JK4PACK

Tuesday, June 8, 2010: Today we headed to Idaho Springs near Black Hawk/Center City, CO to ride the rapids. This was the first white-water rafting experience for all four of us and apparently we picked a really fun day to be on the water. All the guides and the owners of AVA (Arkansas Valley Adventures) said the waters were so high that it was going to be a thrilling day to be on Clear Creek. They were so right! We opted for the beginner's "float", but the waters gave us a really good ride with class 2 and 3 rapids throughout the 6-7 mile, 2.5 hour journey. There were several bridges along the route and we literally had to get down in the boat squashed together to avoid hitting our heads on them. We were all ... read more

June 6, 2010: Today was a travel day. We had to down the camper in pouring rain so that was a rough way to get going this morning. We took consolation in hot chocolate and coffee on the way out of the park. We left behind temps in the low 40's and arrived in Golden, CO to 97 degrees and bright sunshine. Part of the drive leaving the Tetons took us through high mountain peaks full of snow. The rain continued most of the way making a last look at the Teton Mountain Range impossible. The farther away we got from the Tetons, the clearer the weather got. Most of the remainder of the drive through Wyoming was scenic. You can still drive for very, very long distances without seeing a town, intersection and sometimes another ... read more

Friday, June 4, 2010 It rained all night long and we expect nothing but rain again today. Because of this, we decided to take it slow this morning. Hiking was not going to be a good option for the day so we decided to head into the town of Jackson. The downtown district is Wyoming’s version of Brown County so for those who like to shop in a quaint little district, this was a goldmine. For us, we enjoyed the Mountain High Pizza Pie and snapped a few photos at the antler arch and decided to hit the road. We headed to Granite Hot Springs thinking this would be an easy-to-find sight. Ha! You know it’s out in the middle of God’s country when Garmin says things like “follow unmarked road” and then loses direction all ... read more

June 2, 2010 - First things first: HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY, JIM!! Since I’m blogging this after the fact, I know that your birthday wish to arise next to majestic mountains and a pretty lake will come true today. In fact, God will put a rainbow in the sky for you first thing this morning! It was wonderful to spend the day hiking with you and you just can’t beat Reese’s birthday cake at the campsite. I’ll let you tell the rest of the story… What a way to spend your 40th birthday. Our morning started out with a nice ride through the country side. With the rain and all, we decided we might just take the scenic drive to see how the day would shape up. A Wyominger once told me that, “In Wyoming, if you ... read more

May 31, 2010 - "Fire in the hole!"...and no...I don't mean that kind! Sickos! Happy Memorial Day to all from South Dakota. We slept in a bit this morning and still found time to pack a lot in. We're so used to having to move our clocks ahead an hour, it's been kind of weird setting them back. The temperatures were chilly last night, but not too bad. The extra blankets we packed helped. We began our day with a return trip to Crazy Horse. They had a blast scheduled and we didn't want to miss that. We arrived with time to tailgate out the back of the truck. We're getting good at throwing together some simple sandwiches. Karen even invented a new sandwich yesterday...Peanut Butter and Lettuce? Yes, lettuce. You know...it wasn't that bad. It's ... read more