10/16/2019 Cycling Grand Teton National Park, day 36

 

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Bavaria in Wyoming!

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Cable Repair, Jackson Hole

 

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Schwabacher Landing Grand Teton

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Yesterday

We had driven to Snake River Overlook of highway 89 in our search for wildlife.  The west side of the Snake River rises up to a mile wide plain of sagebrush.  That plane rises up another 40 feet to another mile wide plain of sagebrush backed by aspen and pine. The trees cover the lower Teton Range.  On that second plain about two miles distant, “Hawkeye” spotted motion.  There stood a bull elk.  He was massive compared to the nearby cows.  Even with minimal thermal radiation, the elk’s image was small and focus was difficult at 60x.  Ellen had spotted the bull elk with the naked eye, “Hawkeye” indeed.

The pot pies we ate for dinner last night were loaded with chicken and vegetables. They were very good.  Were they as good as Mountain Mama’s?  We don’t know.  We do know we’ll get more on our way out of Jackson when we leave.

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Bicycle Boneheadedness

I had a fall on my bicycle in Coeur D’Alene that seemed insignificant at the time.  Now weeks later, my shoulder is giving me fits.  I cannot raise my arm above shoulder height.  I’ve had similar injuries to my left shoulder in a ski accident (showing off).  I know it will heal, but for now what a pain this is.  Ellen asked “should we just go home”  She’s concerned that I might crash again.  It’s not likely on the flats.  The cause has to do with accessing my bike’s granny gear, badly.

Temperature this morning dropped to 25 F.  Not very cold compared to Gardiner or West Yellowstone. I’m no longer concerned about water line freezing if we have an electric hookup.

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This is my “half” of an apple? Smile

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Fireside Resort, Ready to Go.

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Can’t Forget her Flag

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Crossing the Snake River

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Sitting on Big Don Dahlin’s Bench

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Bicycling

The cycles are unloaded. Ellen’s trike’s battery is charged and ready to go.  There’s a paved bicycle path that runs from Teton Village to Jackson then runs north through the park.  “The path is perfect.  It was just paved.”  fireside’s manager told me as I paid for another night here.  “Today is going to be a beautiful day and even warmer than yesterday!  Have Fun.”  We can pickup the path just across Moose Wilson Road. 

The path follows Moose Wilson Road along sparsely populated private property.  We looked for wildlife as we peddled.  The  path goes through a tunnel under Moose Wilson, crosses the snake river, and winds through Emily Stevens Park before running along Rt 22.  down to Jackson.  

We rode from Fireside Resort to Jackson square. Downtown Jackson is busy with traffic.  We walked our bikes in town.  On the square we stopped at The Local, but they stopped serving lunch just minutes prior. Jackson Drug, the original drugstore and soda fountain, was open.  Our lunch was OK.  Interestingly I recognized a cut from Dark Site of the Moon done in a country format. “Do you know who this band is?  It sounds like a country cover of Pink Floyd, a rock band.” I asked our waitress.  She didn’t know, but went to find out.  The Band is “Green Sky Blue Grass”.  “You might have found a new favorite band”, she said.  Blue Grass?  This was very good blue grass

Today was a gorgeous day with temperature into the 70’s.  I wore a shirt over t-shirt and was comfy warm.   I remembered the drive up route 22 to Moose Wilson Road as steep.  The bicycle path runs along Rt 22 some of the way.  The path does not have any steep grades of any length.  There are 5% grades both up and down. None area a problem.  The path along rt 22 skirts wide fields on the right.  Hawkeye spotted a coyote hunting and stopped to watch.

After lunch we considered taking the path toward and into Grand Teton National Park.  We considered leaving the bikes at sunset, taking Lyft back to our RV, and getting the bikes.  That would work, but we could easily cycle out of cell phone range.  Instead we chose to cycle back to Fireside then continue on to Teton Village.

We arrived “home” at 6:23 a full 15 minutes before sunset.  We’re relaxed, far from exhausted.  What a fun day. 

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