A Honeymoon after 35 Years

By Amy Coward

Thirty-five years ago, my husband and I were married on Memorial Day weekend. We had planned to go to the Grand Tetons in Wyoming for our honeymoon but Mother Nature had another idea.  Just weeks before our wedding, a late season snowfall resulted in flooding in all the resort areas so we had to change plans.

The Grand Tetons remained on our minds in the months that followed, but life happened. You know how it goes. We had jobs and little vacation time. Then we had children – three of them – so our days were consumed with school activities, soccer games, dance recitals, cheerleading practice and scout meetings. The years flew by with the crazy chaos of family life. And we loved it. Don’t get me wrong.

At no time during those hectic years, however, did it seem possible to take three kids more than 2000 miles across the country to visit Wyoming. Can you imagine the back seat fights? The arguing about where to eat, when to stop and asking if we’re there yet? Plus, we had little money then (three kids + activities = broke) so vacations were usually trips to see family or locations nearby.

Flash forward 35 years. We are now empty-nesters with wonderfully independent children. We planned to travel a bit and since I had taken up running, we often combined the two. When I read a feature in a running magazine about the Jackson Hole Half Marathon suddenly everything clicked. The honeymoon. The Grand Tetons. The beautiful scenery. It was time to go to Wyoming.

The week before Labor Day, my husband and I flew to Denver and drove through Wyoming, Idaho and Montana to Yellowstone for a couple of days (not nearly enough time). We saw geysers, mountain streams and Old Faithful and enjoyed a drive through the beautiful park. Then we drove on to Jackson Hole to run the half marathon and see the area. Every bit was beautiful – the mountains, the valleys (filled with cattle, antelope and buffalo), the Snake River. It was all breath-taking. It was cool and the air was crisp (in August!) and the scenery was simply unreal. Every view looked like a painting.

We stayed a couple of days (again, not enough time) and enjoyed the historic town square, complete with antler arches and Western facades, horse and buggy rides and even a cowboy duel in the streets.

It might have taken a long time to get there, but Wyoming was worth the wait. We both agreed it would be great to return and spend more time exploring, hiking, river rafting and enjoying all the area has to offer. The Grand Tetons will be calling us back, I’m sure.

Maybe it won’t take 35 years to get there.

Amy Coward is a public relations professional in Columbia, SC. When she is not managing the madness of event planning at Palmetto Health Foundation, she is writing, running and traveling.