Jackson Hole, Bryce Canyon, Zion, and Las Vegas 2012 - Day 3

Our campsite, from a hill across the street.

At 6:00 AM , I awoke to a gentle tapping on my arm.  I lay perfectly still, hoping that if I didn’t move, the tapping would stop.  It didn’t.  I then made the mistake of opening my eyes, only to be met with two big, brown “please-forgive-me-I can’t-help-myself” eyeballs staring back at me from two inches away.  Jessie took my open eyes as a sign that I was wide awake, ready to play fetch with her.  She stuck her wet nose under my limp hand, and with a flick of her snout, bounced my hand up to the top of her head.  It’s her clever way of ordering us to scratch behind her ears.  I took my needy dog outside to play.  The sun was bright, the air was fresh, and the only white in the sky was the contrail left by Harrison Ford’s private plane as he took his Saturday morning flight over Jackson.  Okay, that last part might not be true.  It could’ve been Sandra Bullock’s plane.

Chad went for a morning run (I “accidentally” forgot to pack my running shoes), while the rest of the family slept.  I sat in our “yard” playing fetch with Jessie, sipping coffee, listening to music, and dreaming about a life on the road.

When Leah woke up, she and I took the dogs for a walk and spent some time with our mom, who is staying at the Virginian while we’re here.  We let Kenny and the kids sleep in, and then spent the morning relaxing in the sun at our RV site.  When the pool opened at 10:00, Chad and I went swimming with the kids.  We practiced our back dives, and this is where I discovered that it’s quite possible that I am going to become the world’s next Gold-Medal-Winning Olympic Diver.  Just ask Chad.  Sure he can do a back flip off the side and I can't, but that's just showing off.  And there is no category for Olympic Flippers.  I'll start training this summer. 

At 1:00 we headed downtown to eat lunch at The Merry Piglets Mexican Grill.  The service was great, but the fish tacos at this joint don’t even come close to those at Hop Jack’s in Lacey.  Trust me, have something else if you ever find yourself eating here.  It was a good lunch though, and just what we needed to refuel for our upcoming float trip down the Snake River.

The rest of the family left Chad and me to shop for new cowgirl boots for Ashley, so the two of us made our way over to the world-famous Cowboy Bar.  I asked Chad, “you wanna sit in a saddle and have a drink?”  He replied, “no, but I DO wanna sit side-saddle and have a sarsaparilla.”  A reminder  that we definitely don’t fit into the bar scene, in fact, when we walked into the bar it was eerily similar to when Satan's Helpers surround Pee Wee Herman when he walked into their private club. So back to town square we went.  To take pictures of people who had no idea we were taking their pictures. 

We met up with everyone but Kenny, who managed to get himself lost among all the shops.  After we found him, Jackson gave him some advice on what to do in those situations:  “just do what I do, Kenny, hug a pole, and cry until they find you.”   

The kids performing for the masses in Town Square

We met up with Tom and Kris in town, and they had brought gifts for the kids that they’d purchased for them at “Mountain Days,” an arts and crafts event held in Alpine, WY.  They bought Jackson a drum, and the girls each received flutes that were handmade by a man from the Navajo tribe.  The kids formed a drum circle right there in Town Square and I’m sure that had they put an empty bucket out, they would’ve made a buck or two. 

At 3:00, we drove up to Moose to float the Snake River.  Tom and Kris were going to put their boat in and meet up with us at the end of our scheduled tour.  Once we arrived in Moose, while we were crossing a bridge over the river, we saw the biggest-smallest, papa-mama badger that any of us had ever seen.  I describe it that way since I have never actually seen a badger and have no reference point for comparison.  So I can only assume it was either big or small.  Boy or girl.  Who knows.  It was beautiful, though. 

 A van picked us up in Moose and drove us 10 miles north to Deadman’s Bar, where were boarded a big raft.  We floated 10 miles down the Snake River through Grand Teton National Park, and our guide was full of information.  It was quiet and peaceful; no sign of humans for miles and miles.  The park is incredible because their motto is “Let Nature Run it’s Course.”  If a tree falls into the river, interferring with the raft's route, they just let it be, and find a way around it.  They do not mess with nature, they just come to observe it.  Only twice in eighty years has man needed to intervene because of trees blocking the river.  I know that way of life is impossible to maintain outside of protected areas such as this, but I think it’s a beautiful way to live.  The whole 2 1/2 hour trip was breath-taking, we even got to see a moose standing by the river, eating his dinner.  So much cooler than the dead possums we see all the time in Olympia.

Me and the kids enjoying nature

Chad flexing in front of the Grand Tetons.

About a quarter of a mile down river of the moose, we saw Tom and Kris in their boat, fishing.  They spotted us and followed us to the end of our tour.  We all got out of the river and drove back to Jackson for dinner.  Back at The Virginian, we got the kids situated in the RV, and the adults walked over the patio of the saloon for drinks and pizza.  Sitting on the patio, next to the pool, we had so much fun telling stories and cracking up.  The kids eventually brought the dogs over and left them with us so they go for a nighttime swim.  It was so hot in Jackson today that the pool was still crowded, even at 9:00 PM.

Tomorrow, we’ll load up and drive south around lunchtime.  We could stay here in Jackson for 2 more months, and not do everything we’d like to do.  Guess that means we’ll just have to come again.

I really wish I had some good song lyrics to end with, but my mind is full of John Denver, and that's just too predictable...

-The Niemeyers