Horse Games and Stagecoach Inn

We had a bit of a dilemma this morning.  Do we go on a ride or stay around to watch Liam and Vincent play games on their horses.  The compromise was John watched the boys while Luca and I went on the ride.

I guess John was the only parent to watch but that was okay as his hips couldn’t have survived another ride in the saddle.  Luca and I went on the 3 hour long ride over a mountain ridge and down into the canyon where Sulfur Hot Springs is located.  My butt was sore, my feet cramping,  I had to use the bathroom and I was hungry by the time we arrived at the restaurant.

We had lunch of wild boar at the Stagecoach Inn that was built in the late 1800’s. Since the railroad didn’t arrive until the early 1900’s it was an overnight inn and restaurant for stagecoach and farmers.  It changed hands several times before Teddy Roosevelt slept here while mapping Rocky Mountain Nat. Park and Wyatt Earp and Doc Holiday slept here.  Other owners created a motor court with covered car parking for the Model T’s then it was made into a hotel.  A fire took out part of the second floor in the 60’s.  Finally about 4 years ago the current owners fixed it up as a bed and breakfast, restaurant and bar.  It has become a growing and welcomed fixture in Sulfur Hot Springs.

The Ranch trailered the horses back and gave us a nice ride home.

Around the campfire this evening the Range Riders were give awards and a Golden Horseshoe as a momentous of this week.  Liam was awarded the “True Grit Cowboy” and Vincent was awarded “King Loper”!

Sand Dunes, Loping, and Pow Wow

Today started with a fun breakfast of blueberry pancakes cooked ny the owner, Cheri as the chef had the morning off.  To make it fun Cherie tossed the pancake in the air and you had to catch it in your plate!  I was the first in line and made an awesome catch, but in celebration the pancake slid off onto the floor! There was no celebration for the second toss.  The boys did well and then it was Grandpa’s turn.  Let’s just say he fed the pigs 2 pancakes!

Liam and Vincent spent most of the day on their horses.  Near here are some sand dunes so the Range Rides rode to the dunes, passing by a bear farm and an alpaca farm.  The dunes had areas they used as slides so the jeans were pretty worn when they got back.  While they were gone Luca did a moderate ride, getting to lope several times.  Speaking of loping, John and I were able to take a loping lesson and can ride a lope fairly well now.  Well enough to go on a moderate ride if we so desire.

While the boys played cards with their friends, I participated in a water color class.

After supper all the kids and teens went on a hayride ending at a campfire.  They had a hunt for a deer antler which allows the finder to ride bareback on his horse.  Liam was the winner!  Following the pow wow around their campfire the kids came back and joined their folks at our fire, listening and  singing with Randal, a local country musician.

It was a very late nite for all of us!

PS:  After visiting with the ranch owners, Cheri and Jerry, we discovered that the boys were unknowingly feeding us a fib! One of the wranglers leading their ride told them while passing a field of cattle it was a bear farm. HA HA!!!

Breakfast Ride and Hatchet Throws

I had to wake the boys up this morning at 7am!  Then we grabbed a quick snack of muffins, yogurt or nut bread before lining up for the big Breakfast Ride!  Everyone at the ranch rode together in their family groups after getting photos taken on our horses.  We had about a 90 minute ride up hills, by the river, through the woods and across the Colorado River to a beautiful picnic area where the chef and his crew had prepared a hug breakfast over open fires.  We ate bacon, sausage, potatoes, scrambled eggs, pancakes and sourdough biscuits!  Then we rode back separately.  Liam and Vincent went with the Range Riders, Luca did a moderate ride where they lopped several times and I did a scenic ride.  John was able to return by car.

The rest of the day was pretty relaxed until after supper when we all got to throw hatchets at a target and shoot a bow and arrows.  Liam and Luca did really well at archery while Vincent excelled with the hatchets.  John and I just looked silly out there but there was lots of laughter and comradery.

Trail Rides

The day started out cloudy, then cleared up then it rained then cleared again then cooled down.  Typical mountain weather, I think.

While Liam and Vincent joined the Range Riders for their morning activities, John, Luca, and I took a scenic, walking trail ride.  Luca and I did well, improving our riding skills but John struggled with groin and hip pain and sore muscles to a point whereby he almost wanted to get off and walk back.  Liam and I are really learning how to stop our horses from eating grass along the trail.  

In the afternoon Luca took a lopping class and really enjoyed that.  He said it was much easier than trotting.  John gathered up his fly fishing gear to fish in the CO River but was interrupted by a brief thunderstorm.  That same storm wet me down at the end of a fun scenic trail ride.  Liam and Vincent also tried lopping and also got to try the archery range.  All three boys have made friends and enjoy playing games, cards and other activities with them. 

First Full Day of Activities

Up and attem early. Liam and Vincent couldn’t wait to put on their boots and walk around at 6 am!! Following breakfast Liam and Vincent joined the kids program where they feed the goats, donkeys and sheep, play games, ride their horses, do crafts etc, in the mornings and much the same in the afternoons but adding swimming.

John, Luca and I did a lot of standing around waiting for our turn at getting on and riding our horses. While waiting we learned about these horses training and how we will work with them to go forward, backward and turning.  Then we got on the horse, practiced what we learned and went on a very short trail ride.  I didn’t fall off!!

After lunch the three of us took the Horsemanship class led by the owners Cheri and Jerry.  We spent 2 hours in the hot sun learning why horses do what they do and how to make them do what you ask them to do and how to ask them the right way.  It seems I give Cisco some very confusing signals!  The last thing we learned was trotting.  This is hard!  But fun!  They have never had a rider laugh as much as me when trying to trot!  As we dismounted and walked away from the corral John was teased about having the ‘cowboy’ walk.  He could not stand up straight, poor guy!

Cocktails, dinner and a wagon ride rounded off the day.  John and I were exhausted but it was a struggle to get the boys to go to bed!  They are all making new friends!

Bar Lazy J Ranch

Erin, Bryan, Luca, Vincent, and Liam arrived at the River Run RV Resort in Granby just in time for lunch.  By 2 we had loaded all the luggage into the Jeep, all the boys had claimed their spot in the RV with John, and we said goodbye to Erin and Bryan who were going to enjoy a CO vacation.

It was just a 30 minute drive to the Bar Lazy J Ranch so we arrived early but they were ready for us.  I drove in while John waited for parking instructions for the RV and then they brought them all to our cabin.  We have the Sweetbriar cabin next to the petting animals and by the badminton court.

The boys were so excited that they had their own room and own beds! Once we got a few things unpacked we located Sam’s Shed where we found our loaner cowboy boots. Then we stopped by the dining room and found our table and the BIG basket of homemade cookies!  It didn’t take long for other kids to show up and start a badminton game.

Before dinner we all watched they herd all the horses into the corral from the pasture & down the road. This is done every morning & evening.

Dinner at 6, and orientation to the ranch and the upcoming week and then the one thing we all were waiting for (at least the boys and I were eager for, maybe not John so much!)- meeting our horses!!

Luca got Zeus, Vincent met Rawhide, Liam’s on Steamboat, John met Tate, short for Tater Tot, and I’m riding Cisco. 

Preparing For the Ranch

As we left Grand Teton Nat. Park, clouds obscured the mountain tops as if to say we are sorry to see you leave.  Wednesday was a long day of driving south on some very narrow roads with a wicked cross wind.  By the time we reached Rawlins, WY for the night John was worn out.  We continued on to Granby, CO again traveling on narrow roads with winds howling across us.  Luckily it was a shorter travel day.

We have to shop for groceries, pack up clothes and prepare to abandon the RV for a week while we are riding horses at a dude ranch with our three grandsons.  The Bar Lazy J Ranch is just a short drive from Granby.  Our daughter and son-in-law are taking vacation time to bring the boys to us, then they will enjoy Colorado by themselves while we try to keep up with these youngsters.  YeeHaw!!!

Granite Canyon Hike

We spent the morning recovering from all our hiking and biking ie we slept in.  But as the afternoon approached I was getting restless so I talked John into walking a short part of the Granite Canyon Trail which is in the park but is not a really popular spot.

The hike was very easy as it took us across a field of wildflowers and then across a creek and into the forest.  We turned around after about a mile and a half so that we got home in time to shower and head back into Jackson for a delicious dinner at Glorietta Tratoria.

Regretfully we are pulling out in the morning and heading down to Colorado. We truly enjoy the Tetons but we have decided that July is not the month to come here.  From past experience we know that mid to late August is a much better time to enjoy these majestic mountains without so many crowds.

Teton Pass

As if hiking up 1,400 feet isn’t enough torture for us old folks, we turned right around the next day and rode our bikes up to the Teton Pass at 8,400 feet.  

We started at a trailhead on the Snake River and rode up to Wilson then crossed Hwy 22 and rode the trail up to the pass.  We never would have made it with out the help of our E-bikes.  We started out with the lowest assist and got slower and slower. I was the first to kick the assist up a notch and we stayed there the rest of the the way to the top.  I kept telling myself that if I could make it up the Going To The Sun road I could do this one.  It  was an eight mile slog up and a burn-up-the-brakes cruise down, but we made it!

We felt so good about that accomplishment that we chose to ride the trail up to Jackson Hole Ski resort, an additional 11 miles.  All that work took care of the sore muscles and wore us out!

Crystal Butte Hike

Yesterday was a do nothing kind of day so today we did what John likes to call a “Kill John Day”.  We decided we would take a hike on a trail that is not part of the National Park and therefore not covered with lots of hikers.  

This trail is actually in the town of Jackson up a mountain opposite of the Snow King Ski Area.  We chose the ‘short’ hike of 1.5 miles one way but it was the steepest trail in this area (according to a local hiker) with a rise of almost 1,400 feet in that mile and half.  There is no way we could have managed that hike without our poles and hiking boots, we consumed copious amounts of water and balanced on a log near the top to eat lunch.

We didn’t get to the butte but it was high enough for me.  The views were awesome overlooking the city and the valley that surrounds it.  Coming down was almost as strenuous as going up.  I have a tendency to slip and slide on any loose gravel so I have to side step and take it really slow, using my poles to keep me balanced and on my feet.

Our bodies had not been abused this much in a long time - we slept well that night!

Sheep Mountain Slide

We decided to explore the area to the east of us near Kelley and outside of the park.  As the road climbed we notice the side of Sheep Mountain had washed away.  About that point we stopped at an information kiosk.  This was not a recent event.  

In 1925 after prolonged and heavy rain (and possibly aided by an earthquake) earth, rock and debris moved rapidly from at altitude of 9,000 feet down into the valley and up the slope of the red bluffs on the opposite side.  About one mile long, 2,000 feet wide and several hundred feet deep, the action lasted only a few minutes but a river was damned and the landscape changed.  The damned river formed the Gros Ventre Lake but just 2 years later, in May 1927 a part of the damn gave way sending a wall of water, mud and rock down the canyon 3.5 miles towards the village of Kelley.  The residents had just minutes to try to escape the flood.  6 people died and only 2-3 buildings survived.  Today the lake is called the Lower Slide Lake and is a destination for boaters, wind surfers and kayaks.

Fishing the Gros Ventre River

Today John tried his hand at trout fishing in the Gros Ventre River that runs behind the campground.  He hasn’t had a lot of luck as the river is running very full and very fast.  We realized that every time we have come here in the past it has been in mid to late August when the river is much lower and the crowds were smaller.  Later in the afternoon he tried a different spot and actually caught one!  I have spent my time exploring the riverside and taking pictures.

We have seen one moose a couple of times but there is no sign of the bison.  They must have moved up to higher, cooler grounds for this time of year.  

Teton Park Road

This  morning I packed and lunch and we put the bikes on the car and headed up the road a ways so we were closer to the park visitor center and entrance. We are really enjoying our e-bikes as they make it so much easier to ride long distances and up hills.

Inside the park we were able to ride almost 15 miles past all the lines of cars and full parking lots to Jenny Lake where we had a nice picnic lunch.  During this Covid thing everyone is required to wear a mask and I must say very few do not comply.

Time to Move

We needed to get water and dump so we drove due south on Sunday to Challis ID where we spent one night then drove south east toward Idaho Falls.  We kept going around the southern end of the Teton Mountains and spent one night at a National Forest campground along the Snake River between Alpine and Hoback Junction.  Again we found we were camped next to the busy, noisy road and had no good access to the river.  We did find a spot to watch rafters as they surfed over some class 2-3 rapids.  As close as we were to Jackson, WY and one of our favorite campgrounds, the Gros Ventre in Teton National Park, we decide we might as well camp there as anywhere else.

As we drove up to the entrance about lunch time and a big sign said “Campground Full”!  Not one to be deterred by a sign, John and I drove on in.  While I sat in line, John drove the RV to the Amphitheater parking lot to wait on me.  The host said it was truly full and to come back early, early the next morning.  So I asked if we could stay in the parking lot and was told it would be okay for one night.  We gladly set up camp there and then got our bikes out to explore the campground.  What we found was an empty electric site that we would fit in.  John made a beeline to the office and we snagged us a really nice spot.

Bitterroot Valley

When we left Flathead Lake we stopped in Missoula to dump, wash the RV, laundry, hair cut, grocery shop and pick up an Amazon order then on into the Bitterroot Valley at the foot of the Bitterroot Mountains.

We snagged a walk-in site in a National Forest campground on Bass Creek and liked it so well we opted to stay for 5 days.  The Bitterroot Bike Trail runs 50 miles from Missoula to Hamilton next to Hwy. 93.  So on one side you have magnificent views of the mountains, ranches and farmland  and on the other side is highway traffic with its noisy cars and trucks.  We rode about 20 miles on the trail and decided that was enough noise.

Running alongside Bass Creek is a trail out of the campground up the mountain which at this point is not very steep but beautiful with surrounding trees and rock walls and the only noise is the rushing waters and warbling birds.  We hiked up about 2 miles and John discovered a couple of places where he thought he could fly fish so Friday afternoon he hiked back up and actually caught one fish!  But the water was really cold and the hike a little too far for one fish.

Flathead Lake State Park

Actually Flathead Lake has 6 State Parks around the lake.  John got very, very lucky and reserved us a site in the West Shore Campground through the Fourth of July weekend.  And it’s a lovely site with a view through trees of the lake.

We have walked or hiked almost all the paths and trails in the park over the weekend.  The shoreline is pretty steep in most places but near the boat launch area people have found a way to be on the water.  Lots of kayaks and stand up paddle boards line the shore and in the campgrounds.  The weather has cleared, the winds are quiet and the temperature gets up to the low 70’s by mid afternoon.  It cools off into the 50’s at night so we are sleeping well!

We ventured out Thursday evening for a nice dinner at a bistro in Lakeside.  It is too easy for us to forget social distancing and face masks and the folks at the restaurant were not good about it either.  We took a chance and wish we hadn’t since we ended up sitting in the restaurant for almost 2 hours. We are resolved to only eat outside or carry out for the rest of the summer.