Adventures Fit for a Cowgirl

Sep 19, 2012

I was apprehensive about traveling to Wyoming. Not because I have anything against the great state that is home to Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton National Park. It was because, while I’m outdoorsy, I don’t like hunting, fishing or camping — you know, most of the things visitors do in Wyoming — which is, let’s be honest, cowboy country. And, to top it off, I was going with my 5-year-old daughter, who is more into princess parties than rodeos. So, it was with some unease that I signed up for a mother-daughter trip to the Wild West with Adventures by Disney. Five minutes into the trip, I knew that we were going to have a great time and, by the end, I didn’t want to leave. I hear you can buy a whole town in Wyoming for under $500,000 — and I just might.

Our tour began in Jackson, Wyo., which offers the perfect amount of hustle and bustle for the displaced city slicker. There are countless cafes, a local farmers’ market on the weekend, a town square with music events in the evenings and the piece de resistance for the single lady looking for her cowboy — the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar. We had time enough to explore all of this and even time for shopping in the myriad of gift shops around town. For kids, the nearby alpine slide is a great distraction from the tchotchke shops, and a variety of sweets shops and ice cream parlors will keep them going into the evening.

With two nights in Jackson, there’s plenty of time to explore. On day two, the trip gets into full swing. With the morning to themselves, families have time to nip into a coffeehouse to sample a local brew before heading over to the farmers’ market in the town square.

Then, the whole group gathers for a stroll to the nearby Playhouse. Without reading my itinerary, I thought that this was going to be just for kids. I was wrong. What was once an old mercantile is now a dinner theater, which opens in the afternoons specially for Adventures by Disney and hosts the group with a tour of the theater, some old-time photo opportunities and a lunch complete with musical renditions by the theater’s performers.

Immediately after lunch, it’s off to whitewater rafting. The Class III rapids on the Snake River are ideal for families, with enough excitement for thrill seekers and plenty of soft adventure for younger — and older — members of the group. We floated down the river for a solid two hours, paddling our way through the whitewater and listening to our guide give a history of the surrounding area. Some braver members of the group even got out for a swim.

Having the evening on your own is great for families who may be tired — or energized — after the activities. We headed to the Snake River Brewery to sample the local beers. The family-friendly establishment doesn’t take reservations, and it gets busy, but you can grab a couple of beers and hang around outside while you wait, letting the kids run around. The brewery was a great option for a group of cowgirls and a 5-year-old cowgirl-ette.

The next day, we hiked and then picnicked at Jenny Lake before heading into Yellowstone National Park to get a glimpse of Old Faithful. This isn’t the usual Quest for the West itinerary with Adventures by Disney. Our abbreviated media tour didn’t include the standard Yellowstone visit, opting instead for more time at our next destination, Brooks Lake Lodge — or as I liked to refer to it, “paradise.”

I’m not sure that I was quite prepared for the splendor that Brooks Lake Lodge offered. I definitely wasn’t ready for how cut off from the world I was going to be. A mild coronary could well describe my reaction when our guides explained that there would be no cell service at the lodge (I did manage to get two seconds of 3G access on my horseback ride) and that the Wi-Fi connection was spotty at best. Thankfully, one of the employees saw my terrified reaction to this news and set up a new Wi-Fi connection within hours of our arrival. By evening, the only thing I couldn’t do on my iPhone was text message. It was a small miracle.

Activities abound at the lodge, and I wasn’t about to spend all of my time hovering over my phone — nor was my daughter going to let me. We began our stay by heading to the stables to check out the horses. My daughter wasn’t old enough to do the trail ride (children need to be 6 years old), but the lodge is well-equipped to deal with youngsters, and offers them a supervised ride in the corral. My daughter loved it so much that she did it twice. While I was doing the trail ride, an activities director led the younger kids in arts, crafts and other activities suitable for young cowboys and cowgirls. Each time I returned, my daughter was happy to see me, but she certainly didn’t seem bored.

Just like my daughter, my favorite activity was horseback riding because it was full of adventure. The first ride was so amazing, I blew off hiking in the afternoon to ride again. And the hiking — in small groups with expert guides from the lodge — is off the beaten path, intimate and provides spectacular scenery. However, the riding was a unique opportunity and couldn’t be passed up. Groups of about five or six riders head out with an expert wrangler onto a trail ride up isolated mountain tops and through deserted valleys. Our mountain trail ride in the morning wended through the trees and afforded stunning vistas of creeks, the lake and waterfalls. I walked my horse to a precipice above one of the falls and took stunning photos of the water and the river.

Our next ride through the deserted valley followed along a creek. The adventure came when a thunderstorm began, and we rode our horses over to the trees to avoid the rain. We donned slickers and continued our ride. If ever I’ve felt like a cowgirl, this was it, riding in my slicker while thunder echoed in the background and lightning lit up the sky.

Families who aren’t as horse-crazy or who don’t want to hike can take part in fly-fishing. Novices are welcome and the lake is just steps from the lodge.

Our journey ended at Brooks Lake Lodge and, while no one wanted to say goodbye, there was still one thing that hadn’t happened for any of the families — a wildlife spotting. But the magic of Disney wasn’t going to leave us hanging — we headed out to the airport with our guides and driver, determined to spot a wild animal. And, our dreams came true as we approached the airport and saw a herd of bison. Now, that really is magic.