Floating on the Snake River

Day 5 had us up bright and early for the 2 hour drive from Afton to Moose, Wyoming. This is located about 20 minutes north of Jackson Hole and is the meeting place for most of the rafting companies that float down the Snake River. There are several companies...we chose one called Solitude Tours. We pile into a van with our guide Jeff Saunders and head for the launch point. All floats leave from the same place and float down the same 11 mile stretch of the Snake River. It's an inflatable raft and Jeff mans the oars. He moved from Arizona in the 70's and was a very informative guide. He has a remarkable knowledge of geology, biology and history and we learned a lot on the two hour float. We saw pronghorn antelope and lots of eagles but no bear, moose or elk. The backdrop of the Teton mountains was stunning and the weather was gorgeous.

After the float we drove south to Jackson Hole to do some souvenir shopping and have lunch at the Merry Piglets.. a mexican restaurant that served...........wait for it.............Margueritas :) I so desparately wanted a bowl of Tortilla Soup but was told they don't do soup in the summer, only winter. I don't get it. They serve hot entrees in the summer, why don't they serve soup?

There is an Elk Refuge just north of town. Each spring, when the elk shed their antlers, the Boy Scouts pick them up and an auction is held in this central park in Jackson Hole. The Rotary Club purchased all the antlers required for the two large arches in this park. Afton has elk antler arches as well.

More gorgeous mountain scenery and a wildlife sighting. A calf moose tried to cross the highway in front of us. Kevin slowed down but it veered off the shoulder of the road and it ducked back into the forest. Neither of us got a photo of it and couldn't see any sign of the mother, either.