24: DuBois, Wyoming

Day 24:  Wednesday, July 15, 1981
Jackson Lake to DuBois:  68 miles

Frost covered everything when we awoke this morning.  It was too cold to bother fixing breakfast, so we ate in the restaurant at the campground.  I guess we're just fair-weather campers.

Frosty morning in the Tetons

From Jackson Lake, we headed just about straight east along US 287 and US 26.  The Tetons lay behind us, and as we climbed to Blackrock Pass and Togwatee (Toh-guh-tee) Pass, Guy and I kept snapping pictures at each viewpoint.  The Teton Range is magnificent - just like the mountain stereotypes in advertisements and on the Busch beer cans.

Teton reflections

Togwatee Pass is at 9600', which meant a climb of about 3000' from Jackson Lake.  It wasn't steep, but it took Jack and me until 3:00 pm to reach the top.   We could have done it two hours faster, but Jack had three or four flats.

So long to the Tetons

On the way up, we met Bob Russell, a national officer of the League of American Wheelmen, who was returning from the national LAW convention in Ames, Iowa.  He's a very interesting person:  69, retired, active in LAW, a former test pilot (flew the prototype BD-1, or American Yankee), active in the Experimental Aircraft Association.  He'll be flying a Cessna 180 to the big EAA meet in Oshkosh in August.  He mentioned that Steve Leiby from Lansing was elected regional LAW representative.  Steve's a good guy for the position - really gung-ho for cycling, and a mover.

From the pass, we had a downhill all the way to DuBois - about 20 miles, part of it along the Wind River.  The wind always blows here.  Fortunately, it was blowing our way, strong.  The red-and-white striated hills just west of DuBois were impressive - more photos, of course.

Aren't those stripes cool?

Name these flowers!

Name these flowers!

Much of the forest land along the Wind River is lodge pole pine.  Until World War II, much of it was hand-harvested to make railroad ties, which were then flumed to the river and floated to Riverton, the railhead which lies some 90 miles east.

We're at 7200' here in DuBois.  It's much more open country, and seems quite a bit warmer.  Although huge horseflies pestered us on our ascent today, the campground tonight is bug-free.  And we took showers tonight, the first in three days!

Jack and I had cube steaks for supper tonight - two apiece.  With potatoes and salad, the meal cost $5 or so - expensive, but it still beat a restaurant.

There's a riding stable next to the campground. They had just brought the horses down from winter pasture, and were getting them used to carrying packs again.  When I wheeled into the campground, I must have spooked one, because he started bucking, and the packs went flying all over.  It must have taken them five minutes to quiet him down.

The man and wife (she is from Grand Rapids, Michigan) who owned the stable had just sold it, and were in the process of training the new owner in the handling of horses.  They said there was just too much red tape involved in the business.