Overland Adventure Excursions

Day 4

We started the day in Jackson, Wy and entered into the Grand Tetons National Park.  It is such an amazing and beautiful place.  We decided to do a hike to Hidden Falls at Jenny lake since I have not been able able hike that the past two times that I have been here. It was an easy 2.5 mile hike and the falls were raging from the run-off.  We continued north after the hike to a road Called grass hill road (Correction) because in the last time Kristina and I were here., we took that road to Idaho and I knew there was some free camping sites there.  Unfortunately the road was closed, and after looking at gong back to Grand Tetons and caping free in the National forest or moving on to Yellowstone, we decided to bite the bullet and pay for a campsite at (location). 

As we were waiting in line, we met a cool British guy named Neil that was biking across America.  Carl asked if he wanted to share a site and we agreed and so it all begins.  Neil is a ship builder…and when I mean ship, I mean luxury yacht.  It was an amazing night and we have not laughed so hard in a long time.  I am also grateful that Carl reached out and asked to share the $40 campsite because without that we would not have me Neil.

And I biked about 10 mile back into the wilderness.  My bike is so much a part of me and I enjoy riding… it was incredible getting back on the bike..  It is crammed in the back o the truck and I want a better storage solution, but in the end, it is with me, and I rode it in Wyoming today.  While in the ride  I saw an elk cow, a raccoon, an eagle, and a bunch of prairie dogs.  No bears or moose yet.

I am amazed with the amazing men I have come in contact with recently. Carl hiked the Appalachian Trail last year; never before camping or hiking and completed the 2400 mile trail in 5 months…. It is not something to take lightly.  And Neil here is on his second “Across America” bike tour.  It is so interesting to hear of other culture’s perceptions and interpretations.  Neil is well traveled and well connected and it floors me when I meet and travel with people like Carl and Neil.  Such a fun and enlightening evening.  

Woke up in a great campground and continued north. We stopped at the Utah Agricultural Historic Center for a bit to get some info and then headed to Logan Utah for some maps and local info.

We continued on to Jackson, Wyoming to meet a friend of Carl’s that hiked the Appalachian trail with him last year. Cool guy, a few beers, and we hiked halfway up the ski slope to get a view of Jackson and the Tetons.

It was a long day today on the drive to deliver the XTR trailer to a buyer in Salt Lake City. It took about 9 hours to get from Denver to the Salt Lake City, and then we had to do some cargo shuffling and a quick car wash on the trailer to remove the road grime.

We did a little driving around the Mormon Temple and walked around the Utah state Capital building and adjoined gardens. We were going to head to find a campground so we could cook dinner, but I decided to grab something so we could get set up and rested. Sizzler was the choice and we ate cooked bovine and dead vegetables.

We scouted for a camp ground and found a free camp (or that is what it appeared to be) at Box Elder Campground. It was starting to snow and rain and we quickly set up next to the stream and got to to work on updates and then rest.

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Carl arrived and we caught up at the new Field House Beer Works on Powers Blvd (great local beer and nice setup) before heading north. A quick stop at AT&T to get his phone activated and we were off. An hour later we dropped off Peyton’s stuff in Parker, CO and then we drove to Thornton and camped at a super Wal-Mart. Not exciting or picturesque of a spot but we got food shopping done and had a few cold ones. Kudos to Walmart and other places that are Overland friendly.

Today we are off to Salt Lake City to deliver the trailer. Getting lighter as we go. I still need a bike rack. Hopefully craigslist will have something in SLC.

I’ve lived in Colorado Springs for 7 years and last night is the first night I’ve camped here. Turns out Bass Pro Shop allows overnight camping. Woohoo.