Saturday, September 6, 2025

Thursday, September 4, 2025 On to Lava City

 

Thursday, September 4, 2025 Lava City

I like sitting in the big house that moves.  I sit at the door and look out.  Sometimes, my humans think I want outside, but I know there are bad critters out there, and I am content to just sit and watch.

It was cold this morning.  We bundled up for our walk.  We saw what looks like a trail out of one of the group camps.  We followed it through the forest.  The floor is soft dirt with pine needles, very easy walking.  After less than ½ mile, we found ourselves at Jackson Lake.  We had no idea it was so close to our campsite.  The beach is littered with some incredible driftwood.  I would so love to drag some of it home for my orchids, but that wasn’t going to happen.  It is quiet, and all we hear is the water gently lapping up on shore.  It is quite pretty.  Once Spouse and I parted ways, I continued walking on some of the forested trails in the campground.  I prefer the Grand Tetons over Yellowstone.  But the skies have been quite hazy.  You can barely see the Tetons on the horizon.  The Oxbow bend scenic lookout is almost colorless.  Having been here before, I know how beautiful this scenery normally is, and I can live off of that!  Not sure what the haze is.  No fires that we know of.  Who knows.







Spouse had a little run in with the trailer hitch, but he ultimately got Artie hooked up.  We didn’t leave till almost 11 am.  We headed out of the park, and turned south towards Jackson.  My, it is hazy.  We pass the buffalo herd, continuing past the Elk Refuge (we did not see any elk), and enter the insanity that is Jackson.  We pick up hwy 26/89 south, which passes through the Targhee National Forest.  Rugged mountains loaded with pines and aspens tower above the Snake River.  Spectacular scenery.  At the town of Alpine, we become only hwy 89 south, as 26 turns north.   It is still rural, but lots of establishments spaced way far apart… a post office… a stone mason… etc.

We then turn onto hwy. 34 towards Wayan.  I must admit, I have been having some disputes with the GPS.  She wanted to take us way south to go north.  Naw, not when there is a road that will cut the mileage in half.  I always have a map on my lap.  Hwy 34 is a narrow road through rural farms.  You then get the scenic mountains, and the trees, and the streams.  We are starting to see more orange in the aspens.  Every now and then, we get the full pop of scarlet, but we know that is only a tease for the upcoming autumn.   It is 50 miles till we hit Soda Springs, and the road is stunning for about 40 of those miles.  Then the industry sucks the life out of the road!  Coal mining, processing plants, railroad cars.  It is a working town, and not pretty in the least.

We leave Soda Springs on hwy 30 and we get our eye candy back.  Spouse saw (on YOUTUBE) something on Lava Hot Springs, so we thought we would check it out.  We actually got an RV spot, with full hookups!  On our way here, a truck passed us going the other way, and was kind enough to fling something on to our windshield leaving two cracks about 6 or 7 inches.  Ouch…  hope we can make it home without having to repair it.

It is a short walk from the RV park to the hot springs.  The Pontneuf River runs along our walk, with a couple of little rapids here and there.



 At the springs, we gave it a soak, starting in the 102-104 degree pool, then the 105 pool, then the 106-110 pool. It all felt good. I was very thankful there were no mirrors in the dressing room.  The way I have been eating…  sheesh!





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