I headed south on main street in Logan, where they could use a little help numbering the streets and keeping road signs visible from behind trees and shrubs. It is a beautiful town, don't get me wrong, but I'm blaming them for me missing the sign and the having to back track a mile or so:). Once I finally found Highway 89 (clearly visible this time around), I pointed my front wheel east and got out of town. No interstate riding in the plans today, instead I happened upon a twisting, winding road. No better way to start the day than by grinding down my highway pegs.
Construction season has been in full force throughout my vacation, yet I've had very few delays. A few miles down the road I was stopped for about ten minutes, and being the first in line, I got into a lively chat with the flag boy. He had just graduated, and he was amazed at his surroundings. It was a nice morning, and the scenery was easy on the eyes, but this kid hadn't been out of the city much in his life. He told me how his heart was racing, and how awesome it was to be out in nature. It was great to see a kid that excited to experience just being outdoors. In my opinion, there's far too many kids in North America that never really get to see nature, instead they are trapped behind screens living a virtual reality. The sights and smells of our great countries, and the freedom to explore them should not be taken for granted.
After leaving that stop I continued on my way, stopping again at the overlook just before making the descent down to Garden City on the shores of Bear Lake. I took a few pictures, read a few plaques, and then got back to riding. I turned north once I got to the lake, electing to stay on highway 89, and travelled through a series of villages until I stopped to get gas in Montpelier, ID.
There was a lot of amazing country after that, and I really would love living in southwestern Wyoming. I just really enjoyed the ride today, knowing that I only have a few more days before returning to more familiar country. It's not that I won't enjoy the trip home, but very little of that trip will be new to me. I guess the thought of returning to reality kind of hit me for the first time, I don't want to go back to reality! It was perfect weather today, not quite as stifling hot as the last few days, just nice and warm.
I finally rolled into Jackson, and after a quick lunch there, it was off to see Teton National Park. I wasn't able to get this in while I was in Yellowstone, and knew I would regret not seeing the Tetons. They are impressive, mostly because of the tremendous vertical relief. It goes from a flat valley to 13,770 feet at the highest point, 5000-7000 feet above the valley floor. Riding on the park road was impressive, and then riding up to the summit of Signal Mountain was another spectacular view. One can see for many miles from up there, it was a great view. Got to talking with a man from Colorado up there, it was fun to share the view with someone friendly. I'm going to miss all the spontaneous chats with strangers.
Coming back on the main road south to Jackson, our line of vehicles was stopped so that a herd of horse could be moved to a range across the road. It was an interesting sight, not a frequent one that's for sure.
Traffic was insane in Jackson, the little town is bursting at its seams during the peak summer tourist season. Getting onto highway 22 towards Victor, ID it felt like rush hour in a city. Traffic was barley moving all the way to the base of the Teton Pass. The pass was intense, 10% grades up and then the same grades down. The turns are sharp, which is kind of fun when coming down. Left a lot more chrome from the pegs on that stretch of road. In Victor, I took highway 31 west, finally out of lineups. There were a lot of vehicles going in the other direction, but hardly any going my way until turning onto highway 26 at Swan Valley. There's a lot of nice farmland east of Idaho Falls, I could see myself living on a farm out here. I'm getting all nostalgic and I'm not even gone yet:)
I was tired by the time I got to the hotel in Idaho Falls, and was surprised to find that they actually have a complimentary dinner buffet. It's salads and homemade soups, and it was a great supper. The Cajun Corn Soup was delicious, and it was nice not to have to try and find something yet. By the time I was out of the shower it was after 9:30, and now it's time for bed.
Not sure how much riding I will get done tomorrow, my bike has an appointment for a service job, and I may add a thing or two as well, depending what I find. Either way, I will at the very least ride highway 20 to Mountain Home, a route that comes highly recommended. From there it's one more day to The Tri-Cities, where I will spend a long weekend catching up with friends.
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