Idaho to Wyoming
Trip Start
Jun 03, 2009
1
3
21
Trip End
Jul 02, 2009
Riverton,
Wyoming,
United States
Saturday, June 6, 2009
It was pretty cool this morning starting in the upper 50's and there were storm clouds everywhere mostly behind us and south of us. As we roll through the farm lands we go by several feeder lots that are full of milk cows. Most of them are clean but one of them was not so clean...maybe they had not got to work yet on cleaning up the place. The crop sprinklers are going in every direction you look which makes me wonder if they have rain sensors to turn off the watering process if a natural inch or more of rain falls from the sky. I'll bet they are not that advanced but it would sure make sense to me.
We got to the split in the interstate where I-84 continues south to Salt Lake City and I-86 curves to the north. We took I-86 heading for Idaho Falls. At Pocatello we got on I-15 north and a little further down the road we exited in Blackfoot to stop at the Flying J to fuel up.
Boy is this Flying J a mess. It is the worst entry/exit place we have ever encountered and it gets really tight trying to handle truckers, RVer's and autos all at the same time when there is barely enough room for the trucker to pull a tight "S" turn off the main drag then into Flying J at the same time the others are trying to fuel and leave. Then I saw this RVer pulling a trailer pull out with his fuel cap dangling on the side and door hanging open. I know he is going to throw a chunk of his diesel out along the way. I tried to wave him down but he was not looking my way.
We finally got to Idaho Falls and exited the interstate to start our trek on US-26 east. Good riddance to that interstate...it is so boring most of the time. Idaho Falls looks really interesting and we would like to go back and spend some time there. They have an area that is called the old town and I think the whole place still thinks it's the 1950's. Eventually we left the hustle of the city behind us and were riding along through the farm land heading for those big hills in front of us.
This was a very nice drive today as we were heading for Jackson, WY. There was a lot to see and not much traffic on our side of the road so we were able to go mostly at our own pace. By the time we arrived at Jackson, WY we were both really hungry. Now this is not a good thing to do...for one when we both get so hungry that the big guts are eating the little guts then we usually start growling at each other....not good. But worst of all we were not prepared for Jackson, WY. What a zoo. This place was so packed with people and traffic that it just made you want to find that ghost town and sit on the tail gate of the truck and eat a Subway you bought back in Idaho Falls. (We did not buy the Subway...but it is a good idea for next time). Day said get me outta here. It reminded us of Gatlinburg, TN....a humongous tourist trap plus there were store fronts for really expensive clothes and other items.
As we plodded our way through this mess of people and cars we were looking for a place we might grab a bite to eat but not lose our entire cash we had for the whole trip. Of course places that looked like possibilities were on the other side of the street and there was no easy way to get to them. We were clear through Jackson and at the point where we needed to turn left to take US-26 east out of town and I turned right thinking I could loop back and head back the way we came to maybe that Quiznos or the deli/coffee shop we saw on the wrong side of the street. But as we went down this block Day saw a family dining place and I said if we can find a parking place we are going to try it. Found a place, tight squeeze, to park. Then we went in and there was a menu board up on the wall. Ok, I'm having a heart attack and ready to run back outta there as the meals were starting in the mid $20's with a lot in the $26 or $28 range for a meal. Then Day pointed out that was the dinner prices and the lunch menu was over at the end. Whew!....there was stuff for under $10. We found what we both wanted, paid, then found a table to wait for our order to be delivered. Nice place but the food was not anything to write home about. Jackson, WY will not be a town on our future destination. We might drive through in the middle of the night but no stopping there.
Now for the best part of this day.....as we were leaving Jackson, WY heading north on US-26 you only go about a mile when all of a sudden you get around this hill and WHAM!!!!!.....the Teton's hit you full force. Ok that made us both gasp. There is just some things in this world that you have to see in person...yes you can look at pictures all you want but being there in real time is priceless. We stopped at a turn out and took pictures...I took pictures as we moved along...then we would stop, and so it went. Then we were approaching the entrance to the Teton National Park and at a split second we decided to take the loop in the park. It is about 20 miles from the bottom end to the top end and the speed is mostly 45mph.
We were both really glad we took this side route as it really brings you close to the Teton's and it just gets better. Lots more pictures but what was really amazing for me was that we were able to see the Teton's at all. There was this huge area of very dark clouds with lightening to the south that was moving to the north. When we got to the north end of the drive through the Teton National Park the southern end was starting to disappear into the clouds. Talk about luck.
And as we headed east on US-26 the area behind us kept getting darker and darker. We did get some rain drops now and then but we were actually staying ahead of this huge storm. The road also became an old 2 lane road through the forest and not in too good a shape here and there but pretty soon we got to those orange signs that have been plaguing us off and on the past 2 days....Construction Zone....and it was sad to see that they are going to get rid of this old road in the forest and turn it into this very wide modern road....it just takes away that being in an area that feels like it might have been in the early 1900's. When the road is complete then there will probably be more car/wildlife crashes than there currently are as the new road will not force one to go slower and be more cautious.
It's a long stretch, about 50 miles, from the Teton National Park to the next town east which is Dubois. Now this town is interesting and might be worthy of a re-visit. Now we are leaving the mountainous type of landscape and entering into some very interesting geologic layering and colors. We see various shades for reds and then there is the purple layer or so it appears.
Finally we arrive at Riverton, WY, our destination and the Super 8. The town is known as the rendezvous town and that makes sense when you look at the map and all the things there are to do outward from here. Hope we get a good nights rest. Not sure where we will be tomorrow night.
