All of the campgrounds in Jackson were full but Cindy found one that stated it was first-come-first-served. Since the 4th was on a Monday, she figured we had better chances of getting a spot if we showed up on Wednesday 6/30. She had called the previous Friday and spoke to a girl that confirmed her idea, she told us to call on our way in and let the managers know we were coming.
When Cindy called about 20 minutes out of town, the manager stated that they were full for the 4th! Cindy told her we had talked to someone the week before and was told that the girl only fills in on Fridays (managers day off) and was not in charge. When asked about the first-come-first-served policy the manager told her that they didn't take deposits but they held spots for people they knew were coming in (what the #@%)!! Well Cindy almost lost it, (for those of you who don't know her, DO NOT mess with her holidays) but got it together and almost in tears told the lady they would have no place to go now (poor little lambs). The lady told her to come on in, when we arrived the lady and her husband had figured out who had recently confirmed and who hadn't. They gave us the best spot in the park right on the river bank, the park was within walking distance (3 blocks) to the town square, shops and restaurants. We were there from 6/30 - 7/6 and watched as countless RV's that tried to show up on Friday and Saturday for those first-come-first-served spots be turned away.
Jim and the kids floating in front of our campsite.
Matthew preparing to cool off floaters as they pass by!
Chiilin'
We're going to the rodeo, ya'll
We decided rodeo clowns are brave, and the only ones exempt from our motto...The Only Good Clown is a Dead Clown!
Jackson was a great town and a really easy place to spend lots of money.
So Cindy being the holiday guru that she is, did some recon and got the low down on the 4th festivities. She then arose early the next morning and loaded the jeep with chairs and blankets. She was bummed to find that 7am no one had set out chairs for the parade yet, so she went out to ball field and set out a blanket for viewing the fireworks, strategically placed for optimum viewing and easy entry/exit. Back to the parade route...damn still no chairs...this was so not like the Christmas Parade back home in Los Gatos! Oh well...out to the middle school to get a good spot for the land grab. At 9am the Wyoming National Guard fires off a Howitzer and hundreds of people flood the field, blankets in hand to claim their spot. Oh yeah, we claimed a great spot! Back to the parade route...YES...some guys were setting up about 30 chairs right in front of the judges stand (the best place to view a parade). Cindy set up our chairs next to theirs and went home to get the family. We left the jeep and walked back to town, bought our pancake breakfasts, and worked our way through the huge crowds. The parade was about to start...oh look, our front row seats are waiting for us.
So we're sitting there thinking how much this rocks when the sheriff...no not a deputy...The Sheriff, jeans, boots, vest, silver handlebar mustache and all, starts talking to the guy next to Cindy. She can't help but hear what they're saying and he's talking about all he extra security he's had to deal with today because of you know who. "Who, I wanna know, who?? So she eventually figures out that it's the Vice President - Dick Cheney. Remember those guys putting out chairs? Yep, he was about 10 chairs to our right and when Cindy told Jim he told the lady next to him and that was it! People were being totally lame walking up and wanting his picture....be cool folks, snap you photo from afar, ever hear of 'zoom'.
The parade was old school All-American!
Cindy waited til the end of the parade for her photo-op refusing to intrude, saying everybody deserved a vacation...so the picture is kinda sucky.
Check out the Secret Service guys, some were dressed as fishermen, some as cowboys.
After snapping this picture and verifying that it was indeed sucky, Cindy started to put the camera away when Jim asks, "Did you get a picture?" She answered that it was a bad shot and no she wasn't going to go all papparazzi! He gave her a look and told her to look behind him, she does and just sees some guys talking right behind her. Jim whispers, "Don't you recognize him?" "No." "It's Harrison Ford...take a picture!! "OH, okay"
Yep there he is...Han Solo....Indiana Jones
After the parade we went home and relaxed before the concert, we decided to ride our bikes to the concert, 500 miles away, then directly to the fireworks.
The 4th of July concert is free and kicks off the beginning of the summer-long Grand Teton Music Festival and features top-notch musicians from all over the world.
The concert was fabulous...lucky for her family Cindy's public school education was heavy with Broadway showtunes...
This lady apparently was a Broadway star and sang "America the Beautiful". Half way through the song this bald eagle flew overhead. Cindy teared up!
Everyone was touched...
Dick Cheney
even the lady with the REX-KWON-DO pants!
At the end of the concert the band played the Overture of 1812 and the Wyoming National Guard (just back from Iraq) joined in providing real cannonfire! Matthew went up and thanked the soldiers and they gave him a huge empty shell and signed it for him.
It was a killer 4th!!
We said goodbye to civilization and camped out in Granite Hot Springs.
We had a great campsite when we got there the place was almost empty, but filled up as the weekend approached.
Okay, here's our funny story. It's Thursday afternoon and there aren't many nice level campsites left for RVs. The best one is right next to us. So we're hanging out getting in touch with our wild side when this minivan pulling a pop-up trailer pulls in and this mom gets out and surveys the site. We're thinking "Wow lady better grab it fast, it's filling up!" She totally checks us out and get back into the car, says something to her husband and they drive off. Jim asks, "What are they doing?" Cindy tells them they are going to look for a better site or one without a hippie bus next to them! We laugh and go about our business. When they return, Jim is splitting wood into kindling with a hatchet, Matthew is setting up beer cans and shooting them with a BB gun and Madeleine is throwing knives at a tree (insert banjo music)!! The look on her face when her husband parked the car was priceless! Ahhh...love that story.
This was the view from our campsite.
After a few days we said took off for Thermopolis, WY and check out the famous hot springs. We spent a day floating down the green river and a day at the Hot Springs riding the waterslides.
Then we drove out into the desert and saw some petroglyphs that predate any of the local indian tribes. Cindy was convinced that this place we cursed since she was nearly eaten alive by flies and literally ran back to the safety of the Jeep.
We also went to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center and found they had discovered a new type of dinosaur. This was a model of "Jimbo"!
We also got to tour a dig.
So long Wyoming.... hello Colorful COLORADO!!
We couldn't wait to get to Colorado. We were going to camp in Glenwood Springs with Cindy's sister Linda, her husband Michael and....
this little guy, Aiden. Cute, huh?
Cindy's little sister with her little man!!
Oh yeah, her big man too!
We all rode the alpine coaster...
Zipped down hillsides...
and had a great time.