My wife and I thought we only had one week off for vacation this summer and were not going to be able to go out west. But at the last minute we found ourselves with two weeks off and decided to head west from Florida.
Our original plan was to go to Colorado but the wildfires kept us at bay. Instead we opted for Wyoming, with our primary target the Teton's for some backcounty backpacking and kayak camping.
The following is a photo journal of our nearly 6,000 mile adventure.
First stop...Tupelo, Mississippi
Next stop....Tom's BBQ in Memphis, TN. Featured twice on Drive In's Diners and Dives and voted best in Memphis. Adam (owner) is a great guy and treated us like honored guests.
When you are traveling through both the desert and the mountains this is bound to happen in the same day!
Silvercliffe, Colorado
The Beckwith Ranch in Silvercliffe....
Next stop...Cody, Wyoming for a brief visit with friends then on to Yellowstone on our way to the Teton's.
Route 14, the east entrance to Yellowstone is a beautiful drive.
A view from Mt. Washburn, one of the highest points in Yellowstone.
Look closely and you can see the fire tower on the peak of Mt. Washburn. You can go online and see the webcam view from this peak.
A snowfield hanging on. Mt. Washburn
The requisite bison photo.
We met this amazing family just south of Yellowstone. They are a family of 5 and one dog on two bikes. They left their home in Durango, CO 2 1/2 months ago. Follow them on thefamilyride.com
Relaxing in the Teton's
This was our view from a free campsite on BLM land.
Getting ready for our Kayak camping portion of our adventure.
A little fishing from our Kayak campsite in the shadow of the Teton's
Not a bad place to stop for coffee and breakfast.
On a road through the Bridger Teton National Forest
Cowboy coffee gone bad.....
Getting ready for the backcountry backpacking portion of our adventure. We backpacked 7 miles into the backcountry and camped on the backside of the Grand Teton at about 8600 feet. We were staring straight up at those majestic peaks.
Got a shot of this moose through my Iphone and binoculars again.
This big boy was within spitting distance of our campsite.
This satellite view shows our campsite "dropped pin" in the shadows of the Grand Teton
We came across this "very fresh" bear scat!
The weight of a 40lb pack, elevation increase and decrease of 3200 feet and my 57 year old back gave me some problems after we returned from the backcountry. There was some inflammation around my disc which pressed on my nerves. Nothing that some steroids and pain meds could not fix. We spent no more than an hour in the Emergency Room in Jackson Wyoming. Thanks Doc Morgan!
Split Rock, Wyoming. This site is where the stage coaches and Pony Express passed through. I got to relive my youth playing cowboys and Indians in these rocks.
The Dear Wife is always glad to take over for me when I need a rest. This is our third trip out west with this dually. She says it's like driving her car. She remembers with much angst our previous trips with our SRW F250.
We stopped at Cabella's headquarters in Sydney, Nebraska. Pretty disappointing after you have been to Bass Pro Shops Headquarters in Springfield, MO.
Stopped at Meridees's in Franklin, TN. A must stop for baked goods and a hearty breakfast.
All good trips must come to an end and the Atlanta traffic will bring you back to earth in a hurry. We still had 7 hours ahead of us after we broke through Atlanta.
I spent the day today cleaning the road grime and bugs from nearly 6000 miles off the TC and the Dodge. They are both now spic and span and pointed in the right direction for our next adventure.