The idyllic Warm River Campground actually turned out to be quite noisy, I suppose that is what Labour Day weekend does.

It rained a couple of times in the night but this never really amounted to much, similar to my engish writing skills.

We were away like a pair of grey hounds leaving their traps after that stuffed rabbit, then within 5 minutes a hill and the greyhounds suddenly became snailhounds. The ride today is 13 miles on pavement then 10 miles on a track to find a nice wild camp spot or so we planned.

A different world

Once out of the river valley we entered a different world again, a little like a scene from home, tractors and fields (no hedges though) with wheat and potatoes the crops grown (I had to fight an sudden urge to wear a straw hat and suck on a piece of grass). We continued the next 12 miles on a road with gentle ups and downs (some ups were maybe not that gentle), when the puncture fairy struck again my third! After a lot of feeling around the tyre the culprit was the tiniest sliver of wire you could get, I did not spot this from yesterdays puncture and it did it again this morning sigh. Then the final mile to the track was ridden to where there was a sign about the fires. We could get through Idaho but the road was closed from the Wyoming border. All our carefully laid plans ruined.

The plan ruined

The maps were consulted and we would have to cycle south on the west side of the Teton mountains, then cross over a very high pass to Jackson. So we would aim to camp somewhere before the pass then tackle it tomorrow.

Returning along roads already travelled we bumped into Thomas and Mich from the Netherlands, we told them the bad news. We left them thinking what route they would follow and continued our journey. Following the usual zig zag network of roads we arrived at Highway 32. Here was a young mountain biker following an off road cycle track to Tetonia where we are heading as well (more about him later), we wanted to stick to the road so left him to the track (you notice the theme of leaving them to it?).

The Tetons getting ever closer

The road proved to be a real roller coaster of a ride constant up and down, easy but tiring. Passing through the only town on the way, Felt all we could see was Seed Potato sellers, Seed Potato storage, Seed Potato processing and Seed Potato outlets (well mabe not the last one), most of the economy seemed to be potato based. 

At last we reached Highway 33 just before Tetonia, just passed here the off road cycle track from earlier joined the road and who do we see there? The young mountain biker, the track must have been tough; for us to have been faster than someone! 

A “rolling” up

On through the town and there was a Motel and RV Park, but it was full and did not take tents. The owner suggested a couple of camp spots outside of town “two miles away”, before we tackled these two miles a coffee break is needed at the gas station.

Tetonia population 269

One coffee and one mountain dew later we were talking about where we were going and Patti, who had just filled her car with fuel, asked if we needed anything. Janet jokingly said “a lift over the pass tomorrow” the reply of sure I can do that was surprising (you could have knocked me over with a feather provided is was a foot long and made of lead). The conversation went along the lines of where are you stopping? That is SEVEN (refer back to the two we were told) miles away. Patti then offered to let us camp at her uncle’s house, just then Thomas and Mich turned up and tagged along with us. In fact Patti took us to her house to camp, what a lovely house it is. We pitched our tent in her garden, she found out towels and let us shower. Again what outsanding kindness.

Patti and Dan’s house

And.

Tent in the garden

Later that evening Dan Patti’s husband, an illustrator and fishing guide arrived with some friends, we even got some home made cookies, some water melon and a campfire to sit around.

A lovely day with a perfect ending.