I had a flight credit from United Airlines that I had to use before the end of the year so we decided to visit Jackson Hole, Wyoming for the Thanksgiving weekend. My son is not fond of cold weather and he had to work so he did not join us for our 3-degree fun. He kept our dog company and enjoyed a weekend free of mom telling him to be productive.

If I had booked the flights on United to depart from Hilo, it would have been thousands of dollars more expensive than if I booked the interisland and mainland legs separately. I booked our flights with lots of layover time and prayed to the smooth travel gods for no delays or cancellations since this would make things so humbug with these separate travel reservations. So, we flew to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines which was on time, got our bags at baggage claim, lugged everything to the other end of the airport, and checked in at United Airlines.

Our flight to Denver was smooth with no delays or cancellations and we had lots of time to go to the Centurion Lounge in Terminal C and enjoy mimosas and bacon before the short flight to Jackson Hole.

We were welcomed to Jackson Hole with wonderfully snowy weather! After getting our bags we got to our car and realized that we had no idea how to clear off the snow from the windshield. We opened the trunk and found the snow brush or whatever it is called and figured it out. The Cloudveil Hotel in the town of Jackson Hole is an easy 20-minute drive from the airport. After walking around the town square, we drove (slowly) to Grand Teton National Park–in snowy weather. We got back to town for our 6:15 p.m. Thanksgiving dinner at Million Dollar Cowboy Steakhouse where we enjoyed family-style ribeye steak, mashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, spinach salad, risotto, and lobster bisque.

On our first full day in Wyoming, we had breakfast at the hotel since it was included with our reservation and then headed to Teton National Park. Where we enjoyed spectacular views at all our stops. We got back to town in the afternoon and stopped at Persephone where I loved the creamy and warm tomato soup. After the afternoon break, we went shopping in the town square before enjoying Santa’s arrival and the lighting of the antler arches.

After a Saturday breakfast at the hotel, we headed to Teton Village and the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. We lucked out and found free parking and even found out that we parked next to someone hailing from Oahu! We rode the Aerial Tram to 10,250 feet and enjoyed waffles and Irish coffee at Corbet’s Cabin Top of the World Waffles. We headed back to the Grand Teton National Park where we lucked out and saw deer and moose. We stopped for the first time at the Chapel of Transfiguration where instead of a stained glass window behind the altar, we found an amazing view of the mountains. It was worth the stop at the chapel. We enjoyed pizza at Hand Fired Pizza before packing and setting the alarm for an early morning departure.

We got up, checked out, and followed the easy drive and line of cars headed to the airport. There was a two-hour delay out of JAC due to a leaky bathroom, which led to de-icing, and new paperwork. Good thing we had a cushion of time in Denver. We didn’t have as much time to relax at DEN but Sammie and I visited the United Club lounge and got some refreshments while Aaron tried to check out the Centurion Lounge but found that it had a 30-minute wait to get in. But our flight took off on time and we settled into our economy plus seats. And to make things fun, we entered the Halfway to Hawaii game where we guess the time we reach the halfway point and I won! My prediction was off by only 20 seconds and won a Sunday Riley face mist and hand cream set. It was a wonderful weekend. Living Hilo Style in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.