Day 13 - An unwritten rule.

 Beth and I woke up at 5:00 am and began hiking up into the Teton Mountain range by 5:30 am. By 6:00 am we had cleared the lake and began to climb up and in. The sun was starting to break behind the mountains giving us that predawn light that separates the night from the day. Just as that light ended the night we reached the Hidden Falls and had them all to ourselves. It was ours. It was glorious. And it was stunning. We admired and played and laughed as we took picture after picture. We must have been there 30 minutes when we decided to head out. But, as with many other times on this trip, we felt it right to pray and give thanks to our creator for such magnificence and for giving us the gift to be present enough to see this gift. Beth led us in prayer and opened with this beautiful description of how at that time, at that very moment, everything knew its place - the water, the rocks, the sun, the squirrels, the trees.... How everything knew exactly where is was supposed to be and was exactly as God had planned it. I don't do it justice hear but it was an incredible prayer and incredible for me to be there to witness and be a part of it. We prayed God would give us that gift too and let's us know His will for us and that we be able to take it with us from this beautiful place out into the world. Thank you, Beth. You are incredible.

There is an unwritten rule between the early morning hikers, an acknowledgement or sorts, that seperates between those who get up before the sun rises and those who sleep in. It can be as simple as a nod, or a "morning" that is exchanged as a kind of salute to each other's commitment. Beth and I were one of them this morning and as a result, as we descended back to earth and we saw the other early hikers also retreating, it felt good to know we were one of the hearty dedicated ones, the dedicated ones and thus the ones who get to congratulate each other for our dedication with the simple nod. Breakfast was delicious - love that stone fruit!

We then packed up and headed through Yellowstone and headed to Big Timber MT to see Dave Noll. A mandatory stop at some calderas and through this amazing Park we go!

Day 11 - John & Alene's B&B and friendship.

This morning I woke up outside Victor, Idaho in a B&B owned and operated by two of the warmest and friendliest folks I know. Cup of coffee in my hand as soon as I walked out of the room, I sat down at the table and, in addition to John and Alene, met Joan, Tom, Marilyn, Frank, Wendy, Maxa, Joan, Dan, Britta, Christian, Bella and Maximo, the last 2 being the family pets. Next thing you know conversations are flying and laughter fills the house with fun and good spirits. I swear within an hour it felt like I'd been here a hundred times before. John and I bonded especially well with him owning his own business and a motorcycle fan as well. 

     Ralph and John in Victor, ID

We (Beth and I) were encouraged to ride up to Ennis, Montana because of the beautiful drive and the town (apparently it is the world fly-fishing capital). And so off we went and about an hour into the ride the skies turned ominous and the wind bed strong and freezing cold. It was an "adventure" the whole way!

    Beth is grateful 

Rain, hail (again), wind and on a few parts snow landing and sticking a few hundred feet overhead (yes, in July).

Finally the weather breaks for a few minutes and we see why this drive is so beautiful. This was to be s night of camping but the freezing wet rains and the fact we are frozen sends us back to John and Alene's B&B.  Agh...

A great day in Idaho and Montana! 

Day 12 - Fun in Yellowstone

I woke up in John and Alene's B&B again this morning and after another great breakfast Beth and I headed into Jackson. Damn it was cold!! This is July?? John joined us for a bit by riding his fancy Italian candy red Ducati into town with us! Beth abandoned my old 2012 HD lazy boy and jumped on the back of his shinny new sports bike and off we went. I must admit, that Ducati is one fine piece of machinery.

We get back to Teton Village and John headed back home. We drive north and stopped in the Jackson Lake Lodge to see its magnificently huge lobby window and then charged into the Tetons and up into Yellowstone for a visit to the calderas. They are magnificent. Stopping at the Old Faithful Lodge (which was really cool) we dodged the thousands of tourists and headed it into the festering caldron. 

We ended the day riding by riding back to The Jenny Lake Lodge. We stopped and killed a buffalo and cooked it for dinner making shoes, jackets, gloves and toys for some small children with the spare parts. Either that or we ate dinner at the hotel. After dinner I saw a bear but Beth missed it.

We haven't camped a single night so far but that's ok with me as sleeping outside in the rain and 29°F does not sounds like fun to me. 

Day 10 - Jackson Hole and Huckleberry

Any day that ends in Jackson Hole WY is a magnificent day. And that's a good thing because riding out of any major city entails a long ride on a dreaded interstate highway with its attendant noise, trucks, construction, fumes, bad drivers and just general nastiness. But after about an hour Beth and I cleared the last suburb of Salt Lake City in Logan UT and entered the Wasatch Mountauns. And as soon as we did we were mesmerized - 2 lanes of good road running deep between the mountain foothills next to a crystal clear river that made you want to go down there and take a drink. It was a georgeous day.

As we continued into the mountains we hit these beautiful world class plains and vistas. This is amazing country.

We made it to Idaho (but missed the Salmon BBQ by a day - see photo above) and then into Jackson in time for lunch. The Million Dollar Cowboy bar was the choice so we sat in saddles and ate (food was so so at best). I went to the park across the street and just laid down in the beautiful grass and actually took a nap while Beth went exploring.

We went to a church service in Jackson and then crash for the night in a B&B in Victor ID. I can't wait until tomorrow!!

Day 9 - A changing of the guard in SLC

Mike, you are a Monster Man! We had a good time brother! Thank you for joining me on my trip for awhile. I look forward to seeing you back in Atlanta.

And wait, who is this in the picture below?

Hooray!! Beth is here! Mike? Mike who? 

Besides the shift change, Mike and I had the chance to go down to the Temple Square and check out all the Mormon buildings, churches, squares, parks, etc.  I tell you, I do not know much about Mormanism or the LDS church but they are some of the nicest people I've ever met. They took the time to explain everything and made recommendations, all with a genuine smile. We then went into the family research center and began to dig up some of our family history. Mike got his family records back to the 1700's! 

Mellow day for me -between Mike's departure and Beth's arrival. A good day for some needed rest. Tomorrow it's off to Jackson Hole! 

Day 8 - The Southwesternest point of the trip

I woke up in Zion National Park, the southwestern most point in this trip. 311 miles from Phoenix and about the same to LA.  I mean, as I sit here writing this, this is the view out my restaurant window:

Grateful is the best word to describe how I feel.  After a leisurely start, Mike and I went to the Temple of Sinawava and hiked to the Narrows. Geez, is that beautiful or what? And the water felt so refreshing! 

We met Kevin and Maggie of Federal Way Washington who were on a tour. Nice couple and spent over an hour with them saying hello. By 3:00 pm we were packed and ready and took to I-15 and made a b-line to Salt Lake City in about 5 hours. 

I am excited to know Beth is flying in to join me for a week and sad to see Mike leave after about a week - it's been very good time I have spent with my friend. We have been to some very good places - some very special memories we have shared brother. Safe travels home Mike. And at the same time I am excited to make new shared memories with Beth once she gets here!

Happy Pioneer Day! See the fireworks?

From the Internet:

Day 7 - A day for the ages

A number of years ago my friend Jim Morgan told me I should hike the Devil's Garden at Arches National Park before dawn and be deep into the hike when the sun rises. Mike and I met at 4 am this morning and were hiking by 5 am. It was one of the most memorable things I have ever done. We started off with flashlights but as our eyes became accustomed to the dark we shut them off and just walked using the predawn light. By the time the sun rise came at 6:14 am the beauty of the morning was beginning to hide.  My favorite picture from this morning:

Then put on your headphones or earbuds, go to a quiet place, and watch / listen to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8UZBi7qsRw

It was magical to me. I loved every second of it. See the moon in the first picture below:

Fitbit step count:16,821 steps before 8 am! Mike and I headed back to the hotel around 8 am (3 hours that just flew by) and left Moab for Bryce Canyon. 

When we got to Bryce we had forgotten that our good friend Mark Shaver used to work there in the early days until we saw this plaque:

Some of you may not know that in his youth Mark had a job emptying the garbage cans. But then he got promoted to Front Desk clerk and so we went to look at the front desk and lo and behold look what we found:

It was so cool to see the way they still honor Mark. 

After that fun we went to see the Bryce canyons and just like the Grand Canyon, pictures cant come near to doing it justice. 

After dinner in the Bryce Canyon Lodge we made our way to our hotels at Zion National Park (while watching the sun set) where we will start our day tomorrow.