Flagg Ranch to
Jackson, Wyoming
We went to sleep to
the rumble of thunder and flashes of lighting as an evening storm blew through
from the Grand Tetons toward where we stayed at Flagg Ranch. We were glad that we had a cabin, as
there were lots of tent campers in the area and it was hailing and raining
really hard. We were a bit
concerned about weather in the morning for our last ride to our end point at
Jackson, but we would deal with what came.
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| Our Cabin at Flagg Ranch, Wyoming |
We awoke to a gray
and drizzling sky but not too cold so we geared up and rolled out the
door. Our route was about 65 miles
with one pass, but nothing serious.
And we’d heard that the roads have great shoulders and that there is a
bike path the last 20 or so miles.
That would be cool! We also hoped to see a moose today.
We were looking forward
to getting to the Grand Tetons National Park and before we knew it the sky had
lightened, the rain had stopped and we entered the park.
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| Entering the park |
Not more than a few miles later we
started getting great views of the Tetons off to the west. Our route took us right to the base of
the range. The photos tell the story better than I ever could.
The Teton range is
stunning and in some ways reminded us of the northern Rockies near Jasper. We stopped at the Jackson Lake Lodge
for coffee and while it is a newer lodge, it has great views of the mountains. As we continued southwesterly the views
just kept getting better and the temperature kept rising.
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| Mr. Moran and its famous black stripe |
We passed Jenny Lake,
skipping the lodge since it was so crowded, then crossed over the Snake River
and turned a bit eastward for the last 30 miles to Jackson. There is indeed a bike path the entire way
to town. It was great to ride on a
path that paralleled the highway but had vegetation separating us from the
cars. We have ridden over 1,200
miles and all but 30 of it has been with traffic, and the middle 400 or so (in
Montana) on roads that were simply frightening to ride on. What a way to finish our ride!
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| Our first bike path, and what a pleasure -- 30 miles to Jackson |
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| Any Ivan Doig fans reading this? |
We found our “cabin”
easily enough since Jackson isn’t very big (reminds us in many ways of Sisters,
but on steroids (very touristy)).
But it is a pleasant place with the Snow King resort literally a 3
minute walk from our cabin, and Jackson Hole a 15 minute bus ride.
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| Snow King Ski Resort in Jackson |
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| Antler arch, main square in Jackson |
Wildlife update: no moose. Dang.
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| Beer in Jackson |
It is always a bit
melancholy to finish trips like this.
While we are a bit leg-weary, we both would like to keep riding. But we also look forward to getting
home to see family and friends, and the pooches (thanks neighbors!!!). We have a couple of days in Jackson to
pack up Das Bike, then fly home.
This is the end of this year's blog. We hope that you’ve enjoyed following our adventures and we look forward
to seeing you.
Until next year, bon
voyage!
Doug and Lorie
