The Pinedale Library, Sublette County Libraries, Pinedale, Wyoming

The drive from Jackson to Pinedale is only about and hour and a half, but driving at night through unfamiliar, mountainous territory is not--and never will be--my jam. I white knuckled it the whole way, turning on the brights whenever I could, and counting down the miles as they ticked by. When I finally arrived in Pinedale, my whole body felt like a clenched fist only just relaxed, the endorphins flowing in, choppy breathing evening out to slow, long exhales.

Pinedale is a one, maybe two stoplight town, so by the time I got there, hardly anyone was out and about. The highway passes straight through the main drag, so it was just me and a few random trucks on the road. The AirBNB was right on that main street, a big, rambling yellow house with parking in the back. They had texted me the code to unlock the key box earlier that day, and the entrance to my room was separate from the house, so I never actually saw my hosts in Pinedale.

Foyer

Let me tell you something: There is nothing quite like a perfect AirBNB. You're paying nothing close to what a hotel will charge you, and if the place is in tip top shape with every amenity you can imagine plus your very own private bathroom?? I was a happy traveler. Everything was extremely clean, the linens were soft, the bed was comfortable, and the room had coffee, a minifridge, and a microwave. There was even a little electric fireplace to warm up the space. It was the bees frickin knees.

The next day I decided to exit out of the main floor, so hauled my stuff up to the kitchen, ate some banana bread (AMAZING), and found my way to the back door to let myself out. The house was indeed rambling, so in trying to get my bearings I was able to see the rest of the AirBNB rooms they had to offer--all super nice but sharing the same bathroom. No one else was in residence, however, so it was just me knocking about that huge house alone. Exactly the way I like it.

What puts a great AirBNB experience in perspective? A not so great one. More on that in a future post...

The Pinedale Library, a branch of the Sublette County Libraries, seems like an overstatement of riches when you look at it only in context of the town. Pinedale is so tiny and the library is so gorgeous and bountiful. But then you remember it serves the whole county and it sort of makes sense. Sort of. Because WOW. Wow. Wow. Wow.

Pinedale is the pretty twin to Incline Village in Nevada, with the same breathtaking architectual flairs, most obviously the soaring ceiling, with wooden beams crisscrossing through the entirety of the main structure, a clear nod to that familiar ski lodge aesthetic. Pinedale doesn't have the same skylight feature as Incline Village, but we can forgive that omission if we are allowed even just a few hours to bask in its warm, homey, wood paneled beauty.

As I made my way through the stacks and photographed everything I found most intriguing and beautiful, I couldn't help but notice all of the wonderful art on display.

The plaque reads: "Chauncy" by Jim Budish. A gift 

to her favorite library by Sally Swift, February 2008.

I knew Pinedale was going to have some quirky features as soon as I entered the foyer, where a tall, skinny bunny stood watch over every patron that dared enter the doors and pass by it without some measure of unease. I think it is probably supposed to be clever and charming, but to me there is a twist of malevolence in that figure. It reminds me of how people interpret Alice in Wonderland...a magical children's story full of quirky characters? Or a drug fueled romp through a disturbed writer's warped mind? Both? This bunny is definitely both. I have no doubt there are children who love it, children who fear it, and children who have discovered that they can both love and hate something at the same time and are all the better for it. Depths and layers, baby.

On the half stacks, Pinedale features works of local artists, as yet unidentified (I have an inquiry out to the library but have not heard back from them yet, fingers crossed). There are shiny, agile fish full of bright color and whimsy, with one in particular falling down a familiar rabbit hole to pop out the other side as a baseball, somehow.

There is a marching oxen, staff raised, full of verve and war. And a coiled, silver snake baring her pretty fangs. I absolutely loved the art featured at the Pinedale library. It was weird and wonderful and authentically Wyoming.

Funny side note: I am having a Hell of a Time trying to spell the world Wyoming correctly on the first go. Every single time, if I am not already thinking about it and proceeding with caution, I spell it Whyoming, which is sad and rude and wrong. I'm sure people who already think that would find it funny, but my experience in Wyoming has taught me that this is no flyover state. You get your ass down here and see the things. Wyoming is amazing.

O to spend days upon days writing in this library. Once I got the wifi to work (it took some wrangling) I was comfortable and happy in the warm light of the Pinedale Library. It was a wonderful workspace and I was sorry to have to pack up and go. I had a four hour drive to Casper ahead of me and was not eager to repeat the previous night's drive through an interminable darkness.