Day 16 - We had to cross the mountain sometime...

Sir Garmin (the GPS) and AAA all gave us the same route. WY 22 over to Idaho and to the campground – 84 miles. No big deal, right? WRONG!

We left Jackson Hole about 9:45 a.m. It’s cloudy and in the 50’s.

The first sign something might be amiss was a sign showing WY 22, no vehicles over 60,000 pounds. Next sign was 10% grade doing downhill!

We slowly worked our way up the mountain. It began raining. Some traffic passed us as we were doing 20-25 mph. Now it’s raining…now it’s SNOWING! We’re almost to the top and David’s cell phone rings. It’s Eddie. He and Susan got in late and had a hard time getting up this morning. It’s a good time to stop and take the call as the transmission is beginning to overheat and it’s time to think about going down the hill.

We topped the mountain pass at 8,440’ in the snow. There’s a new sign – 10% grade for the next 3 miles. Three miles? Visions of Wolf Creek Pass in Colorado were running through my mind! Not sure what David’s thinking…I’m afraid to ask!

He keeps the truck in first gear as much as possible and brakes as necessary. Suddenly it levels out and we were in Idaho! Then were going up another pass! This one was easier – only 6,764’!

Sir Garmin sends us on to Ryrie, but we’re coming into Heise Hot Springs from a different direction. Last time we came through Idaho Falls, but not this time. Suddenly Sir Garmin comes to life and tells us to turn right. We did. It looks somewhat familiar. Then he tells us to turn again, but this time it doesn’t look familiar! We end up on a flooded dirt road with a dam/bridge/road that says a limit of 3 tons can cross. Way more than we weigh with the truck and RV. Two young men were fishing there, so we ask for better directions. He told us to go across that bridge and the campground was right there! David asked if there wasn’t another way as we couldn’t cross there. Fortunately they knew all the right turns.

We got back on the road and Sir Garmin now tells us we’re on a good route! Why didn’t he take us that way the first time? LOL We finally got to the campground and we’re almost in the same spot as we were the last time. It’s grassy and warmer here – 50’s. We planned to cookout (finally), so David set out some steaks. Into Idaho Falls to check email and update the blog.

We had gone to Barnes and Noble previously to use the wi-fi, but now they charge a minimum of $25 to access it for three sessions. We did learn that Schlotsky’s Deli across the parking lot had free internet. We were there so long, I thought they would put us to work. I checked all 400+ emails and got some of the blog done, but not caught up.

David talked to a man inside the deli who had made a quick stop. They talked about places to visit. When he left, he let his big dog out of the truck and the dog hopped right into the back of the truck! A good visit!

We have passed some new signs here that confused us:

GAME CROSSING – Monopoly? Scrabble?

WATCH FOR STOCK – IBM? Coca-Cola?

We also keep seeing a beautiful bird here. It’s black and white and has a very long tail on it. It’s stunning!

Finished “Though the Gates of Splendor.” David’s reading Apocalypse 2012 (it’s kind of out there!). I’m reading a biography of Mary – Queen of Scots.

See ya down the road!

Jenny :)