Footloose and Town

The day started out nice and sunny which meant we had to get out and enjoy the clear skies while we could. We took a walk - about 3 miles worth - into town to check out any sales that may have started for the end of season.

The big sales haven't started yet, but we enjoyed walking around town and taking some pictures of the downtown area with the much lighter crowds. These are shots of the Town Square, where there are the antler arches on each of the 4 corners on the square:

Josie went to the second floor in one of the stores to take these shots of the downtown area:

Even though it looks like there are still lots of vehicles, we can see a huge decline in pedestrian traffic along the streets in the downtown area.

It started to get cloudy and we thought for sure we would be trapped in town in the middle of a downpour:

but the storm went around us and we made it home to get ready for the Playhouse.

We had tickets for the presentation of Footloose, and we made it to the playhouse at around 7 PM:

This year, we only bought tickets for the show and skipped the dinner. As you may recall, we did the playhouse last year and included dinner and special front row seating, and we felt that we wasted that money as the meal was just so-so and the difference in cost for the front row seating wasn't worth the extra money. Our seats for this year's show were general seating and we sat in the sixth row which were good enough to watch the show.

This year, we knew one of the actors from work - Marius Handed - who does part time bartending at the lodge and played the role of the high school principal in the production. He is from Brooklyn, NY and has experience in several Broadway plays and has a very good voice. Here is one of the shots of his role as Principal:

The show ended at 10:30, and the entire cast is shown below as they took their bows at the end:

The show was somewhat disappointing as we felt that some of the actors and actresses were not cast properly. The singing wasn't tremendous, and the leading female role - that of Ariel, Wren's girlfriend in the show - was overweight and didn't have a great voice. Maybe we had expectations that were too high.

I recorded Austin's first game at Michigan State while we were gone, and there was a weather delay of over 30 minutes which took the game past the scheduled (recording) time slot of 3.5 hours. I missed the whole 4th quarter, but his team played better than expected against one of the top defenses in the country. I caught glimpses of Austin on the sidelines, but didn't see any plays where he was involved. The final score was 26-13, in favor of Michigan State, but the betting line had Michigan State winning by 27 points.

The last month of our season begins today - technically, tomorrow. With four weeks to go, we are hoping to squeeze in some fun trips before it ends...

Bike Ride Day

As planned, we took a ride in the Teton National Park from The Gros Ventre Junction to Dornan's restaurant near the Moose Junction entrance to the park. This was a ride that we had previously taken and really enjoyed. For the first time in over a week, the forecast was for clear skies and warming weather, so it was a perfect start to our "weekend" off from work.

We got started a little later than planned as we were almost to the park and realized that we took our helmets out of the truck on the day we went to Idaho Falls, so we went back to the fifth wheel and picked those up before finally getting to our starting point at 11 AM. The mountains were clearly visible as the haze from the wildfires has disappeared - at least for now:

The bikes were removed from the back of the truck and we got everything ready to go:

The ride is a fairly level one as we traveled from the Gros Ventre Junction:

along the main highway past the airport:

and finally to the tunnel that takes us under the highway at Moose Junction:

We arrived at Dornan's and took a break to walk around the stores, relax:

and then order some lunch in this beautiful area:

Josie took a couple shots while waiting for our sandwich, and caught these shots of me sipping a beer:

and of the beautiful hanging baskets at Dornan's:

Our ride back to Gros Ventre Junction was smooth this time as we didn't have the head winds that we had on our last trip. We rode a total of about 13 miles round trip and enjoyed the exercise on this day that was beautiful in the morning, but became cloudy in the afternoon:

We eventually got some rain shortly after we arrived home, and we were sure happy that we timed it right this time.

Even though the forecast is for clear skies today, we half expect another storm later in the day. It seems to be the pattern lately.

We were happy to hear yesterday that Austin will be traveling with the team on all away games as a true freshman. I will watch the game against Michigan State and also record it on the Big Ten Network as the game will be televised nationally at 6 PM today. Watch for number 47 who will be a back-up fullback, and play on special teams. Good luck Austin!!

End of Week 14

Our 14th week at work here in Jackson ended yesterday. There are still 4 weeks to go, and the number of guests has shrunk dramatically from just a couple weeks ago. Once again, we were a long way from a sellout but we had 22 walk-ins. That is the new mode at the front desk - fewer reservations and lots more walk-ins. We are still ahead of last year and that's what counts. We want to make the most of the 4 weeks ahead which means we will have to get out and do the things we want to accomplish. The weather forecasts over the last couple weeks have prevented us from scheduling our normal outdoor physical activities, but the new forecast looks like lots of sunshine on the way.

We would like to start this week's break with a bike ride in the Teton National Park. There are a couple locations where we would like to revisit with our bikes, and the first one is the Gros Ventre Junction to Dornan's ride. That was one that took us past the airport and was about a 16 mile round trip ride. The sun is out this morning, so it would be nice to get an early start.

Once we start getting back to our outdoor activities, the crocheting and cross stitch projects will take a back seat. It's really nice to have those projects to enjoy on the days that we stay home. Our bodies miss the exercise though, so it's time to get back to the healthier pursuits...

RV Park Update

We spoke with a couple that is working in the RV park for the first time this season. They are leaving the area a week from Friday and heading to their home in Branson MO. It is an example of the early departures by the employees at the park whose business slows sooner than ours. They had a total of about 16 spaces available at the end of the day yesterday, where a normal day sees the park full and turning away business. There are over 100 sites in the park, and this is the only RV park in Jackson. Another of the couples is leaving at about the same time, so there will only be a skeleton crew on site for the last few weeks of the season.

Our business was also very slow last night as we still had over 30 rooms available when we left at 11 PM last night. We only had 10 walk-ins, where a normal day during the busy season is over 20. The statistics for our August this year versus last year show an increase of 245 guests. We knew we had a good month, and the figures support that contention. The improvement in the economy is evident in the business increase this year.

The amount of rain we've had this month - almost 1.00" compared to about .01" last August - should have had an impact, but didn't. There were many more cloudy days this year and probably the same number of hazy days resulting from the wildfires. It will most likely be the norm for every season, as there is no way to prevent the wildfires starting from lightening strikes. The only hope is that they burn farther from this area where the smoke does not have a lingering effect.

Our "Friday" is today, and it is getting close to the start of our final month here. At about this time, we get the "hitch-itch" feeling and look forward to the next chapter in our travel adventure. We will soon have details on our schedule for October, as our tentative plan is to leave here on the 2nd of the month...

Downtown Construction

Just what we needed with only one month remaining in the summer season - a huge construction project on the main street in town. We already survived one major construction project with the widening of the main street earlier in the season, and now there is a project to place new pipes under the road near the center of town. It has made for a traffic nightmare as northbound traffic is being routed south of the main street into the center of town. This is what it looks like:

The construction has resulted in the businesses along the northern side of the main street to suffer huge losses as it is very difficult to access the stores from the road. It's sad that many travelers have come to town to see the mountains - now being blocked by haze and clouds - and the unique downtown area - now being blocked by construction. It has to be done, and the only time that construction can take place is during the warm months of summer.

We walked through town anyway and took a route that we haven't taken previously. We walked about 4 miles overall and it felt good to get some much needed exercise before going to work. We saw many of the hanging baskets that are in full bloom, like this one:

 

 

and we were wondering when the season ending sales were going to begin. Last year, the stores started selling everything at greatly reduced prices at about this time.

Our "Thursday" is today and we can see the change in volume at the lodge this week. There are about 15 - 20 rooms remaining at the end of each day, so the peak season has definitely passed. The telephone calls for reservations is also dropping off, so we have much more free time at the front desk. Another sign that the season is winding down is that our thoughts are beginning to turn to purging the fifth wheel of unnecessary items before traveling again. Before we know it, we will be on the road again...

Art and Antique Show

The final day of the three day Art and Antique show at the lodge was yesterday. We felt that if there was going to be anything that interested us enough to buy, the last day is usually the best for getting the best deals. The show was held in our convention center in the back of the main building:

There were lots and lots of nice old west items, most of which were priced out of sight. There were paintings that were priced $7,500 and above, and some of the jewelry and sculpture items were in the $15,000 range. This is Jackson all right. There was an artist that was painting portraits on the scene and he produced some terrific work while being on display throughout the show. Unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures in the showroom, so the nice displays cannot be seen. While talking to the show coordinator at the end of the day and following the closing of the show, she indicated that many of the vendors had an excellent show, while others did poorly. When items are priced as high as most of them were, it doesn't take many sales to call it a success.

We plan to take a walk into town this morning. There are some items that we need to look for to take with us when we leave Jackson in just over a month from now. We would like to get our shopping done early so that we aren't rushing around at the end of our stay.

I was not feeling 100% last night at work and am wondering if maybe I'm having some side effects from my new medicine that I picked up in Idaho Falls for my foot problem. At any rate, I will see how it goes today before getting too concerned about it. Our "Wednesday" is today, and another week is sailing by...

Short and Sweet

There isn't much to say about yesterday except it did rain again (.10 inches) and we went back to work for a new week. The forecast is still calling for isolated showers every day for the next week, so I hope it doesn't get boring reading about our days spent inside. We tend to have "guilt" feelings when we don't get out and get some exercise. It's probably a good thing that we feel that way.

We hope to get to the Art and Antique show that is presently running at the lodge. Today is the last day for the show, so we plan to go as soon as it opens at 10 AM this morning. One thing we can say for sure, and that is we both are getting in extra time on our needlework projects. Josie is crocheting all kinds of Barbie Doll items - hats, scarves, blankets and pillows - and I'm marching along with my "Humble and Bold" Indian cross stitch. Someday soon we will show some photos of our projects.

The morning is starting out in bright sunshine but the clouds have moved in by mid-day the last several days. It will be nice to see this pattern disappear...

Down Time Days

It's a time when the weather considerations forced another day at home. The forecast was for a 50% chance of precipitation, and that translates to 100%. It did rain - .25 inches for the day. The long term forecast for the next seven days has isolated thunderstorms present with a 30-40 chance of rain each of those days. Wow! We certainly didn't get this much rain - at least in the forecasts - last year. It's good in a way since the wildfires are all around us and the rain sure helps the firefighters.

As a result of the poor weather yesterday, we spent most of our day in the fifth wheel, except for a short trip to the grocery store to pick up my prescription from our trip to Idaho Falls on Thursday when I visited the foot clinic. Everything was OK with the blood tests, so I got my prescription filled with no problem. The 90 day supply of pills cost only $4.74 - the least amount I can remember paying for any prescription. Let's hope the stuff works.

There are some things happening around town. To start with, they began a new phase in the road repairs and the downtown area is a mess trying to get around. There are detours on several streets, and that really makes it tough for the visitors to get in and out of town. The other event is an Art and Antique show that is running at our lodge. That started yesterday and runs through tomorrow. It's for sure that the lodge show will result in more lobby traffic and work for us.

We head back to work today for the final week in August. This month has gone especially fast and before we know it, it will be time to pack up and leave. We're hoping for some nice weather soon so we can get back outside and take advantage of the time we have left...

Foot Doctor and Shopping

We left home at 9:30 to head to Idaho Falls for my 2 PM appointment at the Eastern Idaho Foot Clinic. The drive is always a pleasurable one as it takes us through some pretty country in Idaho. The drive also involves another trip over the Teton Pass that Josie was deathly afraid of for a long time. It still makes her nervous, but she is getting used to the Pass and doesn't want to crawl on the floor to avoid looking out the windows. We travel through Victor, ID and then through Swan Valley along the Snake River which is a favorite area of mine. Then, the trip takes us through some rolling hills of farmland before arriving in Idaho Falls.

We arrived in time to do some local shopping before my appointment. The first stop was at Michael's where we picked up some yarn for Josie and we then went to the Teton Valley Mall, where we walked through the Sears store looking for deals. The time was moving on, so we cut that visit short to head to the Doctor's office which was close by.

Following the usual paperwork at the doctor's office, I went into the patient room and visited with the doctor about my toes and the fungus infection. The infection was causing pain in only one toe, the big toe on my left foot, but was visible in several other toes. The doctor cut back my toenails as far as he could (ouch) and sent me to the blood lab across the street to get a blood test to ensure that my liver was normal before he is able to prescribe medication for the fungus. The reason my fungus wasn't improving was that I had been using medication that kills bacteria, but not a fungus. Hmm. He is prescribing a medication that I must take for 3 months, after which my toenails will begin to appear normal once again. He has already removed much of the pain with his extreme trimming of my toenail. It could have been worse, I guess, but he will phone the prescription to the local pharmacy here in Jackson once he receives the results of the blood test. There were other options that he discussed, non of which were acceptable to me, including "burning" off the toenail for life. Sheesh.

We then headed to the local DQ in Idaho Falls for a Blizzard before heading back to the Mall for more shopping. Josie had batteries replaced in a couple of her watches at the Kay Jewelers in the Mall, and we just walked around looking at this Mall for the first time. At around 5 PM, we made it to Sam's Club where we did our shopping for meats and fish and a few other items. We take our cooler with us and fill it with ice so we can travel home with the frozen and refrigerated foods without any spoilage or thawing.

As far as we know, the expected rain never arrived in Jackson and we have a 50% chance for rain today. Right now the sun is shining again, and it doesn't look like any rain is coming. I'm getting frustrated with the weather forecasts being so far off. Our days off are valuable to us and we like to plan for activities that will not be washed out. It is what it is, so we will play it by ear today...

Going to Idaho Falls

Since the chances for nice weather are not good for today and tomorrow, we scheduled a trip to Idaho Falls and an appointment for me at the Eastern Idaho Foot Clinic. I have been nursing a fungus infection on my toes for several months with over-the-counter medication and it hasn't improved. There are no Podiatrists in Jackson, and the nearest "Foot" Doctor is Idaho Falls, so today is as good a time as any to get some professional advice and care. We will also combine the trip with a visit to Joann's and Michael's so Josie can pick up some yarn and crochet supplies. Sam's Club will also be on the agenda, so today will be a very busy day.

I also realized yesterday how small this world really has become. I graduated in the final class from Ambler High School in PA back in 1960 - yea, I'm that old - when the population was less than 5,000 people. It is now about 6500 people and is a very small city by today's standards. Within the last two days I have met two people who are from Ambler. The manager at the Cutty's Bar and Grill where we had lunch on Tuesday, and a couple that was on the Caravan bus tour yesterday are from Ambler. It was a thrill to hear about all the changes in that town since I left in the early 60's and to hear about familiar haunts from those days in Ambler. Josie and I got the urge to revisit that part of the country again and also to visit her old territory in New Jersey. Maybe we can plan to go through that area in the next year or so.

It's hard to believe that it's going to rain today by looking outside this morning. The sun is shining and there aren't many clouds but the weather can change rapidly here. My appointment today is at 2 PM, so we will get ready to leave by 9:30 so that we get everything done...

Boot Barn and Cutty's

Shortly after we arrived here in Jackson, Josie returned a pair of her flip-flops that she purchased at the Boot Barn last year. They were a Minnetonka shoe that she had only worn for about two months last year and were getting unusual wear on the bottom. The store indicated it would only take about two weeks for the company to evaluate the claim and either give a credit for a new pair or reject the claim and return the shoes. We finally heard back from the Boot Barn that the claim had been settled so we took a walk to the store yesterday to discuss the solution. After two months of evaluation, Minnetonka and Boot Barn issued a full credit for the shoes, plus shipping costs to return the worn pair and sales tax from the original purchase last year. We were satisfied with the outcome, but are disappointed that it took two months to reach this conclusion. Boot Barn issued a cash card in the total amount of almost $70 which Josie will use at some point to find a replacement. End of story.

There is a Bar and Grill called Cutty's that is not too far from us that is claiming to have the best Philly cheese steaks in the area. We are already fans of the New York Sub Shop in town where we go to satisfy our Philly cheese steak urge and like very much. We gave Cutty's a try yesterday before going to work. The place has a much better atmosphere and menu, but I would say that the cheese steaks, although very good, are not better than the New York Sub Shop. Cutty's uses white American cheese instead of provolone cheese unless you specifically ask for the provolone. Otherwise, the steaks are excellent and we feel that both locations offer better cheese steaks than any other place we have had them in our travels. Another reason to love this area.

I should be wrapping up my insurance search today and have final documents to complete before implementing the new policies. I'm doing one more search before pulling the trigger on this insurance to make sure we're getting the best deal.

Our forecast for our days off this week looks like a good chance for rain on both days. We are not happy about that, but will plan a couple things where we can choose depending on the weather. In the meantime, we have our "Friday" today, and look forward to another fun filled break tomorrow...

Taking Care of Business

We have been trying to consolidate our vehicle insurance policies and yesterday was a day to get closer to achieving that objective. We currently use National General for our RV policy, and GEICO for the truck. At the time we insured our vehicles, RV insurance was only offered by a few companies to full-timers. It seems that full-timing presents very different criteria to insurance companies and there are slim pickings from which to choose. The business is changing, and there are more companies offering this insurance now, and, as a result, the companies are becoming more competitive in their offerings. We also had a hard time finding the best company to insure our tow vehicle for the same reason - full-timing and towing present unique conditions and some companies avoid that market altogether. It looks like we have finally discovered the right combination and can combine our policies with National General - the new company formed by GMAC. I expect to have everything finalized today that will save us about $30 per month.

We passed again on mowing the grass yesterday, so we hope to get that little chore completed today. Josie has been busy working on crochet projects and I have been trying to squeeze in some time to work on my cross stitch, so we haven't really pushed hard for doing much of anything else the last few days. We will be gearing up for some outside adventures later this week. It's about time for another bike ride, and we are looking at options for that while also looking at new hiking opportunities. There are plenty of choices for each, so it will be hard to decide where to go. We also want to take in the new show at the Playhouse this year - Footloose - so, hopefully we can do that on one of our nights off this week. We have to take a close look at the time remaining so that we can also plan the details for our departure in about six weeks. Time has a way of getting away from us, so it will be a challenge to do all the things we want to do before the season ends.

Rain is expected to move in the next couple days, so we hope to get that out of the way before our weekend begins on Thursday...

Marching Through August

It doesn't seem like we are more than half way through August as the time is flying by. All of our work days this year are the afternoon shift and we like this schedule better than last year's schedule where we had three days working the mornings and two days in the afternoon. It seems to be going as fast this year as last, and that's a good sign that we are enjoying the time. Usually, we start getting "hitch itch" about this time while working at a location. The urge to move-on has not been present with this job - in neither year we've been here - and we look forward to every day. There are still lots of things we want to do before leaving in about six weeks. The only disappointment has been the return of the haze from the wildfires.

We have also noticed that the maintenance issues have been more noticeable this year. We are having many more complaints from guests about A/C problems, lighting problems and issues with the condition of the rooms. We are convinced that something is stirring among the ownership which is resulting in a tightening of the purse strings when it comes to maintenance of the facility. There isn't the same attention to detail that was here last year. The building is 48 years old and needs updating in many areas. We'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next year.

The grass did not get mowed again yesterday and we let that task slide for another day or two. The grass just doesn't look like it is growing as fast this last week or so. That's good news. We did make a trip to Smith's grocery to stock up on some items - mainly fruit that we eat while working in the evenings. We have been having our main meal - supper - before going to work in the afternoon, and we just munch on fruit - apples, grapes, cherries, etc. - while on the job. It helps us to stay focused on our dieting plan by having the main meal earlier in the day. We are still losing weight, but at a much slower rate than in the first 5 months of the year. We feel like we have discovered a good plan for us to continue losing at a slower rate and at the same time, develop new eating habits that will keep off the weight and provide a healthier future for us. It's working so far, and we just need to make sure we get enough exercise to make it work.

Speaking of exercise, we are trying to decide what our next hike and our next bike ride will be. There are many trails to be discovered yet, so it's a matter of getting the weather to cooperate...

Crafts Morning

Yesterday was one of those days where Josie never got out of her pajamas until it was time to get ready for work, and I watched some TV while working on my latest cross stitch. Josie is working on a new afghan, and it was a nice time to do nothing but relax. Everybody needs a day like that once in awhile.

More haze has moved in from the Idaho wildfires, and it seems like August and most of September will be like this every year. It's hard to imagine a year without any wildfires, so we may just have to expect this scenario every year we return. Once again though, we feel sorry for the guests that have traveled thousands of miles to see the mountains and enjoy the parks. I'm sure that every location in the northwest is experiencing this phenomena as there are fires in just about every state in the west. The east has its humidity and risk for tornadoes and hurricanes, and the west has its forest fires and haze in the northwest and unbearable heat in the southwest. It's tough to find the right combination. This area comes pretty close though.

Day two of our work week will be spent with Donna at the front desk. Even though we sold out last night, it seems like a slower pace has arrived as the people that are staying at the lodge are staying multiple days. More and more of the kids have returned to school and we now see fewer families at the lodge. The phones are also slowing down and there are only about 6 weeks to go for the season. We will soon be planning our trip to IL.

We didn't get the grass mowed yesterday, so it is on the schedule again for today. We also need to take a trip to the grocery store, so today will be a little different from yesterday...

Granite Hot Springs

Before getting into the main activity from yesterday, I wanted to update our big hike to the top of the Snow King Mountain on Josie's Ridge behind our campground. I wanted to show this shot of Josie when we reached the top of the mountain on the Ridge:

At that point, we assumed we had reached the top, but actually, we had another 500 feet to go. The total gain in elevation from start to the top for the hike was almost 1800 feet.

The combination of having a nice, warm day and having some aching muscles from our hike the day before, we took a trip to the Mineral Hot Springs at Granite Falls. We had visited this spot last summer but did not have our bathing suits with us to take a dip at that time. This year, it was our goal to swim in the pool at the Mineral Hot Springs.

The drive to the Springs is a 10 mile drive on a dirt road off the main highway (US191) south of Jackson. The views are terrific and the road runs through the valley along a branch of the Hoback River. Here are a couple shots of the pretty drive:

There is the famous Granite Falls - where the river  boating scene was filmed in "A River Runs Through It":

 

just before reaching the Mineral Springs:

We paid our entry fee - $6 per person - and enjoyed about an hour of "soaking" in the pool:

We found out that the reason there was no odor similar to the hot springs at the pool we visited in Thermopolis, WY, when we worked at Cody, is that this is a mineral hot springs versus the Sulphur hot springs in Thermopolis. Of course.

Our ride home from the hot springs was not without a little bit of excitement. We saw some young mountain sheep along the side of the road and took these shots of them coming down from the hillside to get some food and water:

Our two days off this week were filled with fun activities and lots of exercise. We are hoping that the haze from the wildfires goes away so we can plan some more activities in the Parks.

It's back to work today at 3 PM, and we will probably mow the grass before heading out for day one of this new work week...

Josie's Ridge - The Big Hike

At first, we thought the forecast missed the mark yesterday as we awoke to what looked like fog and no sun. The sun started coming through what was actually a haze from the now multiple wildfires that are burning in Idaho. We started out to conquer Josie's Ridge on top of Snow King Mountain at around 10:20 AM. It has been the target, the big kahuna, for some time now since we started to hike most of the other trails that are in the area.

The trail was familiar as we started out and we could see the effect of the haze on our views:

We also took this shot of the lodge and campground as we started out:

We walked the familiar lower section of the KC Trail that we hiked about a week or so ago until we came to the turnoff sign that showed the way to Josie's Ridge:

The hike immediately took on a new perspective as we began climbing at a much steeper rate than before. These shots show various points along the climbing trail:

 There were lots of switch-backs as we took frequent breaks and we also ran into several other hikers, some of who were with their dogs, and all of whom were younger than us. At one point, we could see the Teton Pass in the distance, and we took this shot through the haze:

The Pass runs through the cleared areas in the photo above, and you can also see how the haze has blocked a clear view of the mountains.

After over 2 hours of hiking, we reached the top. The following photos were taken on the top of Josie's Ridge:

It was a shame that the views of the Tetons were blocked by the haze. Those majestic mountains should have been clearly visible from the summit. We decided that, should we return here next year, we will take this same hike in June - before the wildfires ruin the views, and before the wild flowers are done blooming.

We didn't see any wildlife on the hike, but we did hear gunshots in the distance as yesterday was the opening day for the Bison hunting season. Even though we didn't see any wildlife, we did capture a couple photos of a chipmunk:

and this butterfly:

After hiking for over 3 1/2 hours, we arrived at the tower where the Snow King Chair Lift ends at the top of the mountain:

This is also the location where the hang-gliders launch from the top and float down to land just behind our campground. Below is the pole that we see from our campground and where the wind sock shows wind direction for the gliders:

The Tetons should be clearly visible in the above shot, but can barely be seen through the haze.

This is a shot of the Elk Refuge from the top:

Again, the beauty is hidden by the impact of the haze.

At this point, we were not anxious, nor were we in any physical shape, to hike back down the mountain. After 3 1/2 hours and over 4 miles of the most strenuous hike we have taken to date, we were ready to ride the chair lift down to the bottom. We popped for the $5 ticket to ride the lift:

The following shot is of our lodge and campground as we descended the mountain:

We made it back to the fifth wheel after 2:30 PM. We then sat outside and had a cold beer before deciding to take the truck to the wash area in our campground and give it a much needed bath. we must be gluttons for punishment.

It was an exciting day and we feel very satisfied that we were able to accomplish our goal of hiking along the summit of Snow King Mountain on Josie's Ridge.

Today is a recovery day and we don't have anything planned - yet. The sun is out and the haze is still present, so we will figure out something to do to take advantage of our free time on day two of our weekend...