Rest Day At Jackson Lake Lodge And A Raft Trip - Day 6

There was no riding today. Our little legs needed rest. But never fear....we had a great day of activities planned. 

Willow Flats

It all started with breakfast, again, in the Mural Room. It was a buffet at it's finest. Anything and everything you can imagine. Delish! The view wasn't too shabby, either. 

View from the back deck of the Mural Room in Jackson Lake Lodge.

Pete, Elaine, Wendy, Maxa and I decided to do one of the shorter hikes. We hiked "Lunch Room Tree" trail. It was a short one, but the views were, once again, breathtaking. After this short hike, these ladies were in search of a different trail with a different view. I, however, was extremely fatigued and just needed to rest. We were going to be riding 30-plus miles the next day. I went back to the room and pampered myself a little bit. I washed my hair, read my latest John Grisham book, "Gray Mountain" and then had lunch.....tuna salad & crackers and a banana. 

 Wildflowers seen on the hike.

That afternoon, there was a good chance of rain. If the rain held, we were supposed to have a BBQ on the banks of the Snake River and then go for a 10-mile-long float trip down the river.

The rain held! Holler!

And y'all, dinner was the bomb! Those guys know how to do a BBQ. 

The Menu 

Grilled Steak

Grilled Fish (I forgot what kind)

Corn on the Cob

Baked Beans

Mashed Potatoes

Salad and Rolls

Lemonade

Dessert was a Huckleberry and Peach Cobbler cooked over the grill in a cast iron skillet.

Picnic tables were dressed out with red and white tablecloths. 

 I burned more than 2500 calories the day before. So...ummm, yeah, I ate it all!

View from the river bank of the Snake River.

 Our raft was huge. I think they said it could hold 20-25 people.

That picnic, the food, the backdrop of the Tetons along the banks of the Snake River and eventually the float trip down river was my second favorite thing on the tour! It was incredible!

This is how you navigate a raft through the technical parts.

So, as you may have already guessed, the rain held for a bit.  Even though there was thunder in the distance, we made a collective decision to go for it. We loaded into the raft and set sail, I mean set out on our expedition, I mean we floated down the Snake River. 

And I am so glad we did. 

The river was very shallow and was lined with the most beautiful, smoothly rounded stones. I just wanted to fill my back pack and take 'em home. We saw a Bald Eagle, Blue Heron, Common Mergansers (ducks), a Beaver, a Raccoon, a Mama and Baby Mule Deer and, and wait for it........a Moose! Totally worth the trip. I've been wanting to see a moose, since Whitney moved to Colorado. Finally, I had to go to Wyoming to see one.

 Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh, Ooooh!  A Moose!!!!

 

Dry.....dry.....and....not dry!  

Now, about half way into the river trip we were moving along swimmingly, until.......it started to rain. At first, I thought "How Rude"!  But then, we started covering up with blankets and rain ponchos and I was like, "OMG!  This is a great adventure!" 

  Here we all are.....before the rain. That's me, on the left, in the green cap.

And then, just like that, it was over. We got out of the boat 10 miles down river near Dornan's Restaurant and near the entrance to the Grand Tetons National Park. We rode the bus back to the Jackson Lake Lodge and said our goodnights. What a great day!

All showered up and feeling well rested, I finished my day with reading the rest of my book and then it was lights out. Sleep was just a shut-eye away.

The next day would be a big day. Even though we would backtrack to Jackson, our route would differ slightly from Day 5. We'll ride 30-plus miles and then have a farewell picnic back in Jackson.

It will mark the end of our tour.

Stay tuned for Day 7,

Laurie