Internet here in the wilderness has been off and on, so catching up w/ the past few days. On Tuesday, we went on a horseback ride. Of course, I have not been on a horse since high school ... so it was going to be an interesting day. The outfit that provided the rides was wonderful, sending groups out w/ a wrangler guide on a 'when you show up' basis. We headed out in the AM and our group was just Dick and I, along w/ our wrangler. It was great, very casual and relaxed - well, sort of. Our guide could certainly tell we were 'green around the hooves' so to speak, so he kept a great pace and took good care of us.
Dick's saddle kept sliding to the side, so there were a few stops for adjustments. I was bringing up the rear on the trail and could see the periodic slides of his saddle ... guess these horses are not equipped with seat belts!!! I was hoping I was not going to see Dick 'go under.' Good grief!!
The trail was really in the wilderness - no cars, roads or anything else that even looked civilized along the way. We first crossed a series of creeks ... yikes, those were some fast moving waters, but our horses sloshed right through them. Good thing we had on our waterproof hiking boots!! After crossing some grassy meadows, the trail climbed high up onto a hill - I guess it was a hill, but seemed like a mountain. Weaving through the woods on the climb, it was all we could do to hang onto our hats!!! This was the view from the top ... what a view of the Tetons!!! It was pretty amazing.
So we made it down the steep hill and back across the rushing streams. Our ride was 2 hours which was just about right for us newbies. My knees bothered me due to their angle while in the saddle. Dick was a bit stiff, to say the least ..... he promises to get back to that yoga once we get home! Meanwhile, Dick was ready for a whirlpool :-)
This was our wrangler guide, but neither of us can remember his name. His livelihood is wrangling - and moving from place to place where he can find guide gigs like this. He was a great guy and made our ride really enjoyable.
After our ride, we did what all the cowboys do ...... we high-tailed it to Jackson Lodge for cold beers and some grub!
Yesterday (Wednesday), we decided to do a little exploring with Cutter. We grabbed our bear spray and set out for a drive.
The remote road we took was really a jeep trail, so it was pretty rough. In many places, the landscape looked like this - pretty barren with trees down everywhere. Many of the trees looked like they had been cut down .... not sure why. I will have to check with Adam - my nephew is a junior in Penn State's Forestry Program - he will know what's happening here.
The road was ROUGH - a real jeep trail, so we decided to to turn around and head back.
On the way, we stopped along one of the meadows to let Cutter run and play. Dick found some great sticks that Cutter loved and really wore him out, while I was on 'bear watch.'
Last night, we went to a rodeo in Jackson Hole - yee haw!! What fun! The place was packed with tourists like us, along with the locals having a great time watching this all-American western sport. This shot is the opening ceremonies.
We saw calf-ropin' ...
Bronco buckin'....
this one without a saddle, and
This bronco was buckin' his cowboy with a saddle. Geez....holding on for 8 seconds seemed like a lifetime! I cannot imagine holding on!!
And.....we got to see some bull ridin'... They also had barrel races with some super-fast cowgirls riding their horses, and even had a competition with little ones - probably just 4 or 5 years old - riding sheep! It was a really a hoot and a great time!!!
So...tonight, we are off to meet a group for a Float Trip .... floating 10 miles down the Snake River. First is a BBQ steak dinner, so better get myself ready....we're meetin' at Moose Junction at 5PM. Woo Hoo!
Tomorrow, we leave Tetons and will head to Yellowstone for a week. I'll catch up again when I can.....we will still be in the boondocks!
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