Vacation Adventure

As I write this, my husband and I are holed up in our tent listening to the wind, rain, and thunder.  Wet clothes hang from various loops in the tent.  Once the storm passes we’ll drive up to Colter Bay for hot showers and groceries.

The wet clothes are the result of a short biking adventure this afternoon.  We parked at north Jenny Lake, and rode our bikes to the bike lane on the one-way (for cars) loop along the lake.  There are several turnouts with beautiful close-up views of the Tetons and the lake.  Of course, on bikes we could stop anywhere.  There seemed to be less smoke today but clouds were moving in.  We ended up at south Jenny Lake, only 3 miles away.  Once we parked and locked our bikes, we walked down to the lake.  We watched the shuttle boat take people back and forth across the lake.  People were paddling brightly colored canoes and kayaks.  Children played happily on the beach.  We ventured across a bridge and onto a point for a better view of the lake and peaks.  We inquired about boat rentals, and then, seeing the approaching storm, hurried to our bikes.  The light rain became heavier as we pedaled and I could hear thunder in the distance.  As we pushed up one steep hill, I could not keep up with Bob—my 4-week post-surgery body held me back and I was panting.  Bob pushed ahead.  The rain got heavier and turned to hail, stinging my arms.  I took a wrong turn into a parking lot, delaying my return to the car.  Bob grabbed my bike when I arrived and I jumped into our dry car.  I was soaked.

This has been an interesting day, one that began early.  We were up at 6:00 a.m. and walked down to the Signal Mountain Lodge just before 7:30 a.m. for our 10-mile raft trip down the Snake River.  We hopped into the van for the 20-minute ride to our launch site.  We were given safety instructions by our guide, Zack, the boat was launched, and 13 of us climbed in.  The group consisted of two family groups and us.  One was a young family with four kids, and the other was an extended family of older adults.  Interestingly, there were three geologists on this trip: our guide, my husband, and the young father.  We all had the opportunity to introduce ourselves during the float.

This was not a white water trip, but a rather leisurely float down the river.  The water was fairly shallow, and we even scraped bottom a few times, but the water was fast moving.  Zack was a talker and kept up a running commentary about the geology and wildlife of the area.  We had a fantastic view of the Tetons, although it was still smoky and the sky was cloudy.  The cooler weather today made for a more pleasant trip and perhaps brought out more wildlife.

Zack himself was amazed at what we were able to see today.  The first wildlife we spotted was a young bald eagle sitting on a snag.  In fact, we saw about seven more bald eagles on our float, a record for Zach this summer.  We also saw mergansers, both in the water and in the air.  And of course, there were Canada geese, but nobody was too excited about them since they are so common.  On one bank among thick vegetation we spotted a female moose eating.  I managed to snap a picture as she was leaving—she was a bit shy.  Next we saw two small deer grazing on the bank.  A bit further down the river we were amazed to watch an osprey dive into the water and come up with a fish.  And then, as if to show off his prize, the osprey flew almost directly above our boat.  Our guide pointed out the old Menors Ferry as we floated by and we had a chance to watch it cross the river—it has just started operating again.  All too soon we were at our take-out point.  I think all of us would have loved to go further.

 

Well, the rain has picked up again and Bob is napping, so I think I might be stuck in the tent a bit longer.  If the rain continues, we may be eating dinner at one of the restaurants down at the lodge.  Now that and a glass of wine might be the perfect ending to our day.

8/10/12