2 Sep
Great day! We departed the Redrock RV park west of West Yellowstone at almost 1000 hrs and headed south and east towards Jackson Hole, WY. Now, wait a minute, where the heck is "Jackson Hole". So here is the deal: “Jackson” is just one town in Wyoming, while “Jackson Hole” refers to the entire valley—which also includes Teton Village, Wilson, the Aspens, Moran Junction, Moose, and more. Both are named for Davey Jackson, a nineteenth-century fur trapper who was one of the first Europeans to spend a winter in the valley. So I am saying we are at "Jackson Hole". That is my story and I am sticking with it! LOL.
So back to our travels: We had a great, leisurely drive through the countryside in Idaho and we enjoyed the scenery. We stayed off the main roads and cruised the county roads. The area we traveled was very agricultural, not unlike where we live in Iowa - similar but different. We saw potato fields waiting for harvest and we saw wheat fields being harvested. We saw never-ending hay fields which are undoubtedly critical for the wintertime livestock feed. Interesting the bales are rectangular and larger than the traditional rectangular bales in Iowa. Most all bales at home are the big round ones.
We passed through several small towns and eventually we entered Tetonia ID and stopped for a puppy potty break. Nearby was a family-run food truck. We decided to contribute to the local economy and bought a couple bacon cheese burgers there before headed over the Teton Pass to our destination. The burgers were nothing special but hit the spot.
Just minutes down the road near Driggs ID traffic ground to a halt and with a FEDEX box truck in front of us. We could not really see what was ahead nor how long the line was, but when the FEDEX truck in front of us turned right onto a gravel road bypass, we saw a sheriff's vehicle dead ahead with it's emergency light on and it became evident we needed to follow suite. As soon as we turned it further became evident what had occurred. Apparently a fifth wheel trailer had become disconnected from it's tow vehicle unexpectedly, right in the lane of traffic. And there it sat.
Teton Pass is one way to get to Jackson Hole. The alternatives add literally hours to the travel and go south and around the mountains. The considerations of Teton pass is the grade. - up to 10% which is significant. The climb is one thing but the downhill side is another. We are equipped for this travel. First, we have a one-ton dual rear wheel pickup with a 6.7 liter Cummins turbo-diesel engine. Not bragging, but our truck is designed and equipped to haul. It has the torque to pull a 15,000 lb trailer in this kind of environment, and it has an exhaust brake that uses the engine to slow the vehicle down. It has an auxiliary transmission cooler, a larger radiator, larger brakes and an awesome driver LOL. It works hard but that is what it lives for, the truck that is!
So we climbed the grade over Teton Pass and all along the way we read the warnings. There are areas for trucks to turn off temporarily and cool their brakes.
If a truck has overheated brakes or a braking system failure, it can be fatal. They offer runaway truck lanes that use loose gravel and provide a path for a "last ditch" area for a truck to stop.
We survived Teton Pass easily, and rolled into Wilson WY where we turned north towards our campground.
We arrived at Fireside RV Park in Wilson WY at 1247 hrs after driving just 112 miles. With one stop. We were checked in quickly by friendly staff and proceeded to our campsite. We got all set up but the neighbor had a fricking Pitbull and was not on a leash. Seriously. The owner was present but he could not control the dog. The dog made a couple aggressive advances towards me even with the owner and his wife trying to corral him. Bottom line we headed to the campground office and made sure they knew I would take "whatever actions were necessary" to protect my wife and my dog. I suggested they deal with the issue and relocate us as I would not tolerate this for the next six nights, which they did. So we packed up the fifth wheel, again, and moved spots. By then I was fit to be tied. What inconsiderate assholes. But it is what it is and we got all set up in our new spot. Beer-thirty!
Our new neighbor is an Air Force Vet who served at Offutt AFB near Omaha NB. I have yet to officially meet him, but as we rolled in he addressed me as "Chief", so I am looking forward to meeting him and his wife.
Trip Stats:
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