Biking Tetons Pass - Day 4

 A beautiful view as we left Driggs, Idaho...headed for Jackson, Wyoming

If you wanted breakfast on day 4 then you had to ride for it. HaHa!! Funny, but true. We left the condos on bikes heading into Driggs, Idaho for breakfast. Since we were in Idaho, I needed to try something with potatoes. Right? So, I had the Idaho Potato Bowl with scrambled eggs and peppers. Delish and very filling. I was carbed up and ready to ride.

We left Driggs and headed toward Jackson, Wyoming. We biked about 14 'ish miles to the Tetons Pass. The van met us at the bottom, Laurie and Sid loaded our bikes and shuttled us to the top of the pass.

 On the way out of Idaho, we celebrated beneath the Idaho sign with Elaine. She had now officially visited all 50 states of the United States. What a goal? Made me want to do the same!

From left to right...Map Meeting; Loading the bikes; Elaine, me and Pete overlooking Jackson Hole.

Here we are... the whole Grand Tetons gang.

We stopped at the top of the Tetons Pass to take pictures and have a little logistics meeting and then the guides shuttled us down to the bottom of the pass. From there we had about another 15 'ish miles to go. The total miles was supposed to be 25.1 miles, but we got turned around a couple of times and rode an extra 5 miles. This ride was the most challenging so far. We had head winds and some gradual uphills near the end. Towards the end, I was giving out of gas. Looking back, I think it was because I didn't drink enough and take the right kind or enough nutrition, especially towards the end. But I finally made it to our destination.....The Ranch Inn in Jackson, Wyoming.

 This view and the ones that follow are from our ride from Driggs, ID to Jackson, WY.

Always something blooming!

 Overlooking Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

An interesting tidbit about Jackson Hole... Jackson's Hole was named for David E. Jackson, a fur trader who trapped beaver here in the 1830's. The forty mile long valley is encircled by mountains forming what the mountain men called a "hole". Over the years the possessive was dropped and the valley became Jackson Hole. 

 

 

Today's total Miles: 30.44 

Total for trip:   67.59

Jackson is definitely a wild west kind of town.

In the center of town is a park with the four entrances graced by these antler arches.

And, if you really want the wild west experience, you can take a ride on a real stagecoach.
 

Pete and Elaine on the saddles in the infamous Cowboy Bar.

Jackson is a busy little town. Lots of tourists! They were having a rodeo in town and I started noticing a lot of cowboy hats. It only made sense that this was a western town. Ranches were abundant. We even stayed at the Ranch Inn. A few of the stores had clothing with a western theme....there were boots and cowboy hats. And there's a popular grille/bar called the Cowboy Bar. After cleaning up, Elaine, Pete and I headed there for an early dinner. We chose not to have lunch because we took lots of snacks with us on our bikes and after that hearty breakfast, we just weren't that hungry. The Cowboy Bar was pretty neat. It had actual saddles to sit on instead of bar stools. I tried the Elk burger, which tasted a lot like beef, but just very lean and a little dry. Glad I tried it, but I probably won't eat it again.

Looking ahead at the next days weather, it looked like rain. I had a water resistant jacket, but decided to buy a real raincoat. We had just walked out of the store when it came up a rainstorm. Perfect timing! We were pretty tired and headed back to our rooms. This day proved to be my most challenging yet. Good thing we had a long evening to rest up and get ready for the next day's ride; it would be our longest....over 47 miles. I could hardly wait until it got dark enough to go to sleep that night. Finally, 9 p.m. came and it was lights out. Sleep came pretty easy.

You'll want to stay tuned for Day 5's post. It was my favorite day and the most picture heavy. But, please be patient with me as I have come home with a cold or sinus infection or some hellish affliction that has me all clogged up, sneezing and feeling miserable. Happens every ding dang time I travel. I need to remember to load up on Vitamin C and take my allergy medicine with me next trip. I'll try to get Day 5 posted the first of the week. Have a great weekend. I'm off to find a box of tissue.

Til Day 5,
Laurie