Jackson, Wyoming: There was a bit of housekeeping this morning. The freezer needed to be defrosted. It didn't take very long, considering there was quite a bit of ice on the roof and back of the unit. All better now and we are back in business. Should probably do this once a month or so? With all the water on the floor after the task, I went into full-housekeeping mode and mopped the RV. Okay, it only takes 3-4 minutes?
We walked a mile to town for lunch at the Merry Piglet. This place has delicious salsa. I try to replicate it, and often get close. One day. The restaurant is worth a visit just to see the interesting and funny pig "art" throughout the establishment.
I mean, seriously, how many times I have seen a pig with a bird on her head, carrying a hat-wearing iguana sipping on a margarita? There is another mural with a couple of pigs cruising the Sonoran desert in a vintage convertible, tacos in hand. Awesome.
Christmas (red & green chile) sauces.
Do I even need to mention we could not even begin to eat all this food and since we ordered nearly the same thing - why didn't we split? Idiot tourists.
today was Saturday Market and the square was crazy-busy, so just DT this time.
We returned to our RV after a look through some of the fabulous shops in Jackson. We always love looking through the high-quality stores, but Western-themed stuff is not our thang, though we did once buy a pair of cowboy boots for Leo here when he was toddler. As I remember, he did not take them off his feet for weeks unless he was bathing. Leo slept in those boots! So many beautiful things in Jackson. Elk antler candlestick holders. Cowboy/girl hats. Silver belt buckles. Bolo ties. Western-themed kitchen items. Not too much of it made in China. There are also many outdoorsy shops for fisherpeople, skiers, hikers, bikers, rafters and kayakers. So many coffee shops, ice cream shops, bars and restaurants. It is also very fun to shop when you know you are not going to buy a thing.
Oh, wait. I am not telling the truth. We have purchased a refrigerator magnet at Craters of the Moon National Monument, Yellowstone National Park, and Grand Tetons National Park. The Norcold fridge in our RV is NOT stainless steel (just looks like stainless steel) and accepts magnets. Hopefully, one day, our fridge will be filled with "national" magnets?
After a quick rest back in the RV after lunch, we met our tour group for a scenic float down the Snake River with Dave Hansen Rafting. This company offers crazy white-water trips or quiet "you won't get wet" scenic trips. We were surprised to find only 9 people on our tour, and they split us up onto two rafts. One raft was for four women on a bachelorette party from Napa, and our raft held DT and me, a very nice couple from Michigan, and a young Korean woman doing a summer internship at a Jackson hotel via her Hospitality graduate program at an Ivy League school on the east coast.
We had so much fun. Swapping stories of our travels and listening to our amazing guide, Eagan. The Snake River wasn't exactly roaring, and we did book a "scenic" trip instead of a white water trip, so we basically floated 13 miles down the river while Eagan steered with two oars. We saw so many eagles. Maybe 20? So many eagle nests. So much bird life, but not even one mammal (not counting the random cattle hanging-out along the river).
At one point, near the end of our float, our raft passed through enough rapids that our student flew off her seat! Wow, did we tease her. Eagan let her row for a bit as well. Ms. Hong was a trooper, stuck in the wilderness with us.
We rode out to the raft entry point - and were fetched at the drop-out point - in an old blue school bus. On our way back town, we asked the driver if she could drop us off at the RV Park (she was driving past the campground on her way back to town). Not only did she say yes, our driver basically took a back way and dropped us at our doorstep! So accommodating. I just can't recommend Dave Hansen enough.
Back at our campsite, we decided to just have a salad for dinner. Tired and we had such a large lunch. It was a caprese-type thing with Kalamata olives and avocado.
Until my next update, I remain, your Snake River correspondent.
Campground Information: The Virginian RV Park - This is the only game in town. Less than a mile to town. Full-service sites, bathhouse, laundry, pool at the attached hotel. Restaurants. I will write my review after we leave. We have a back-in gravel site and are paying $170 per night. Not a typo. I will post a review after we leave.