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Published: July 30th 2013
It was cold this morning. So cold we had to turn on the heater to bring the RV up to a comfortable temperature. We all slept late for a change. Our typical morning has begun between 6:30 - 7:00. Today we languished in bed until 8:30 - a real treat for those of us who savor sleeping in late!
After booking an evening lake cruise and perusing the gift shop for Grand Teton mementos, we moseyed down the road for yet another horseback riding adventure. Only we didn't realize when we set off that we'd be going back country, practically off-roading in our 30-foot vehicle for the last 5 miles of the trip! Billy kept lamenting that we were too noisy and bound to scare off any wildlife we might otherwise encounter.
We arrived at the outfitters and booked a 2-hour ride that promised a great view of the Tetons along the way. If we were impressed with the kids' horseback riding abilities the other day in Custer, they paled in comparison to what we accomplished today. We had our own private ride and tour guide, and not only did we cross multiple streams, but we trotted almost half
the time, and both climbed and descended a mountain (not a Teton, mind you, but still) without injury or incident. The kids were amazing, having the time of their lives, and constantly jockeying to see who could get in the lead on these narrow, at times cliff's edge trails.
Except Sean, of course. He was given Lady, a horse we later found out has been working these trail rides for 20 years. As our guide put it, Lady only has one speed - whatever speed Lady wants to go. Sean ambled along in the 2nd to last spot for most of the ride, but never minded and spent most of the time just singing to himself and his horse.
As the pictures show, it was a beautiful, scenic route through truly back country of Wyoming. Not a car, building or another person in sight for the entire two hours. Todd's horse, Big Power (no, not joking, that's really the horse's name), towered above the rest. He said he had never ridden a horse so high. My horse, Sugar, had a mind of her own and wanted to go as fast as possible, which I loved. I'd forgotten how
much I enjoyed horseback riding. But boy was she mad when I made her walk behind Lady for a while to let Todd ride farther up for a bit. She and I finally reached an understanding, I think, but the first chance she got she made a break for it!
Tommy was on Tinker and Billy rode Stanger, both of which were former wild mustangs. Maggie had Quincy, who seemed to alternate between completely ignoring her prompting kicks and then trotting at the drop of a hat.
All in all, though, we thoroughly enjoyed the day. It surpassed our Custer ride in both duration, scenery and speed. Now all the kids want to go horseback riding all the time. We told them to get jobs.
When it was time to head back, we had a moment of panic when the RV wouldn't start. The main battery was apparently dead. Luckily, Todd remembered from one of the dozens of YouTube videos he had watched that there was an emergency start switch for just such a contingency. And off we went, back down the bumpy road. We checked out the Jackson Lake Lodge, a posh luxury resort on Jackson
Lake. We treated ourselves to decadent desserts before hightailing it back to Colter Bay for the boat reservations, only to discover that they had canceled the cruise due to rough water on the lake.
We had already planned for me to do laundry while the rest of the family were on the cruise, so I camped out at the laundromat while Todd took the kids roaming the back roads in search of the elusive moose. The laundromat promised wifi, but that was more fable than fact. The connection was so bad I couldn't even upload the pictures for the blog (speaking of which, I added a lot of pics to Day 8 if you want to go back and see them). Then, after 30 minutes the shoddy network kicked me off! That was pretty much when I reached my intolerance level for not being online with any amount of consistency for at least 3 days now.
Not being able to even make a phone call, I was able to text Todd and the kids to come back. We headed back to the lodge, had a quick dinner, and then I set up camp to get caught up on
wifi-required stuff, including posting these entries! So here I sit, in a beautiful 40-foot ceiling room with floor to ceiling windows that face the Grand Tetons on a Native American styled sofa while everyone else sleeps out in the parking lot in the RV. Which, apparently, is acting up more and more. Generator won't start, auxiliary battery dead, and every single night we've had it one of the interior smoke detectors has gone off at almost exactly the same time (about 12:50 am). Guess a call to roadside assistance is in the cards for tomorrow.
Speaking of which, we'll be heading from here to Salt Lake City, spending the night in Farmington, UT tomorrow. Hoping that as we approach civilization once again our internet connectivity will greatly improve. Not sure what the schedule is beyond that, as we're taking it pretty much day by day. But I think we've traveled almost 1500 miles in the RV so far. And the best part is, despite some tense moments here and there, we're all still speaking to each other and even having a good time together. I have to admit, it's going better than I dared hope, and we are creating
such incredible memories. Hope you are enjoying sharing them with us along the way!
Marcia
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Grandma
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Love those pictures, those horses, and your adventures! Can't believe nobody had a twinge of pain after trotting for 2 hours! Just reading about it tweaked these old bones. Centuries ago, I taught the West with "O Give me a home, where the buffalo roam, where the deer and the antelope play!" Anybody ever heard of it?? Don't answer that! I'm sure the horse loved your singing, Sean! And Kids, if the RV quits, you know where to get those horses! Just feed them apples, and they'll bring you right on home when you're ready! I've heard that sleeping on a blanket under the stars beside your horse, ( who is guarding for snakes,) is the best! Call me! I'll send apples! You all look so happy, excited, and loving! Your book will be a best seller, Marcia. Todd, stay wise! All of you, take care! Love, love!