We awoke to a nearly cloudless sky and the sight of vast freight trains slowing rumbling by our hotel in Rawlins.
Rawlins, WY
After filling up the gas tank and grabbing a quick breakfast to go, we drove north from Rawlins on a route that was different than yesterday’s map, following US287/US26 thru Wind River Country:
New Route to Jackson Lake Lodge
I found the vistas to be surprisingly varied and rather scenic. On this route, we crossed the path of the Oregon Trail, as well as the Continental Divide at a few points. We stopped in Dubois for a picnic lunch along the Wind River and visited the National Bighorn Sheep Interpretive Center.
Wind River
From Dubois, we drove through the Shoshone National Forrest and through Togwotee Pass at over 9,000 feet. It was actually high enough and still cold enough for Emerson to see and touch snow for the first time:
Togwotee Pass
From there, we had a short downhill drive to our first good glimpse of the Tetons:
The Tetons
We arrived at Jackson Lake Lodge about 30 minutes later, where we checked in, dropped off our luggage, and did a short hike up Lunch Tree Hill. Here’s a view from the trail:
View from Lunch Tree Hill
After this, we went to dinner at the Ranch House in Colter Bay. It’s kind of a casual BBQ place. Emerson really liked it, but Libby and I were underwhelmed. After dinner, we headed down to the marina for a look around — surprisingly big boats with some around 40ft.
Colter Bay
We then came back to our cottage, which was still rather warm from the day (though it quickly cooled off over night).