The ride out of Yellowstone was undoubtedly the best of the trip so far. The Grand Teton mountain range may have been brief, but the backdrop it provided was remarkable. Every time we’d roll up on a pace line on the side of the road (typically the sign of a flat tire), it was almost always a photo-taking session. We had a strict arrival time of 11 am at our destination, so the sense of immediacy also added some excitement to the ride. Shredding through the bike path parallel to the mountain vista was the most fun I’ve had on the saddle this summer. But there was more fun to be had, as Jackson was set to provide us with two days of, to quote the team, “man-tastic” activities.
While technically not in Jackson, we spent our first night at the Twin Creeks Ranch in Idaho (a 30 minute drive from our arrival point). The ranch is owned by the Cushman family, whose son is a Pi Alpha from years earlier. A number of former JOH’ers showed us an incredible time in an equally incredible setting. On the off chance “The Real World” ever picked Idaho as a location, this property would certainly fit the bill. I stayed in the “garage” house and let’s just say there was nothing garage-y about it. I also had the chance to do some authentic horseback riding on a sprawling Western ranch (see obligatory cowboy pic), which was a welcome departure from the road bike.
The next day was jam packed and kicked off with some white water rafting. It was raining out and, according to our guide’s logic, we might as well be on the water if we were going to get wet anyway. Hard to argue with. The trip down the Snake River was a blast and occasionally challenging (we had a near raft flip, which I not-so-secretly would have been okay with). For any members of the Hoppey family reading, it definitely made me nostalgic for the days on the Mongaup river in upstate NY. Later in the day we took part in alpine sledding (which actually produced some minor injuries among the group) and trampoline-bungee at an off-season ski resort. We also saw a mock shootout in the town square which was pure hokey goodness. Rough life on our day off! Jackson already had my seal of approval for sharing a name with my little brother, but I really do think it will go down as a Top 4 best city we see.
As it often goes, we had to return to reality the next day. Dubois, WY was our next stop and seemed to fly by quickly. Our stop there included another meal from the Cattlewomen’s Association, who shared with us the grim realities of the beef industry today – including the prevalence of grizzly bear attacks on their cows! We also explored the local saloon scene (because why not?), and endured the aggressive presence of the affectionately-named town drunk “Frank the Tank.” You probably had to be there…
