Falls State Park, MI

Keweenaw National Historic Park, MI

Cave Point County Park, WI

Devil's Lake State Park, WI

South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND

Mount Rushmore, SD

Wind Cave National Park, SD

Badlands National Park, SD

Effigy Mounds National Monument, IA

Crabtree Meadows, Inyo National Forest, CA