USA 2024 Day 11 – Jackson to Pinedale

Awake at a normal time with hurry to get up.

We use this ‘lazy day’ as an opportunity to sort out the mess our holdalls have gotten in and take a stroll around Jackson one last time.

There’s been nothing wrong with the other towns. This one is just the best of a good bunch.

Today we started in – Jackson, Grand Teton, Wyoming
We finished in – Pinedale, Wyoming
Miles travelled today – 92
Miles so far this trip – 1652
Tonight we are staying at – Jackalope Motor Lodge, Pinedale

If I haven’t said it before I will now. This is our favourite town so far. Location, ambience, atmosphere and the pleasant strolls around in the evenings have been the best we’ve experienced.

It’s a Saturday and it turns out it’s Market day. The roads around the town square is closed and traffic is replaced with stalls, food trucks and gazebos offering everything from beakers of fruit, to coffee, food and in some cases alcohol products.

The closed roads though mean more traffic on the other roads around the town centre. This causes the obvious congestion, compounded on occasion when a horse and carriage offering town tours trots by.

With all these stalls we of course decide to go to into the busiest coffee shop in town it seems.

We are just 90 minutes to Pinedale, which is just as well, as we have decided to go back to see something we missed before.

Coffees in hand we head off to the The National Museum of Wildlife Art, situated just north of Jackson. I am hoping to see some more examples of the stunning photography we have already seen.

Once we have parked, without charge again, we go inside and chat to the lady on the desk. Turns out there are only a few photographs dotted here and there.

As a result we decide not to pay to enter but enjoy the free exhibits and put some wildlife art we did up in a shared walk for all to see.

Upon leaving, we discovered there was a single seat roller coaster and we paid a visit to Snow King Mountain to take a ride. Max and I zoom down The Cowboy Chaser, a one seater rollacoster, thoroughly enjoying the 3 minutes each for the $46 it cost!

We headed back to the car, totally ready to get on the road, but, also realising how filthy the car was.

Although it is a hire car, we feel slightly responsible for the terribly dirty state it is in. If we returned it like this, the rental company would think we have been doing rally cross. When in fact, it is this filthy due to a mixture of a rain shower, and a dusty road we took though Custer National Park on a Buffalo Hunt!

This Car Wash, at Jackson, is very efficient. Pay in lane, drive to start of wash where two men gave the car a spray with something. Then, pop the car in neutral as it pulls you through while the big brushes slap the side of the car.

Out the other side and it looks more like a normal car than a rally one!!

Lunch was had at Wendy’s, and we hopped from the chilled car across a 90 degree car park into the chilled restaurant. I’ve said it before I think. Whoever invented if air con needs some kind of award!

Over the next few days we have very little (compared to the last 9 days) to see, and the object of them is to get from Jackson, to Glenwood Springs. It is a little shy of 8 hours, and we are giving ourselves three days to do it in.

The drive south towards Pinedale is a pleasant one. The roads are long, stretching off into the distance sometimes winding out of sight.

Mountains fill the horizon. Pine trees sit closer to the road side as the sun beats down. We are cool as cucumbers in our air conditioned car.

We occasionally pull over and and enjoy an overlook or a scenic view point.

A lot of my enjoyment of these holidays come from these drives. Just the open road, the views and the difference between driving in the USA vs the UK where everything feels a little claustrophobic. As if the next traffic jam could be just around the next narrow bend.

Here though, you sometimes feel you’re the only car on the road and a traffic jam is as likely as being abducted by aliens.

Occasionally I try to take a photo from the moving car. Some are more successful than others.

We arrive at Pinedale and the Jackalope Motor Lodge. Park, the nose of our freshly cleaned car just 4 feet from the front door. The room though is outstanding and I only regret not taking photos of it.

It is one of the best ‘basic’ motels we have stayed in. Spotlessly clean, trendy (if a 50 something man can call anything trendy). Everything worked, and it was smart and up to date.

In terms of things to see, Fremont Lake was the only thing on the list so we packed Max’s swim gear, and off we went.

The dusty track to the lake makes you wonder if you are on the correct road, but a sign soon reassures you. We still manage to take a wrong turn and we end up driving around a campground, before navigating back out, and find the correct route.

Max enjoys a swim, as I paddle as far as I can in normal clothes, and we chat to a family who are visiting their family nearby.

Dinner is at the Wind River Brewing Company. A smart place, whose sign highlighting their location stand tall on at least 15 beer barrels, stacked on top of each other.

The flight of Beer take my fancy, and while a couple are pretty average, the Flamingo Sour and the Pina Colada are both the oddest, and unsurprisingly, my least favourite.

We leave, as an attempt to get home before it gets dark. What we didn’t account for was the storm. Over to what I think was the East huge black clouds were gathering, the wind pushing them towards Pinedale.

After 100 yards or so, we feel the first drop, and the wind picking up. The clouds are now even blacker, and angrier and it is clear a storm is coming.

Confirmation came as the sky lit up, followed by a rumble of thunder. Naturally, we increase our pace as what is coming could be a downpour.

And it was. The rain came violently bouncing off pavements, cars, and canopies. Wind blowing the rain under the porch that ran along the rooms of the motel.

The thunder and lightening didn’t really materialise, but the rain did enough o make us retreat indoors, hunker down, and hope for a clear day tomorrow.