Saturday, July 3rd (Breakfast Cruise & Rest)
High Point: Breakfast Cruise
Low Point: Chilly weather today (we changed our minds about a swimming trip to String Lake)
No sleeping in today ‘cause Mike and the girls were scheduled to take a breakfast cruise on Jackson Lake at 7:30 am. We somehow got up and ready by 6:20 and drove off to the Colter Bay Marina. I picked up a breakfast burrito from the restaurant and then hung out with Buster and watched the boats come and go.
The boat trip toured the lake and gave some local history and stories before docking at Elk Island for a picnic breakfast of lake trout, hash browns, eggs, pancakes, and coffee. The cooks said Julia looked tough, so they let her ring the dinner bell. Everybody returned to the dock with full tummies and lots of new stories (a favorite about a guy who got off his Harley D motorcycle to take a picture of a bison but didn’t realize the bison would be agitated by the motor of the bike – he was okay, but the bison crushed the motorcycle which, it turns out, insurance did not cover for “buffalo attack”).
Elizabeth on the ride to Elk Island
Campfire Breakfast
The rest of the day was a much-needed day of rest. Everybody took naps, and later Mike checked the brakes on the camper while everyone else read books (Julia read Maniac Magee twice and Elizabeth read The Hunger Games).
Julia reading by the fire Elizabeth with a book and the dog
Mike checks the camper brakes to make sure we’re set for the next
leg of the trip
We had some time for dinner, so we experimented with the cast iron dutch oven. We had a pumpkin bread mix and a can of apple pie filling. Adding a little applesauce and letting it cook for an hour, we ended up with an amazing dessert that doubled as breakfast the next day.
This was our first real “boondocking” camp stop, and it went really well. We refilled the water tank once, and that gave us enough water for dishes and periodic showers; also, the batteries, once partially charged, gave us enough power to run the lights occasionally and run the heater at night.
These mountains are gorgeous and we’re going to miss them.
The Woelmers say good-bye to the Tetons!
Tomorrow we head for Utah . . . without camping reservations . . . on the 4th of July.
