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Published: August 10th 2008
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So we left Ogden, UT, almost five days ago and when we did we also said so long to Starbucks! I could write an entire entry on our coffee escapades but let’s suffice it to say that we have been dying for good coffee until today, Saturday, August 9th. Gas station coffee just isn’t cutting it for us coffee snobs!
Anyway we left Ogden and headed north on our way to the Grand Tetons. We made one stop along the way at Lava Hot Springs in Idaho. I had been to hot springs before but this one was different. The 4 pools ranged from 104-112 degrees F and were lined with actual rocks. Many springs put in swimming pool like structures but not this one. I cannot tell you how much I needed to sit in this water. I must be getting old but my lower back was killing me. The RV bucket seats are not the most comfortable places to be hours and hours a day Nick was really brave and took to the springs pretty well. Devin…well that’s a long story. One word can describe it….teenager. Ah, did I mention that they secretly watched TV the night before
while we peacefully slept? After a little rest and relaxation (1 hour) we hit the road so that we could be in Jackson, WY for dinner and we ended up getting there right on schedule. We had some yummy pizza at Mountain High Pizza Pie in downtown Jackson. I had been to Jackson many years ago but I like the ambiance of a mountain town even if it is a bit touristy. After dinner we headed to our campsite which was about 6 miles outside the entrance gate to the Grand Tetons. On the way there we were dazzled by the spectacular Rocky Mountains and I fondly recalled the time I hiked over the continental divide with Chris and the boys’. I think they were amazed. I am amazed upon reflection. On the way to the campground we had our first encounter with the bison that roam the fields in WY. There were two hairy bison about 20 feet off the road and we were amazed. You can imagine how much more we were amazed when we saw a herd of them just a few miles down the road. At this same spot we also saw a herd of prong
horned antelope…they were adorable. They reminded me of Nick since they were so playful and quick. We finally arrived at our campsite and settled down with a fantastic view of the Tetons.
The next morning we headed for the gateway into the Tetons with an open schedule. Chris and I had discussed some options for the day: horseback riding and the Junior Ranger program for Nick but we weren’t sure how that would play out so we drove to Colter Bay to inquire and as many of the best plans go the horseback riding was booked. Ah, the tears!! We had a little discussion and Chris went back to talk with the attendant that was >22 and she gave us an alternative plan. There was another place to horseback ride, it would require us to drive another 35 minutes but they had many wranglers and horses. She did not mention that we would need to take the RV 5.2 miles down a washboard dirt road to complete the journey. Chris and I looked at each other as we began the dirt road and said let’s do it. It should be noted that I found a screw under my pillow and my laptop lost a screw…I hate to think what else may have rattled loose. We arrived to this remote place that had an empty parking lot. Note: we had only seen one car (make that a truck) driving in. There were a lot of horses and plenty of people to help us out. Chris checked on availability and I made PB & J sandwiches that we could devour before hitting the trail. We changed into appropriate riding clothes and I can honestly say that Chris and I looked the most ridiculous. I did not bring jeans with me on the trip so I wore my mickey mouse pajama pants, T shirt and hiking boots. Chris wore a purple polo shirt, dress chino pants and hiking boots with his hair pulled back with a red elastic. Can you say city slickers? The guy with the thick accent running the place commented gruffly that that’s all they get there anyway. Hmmm…I was hoping this cheery man was not taking us on the trail for an hour. This family, with a few hired hands, actually live in tents all summer and fall and give horseback rides to people like us. Now that was roughing it. The kids had never ridden before and we were a little nervous how they would respond but they settled on their horses pretty quickly and learned a little about their personalities. Devin’s horse, Sweetheart or Killer depending on who you ask, was a piglet. When ever she saw food her head went down and Chris and our guide (Clayton) would pull away. Devin and I related “Killer” to a teenager that constantly wants to eat. When he finally could pull its head up it would take off in a trot to catch Sadie and Chris. I was behind him and each time I could hear Devin’s laughter, it was great. Nick got to ride Bear…ahh, how he loved riding Bear. Bear did test him right off the bat in our first river crossing. He put his head down and started drinking and wouldn’t stop as they stood in the river. Nick could not pull his head up and couldn’t kick him hard enough to get him moving so this went on for quite some time as he pulled and kicked and I laughed. Finally Clayton went back and got Bear to move and then I put Nick in front of me so that I could help out if it happened again. The ride consisted of just the four of us (unlike other guided rides) and we saw many different types of terrain. We even had a deep river crossing where Chris, Devin and Clayton got their legs wet. There were many laughs on this trip and great scenery. It was worth the 5mph drive of 5.2 miles. Both boys’ enjoyed themselves and they want to ride again. Hurray!!! I will not discuss the sore butts… mostly Devin, Nick and I since we were constantly trotting to catch up with Chris and Clayton. My horse did have the cool name of ‘ppotamus’ short for Hippopotamus, of course. Nick loved the name
Oh, I forgot to mention that Nick did see a ranger talk before horseback riding and was busy completing his junior ranger work to and from the riding. He did it all and on the way back we stopped back at Colter Bay and got him his patch, badge!! He is now a ranger in the Grand Canyon and the Grand Tetons. He’s pretty proud of himself!!!
We headed to our campground around 6pm at Flagg Ranch which was about 2.5 miles from the gates of Yellowstone….
It is getting late so I am going to get this on the blog but will write more soon…there are some funny stories coming, never a dull moment.
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