KC set the alarm for 7 so we could be up, have breakfast and be on the road by 8. It was freezing. I haven’t checked but I’m guessing the weather was close to 32 degrees. We could see our breath and the thought of riding in the cold was not appealing to either of us. After seeing the weather, we decided to wait a bit before heading out to allow the sun to warm the valley a bit more. I jumped in the shower and KC climbed back into bed.

We left the hotel around 8:30, possibly closer to 9. It was still plenty cold. We both wore all the cold weather gear we had and still felt chilly. Luckily the wind from the day before had died down over night and had not started blowing again. We made great time. After about ten miles we stopped in Etna for a morning snack. A coke and a bag of Funyons tided me over till Alpine.

We continued to make great progress all the way into Alpine where we stopped at a gas station and bought supplies to make it through the canyon and into Hoback Junction. The road now paralleled the Snake River providing us with an astonishing view. The road climbed but was not steep. KC had begun to have knee problems in the morning due to the cold weather and the climbing up the canyon was not helping. About half way to Hoback a trucked passed us and stopped. Tommy Murphy climbed out and got us to stop. Of course we were not opposed to taking a break. He detailed his ride and gave us a good ten minute break. Then we continued.

By the time we made it to Hoback, we were both ready to not ride anymore. Lunch came by way of a small grocery store. We bought whatever we sounded good, sat in the sun and gobbled up our sustenance. Jackson was now within striking distance.

The ride from Hoback to Jackson went by quickly. There were a couple of slight inclines and then almost suddenly we were there. It´s an interesting feeling when you arrive at a destination that took so long and so much effort to get to. I felt relieved and disappointed that the trip was over.

One thing is for sure, traveling by automobile deprives the traveler of the journey.