Now that it\u2019s fall, passers by will often see me in my favorite green pullover with \u201cTeton Valley, Idaho\u201d written on it underneath a drawing of Idaho\u2019s mountain-scape. Every once in a while I have someone stop me to tell me they\u2019ve been camping, hiking, or biking there.
My grandpa grew up in Teton Valley, as did much of my extended family. In an effort to remain close to each other, we have an annual family reunion, camping for a weekend in the valley. Traditions we have include horseback riding, hiking, jewelry making, and taking the kids to the creek to watch them try and cross and eventually fall in. I remember on my first reunion, I ran out of socks in two days because I\u2019d gotten all of them wet. On the last night, we have a raffle to give away prize items that range from Teton merchandise to family-made blankets, necklaces and paintings. That\u2019s where I got my pullover from.
But the most incredible experience I\u2019ve had there was a couple years ago. Teton Valley happened to be in the center of a lunar eclipse. For a brief moment the entire world in front of me was bathed in a tangerine twilight. Cameras couldn\u2019t capture it properly. The redness of the mountain, the warmth bouncing off each needle of pine. The campfire sent a bright red hue onto the kid\u2019s faces, as they held still in wonder for the first time in that whole weekend. I saw a gleam in the eye of Aunt Doris, who objected to being wheeled out of her trailer that evening, but was finally convinced the cold would be worth it. A tear rolled down my cheek when I looked next to me at my mother\u2019s water-welled eyes, and wide grin. She\u2019s the one that convinced everyone it would be worth coming to watch this feat of nature. The eclipse was the moment that the biggest space nerd of the family\u2019s dreams came true. <\/p>\r\n
The lunar eclipse\u2019s center will not be in the United States again for a long time. It feels almost like fate that the valley which holds so much of my family history became the epicenter of this breathtaking event.
The pandemic has meant that I could not hear that creek skip over stones, horses clop up the trail, or the campfire crackling under moonlight this year. It\u2019s meant that I couldn\u2019t pick huckleberries in the valley and blend them into milkshakes or savor their unique tang. But I\u2019ll look forward to the next time I see my aunties knitting blankets outside their trailers, while their kids roast marshmallows. Teton Valley will always have more memories with my family to unlock, and more places to fill in my heart.<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"