Jackson Hole, WY
The water in the Snake River has been flowing very fast, so we had to change up our plans to go fishing this morning. Luckily the water was perfect for a nice float down the river. We packed up some food and beer and got out of the house around 9:00. On the way into town we picked up some breakfast sandwiches from a cafe that were really good. We then headed to a rental place to pick up a raft and meet Adam’s friend Taylor who would be our raft captain for the day.
We took a short drive up the river and put the raft in the water at Deadman’s Bar. I’ve taken in a lot of great scenery over the last few weeks, but it has all been from my bicycle. It was nice to see things from the boat, where I could be more passive and enjoy the surroundings without having to worry about cars or the road. The Snake River runs parallel to the Teton Mountains, so we had amazing views of the mountain range for our trip. I apologize that there are no rafting photos. I didn’t want to risk my phone or camera going into the river.
Taylor did a great job of getting us down the river. The rafting I’ve done in the past has been in the Delaware River, which flows much slower and has less obstacles. There were a few technical parts that I wouldn’t have wanted to be in charge of steering our group down. We had perfect weather for today. The temperature got up above 70 degrees with no clouds. The last few days I’ve watched as storms come up over the Tetons to drop rain and hail with little notice. I thought that was the standard weather pattern here, with storms moving in and disappearing quickly, but today I saw none of that.
After a few hours on the river we hit our end point in Moose and went back into town to drop off the raft. While we were out on the raft the bike store called to let me know that my bike was ready to be picked up. The tuneup and new tires cost more than I would have liked, but things in this kind of resort town tend to be expensive. They at least seem to have done a decent job with the bike. I’m also excited to ride on the new set of tires. The tires I had on the bike were not yet worn out, but I didn’t think they were going to last me to the end of the trip. I figured it would be better to change them out now instead of trying to find a bike shop in the middle of Idaho.
We got back to Adam’s house and relaxed for a bit before heading out to Jackson Hole Mountain Resort where we took the gondola to the top of the mountain. There is a restaurant up there where Taylor was playing with his band. The views from the top of the mountain were amazing.
I had a good time taking in the views and having a few drinks at 10,500 feet. After that we headed back down to Adam’s where he cooked up some steaks for us for dinner. I’ve really enjoyed my time in Jackson Hole so far. I’ve got a couple more days here to relax and explore before it’s time to get back on the road.
Ramblin' Dan: Bike Touring Adventures 