Saturday, August 1, 2015

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

10 comments:

  1. I am behind and will have to scroll back to read about the previous days.

    I just have to say that we have driven that road a couple of times and I am totally impressed that you rode it on a bicycle.

    Steve and I are trying to see all 50 states - we have 18 left and are starting to think we need to plan a road trip because we have the middle states to explore.

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    1. Hey Carol, Riding the bike on those country roads and seeing the mountain scenery was just the most awesome thing I've done. I think visiting all 50 states would be so cool. I used to think I wanted to run a half marathon in all 50 states, but that would take forever! So I gave that up and now just hope to visit them.....maybe in a camper van with our bikes on the back. Hmmmm, could be a new goal. Hope you and Steve get on that road trip soon. Have you been to SC?

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  2. Your trip looks awesome and it looks like you are touring with a lot of friendly gals. I'm sure you will create some lasting friendships. Be careful and have fun!
    Your blogging sister,
    Connie :)

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    1. Hi Connie, our trip was great! Yes, the ladies on this trip were all very nice. I made 12 friends that I didn't expect and a few, I'm sure will be lasting.

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  3. Hey Laurie.....
    What spectacular views! Oh, I am so jealous! Not for the ride though....hahaha!
    I wouldn't have lasted very long....kudos to you for your accomplishment!
    Have a great week...
    Cheers!
    Linda :o)

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    1. Thanks, Linda! It was challenging to say the least, but I feel so accomplished now. It's something anyone can do. You just have to train for it. And the views.....icing on the cake....like 12 cakes!! Lol!

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  4. It looks like a fun place to visit with great scenery. I would love to visit all 50 states!

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  5. I had no idea the scenery in that area was so spectacular. Was your support van right with you the whole time you were on the road? And how was the vehicle traffic on the country roads? I think that's what would worry me the most. (And the fact that I would probably keel over from exhaustion after the first 2 miles every day.)

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    1. Our support van would stop at pre-designated areas where it was easy to pull over. We could stop to fill up our bottles with water or Gatorade or grab a snack, if needed. But, if we needed them for anything else, we had their cell phone and could call for help. One guide was in the van and the other rode her bike with us. She was the sweeper. There were times when traffic was almost nil. And then there were times, when we got closer to the National Park that traffic was steady. We had a bike lane and for the most part, traffic was slow and made sure we had plenty of room. That was the one thing that worried me the most, too. The scenery certainly is breathtaking out there. I could get used to waking up to that every day. Lol! The mileage...well, you train for that. 49 miles in one day was our highest. I was so proud of myself for accomplishing that.

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