We drive North, and make good time from Pinedale so decide to stop off briefly at “The Spotted Horse Ranch”, where we are scheduled to spend a week in 5 or 6 days’ time. We meet Kevin the manager, Christian who heads up the wrangler team, and Zach one of the wranglers. It all looks tickety-boo, and the kids’ excitement levels rise discernibly now that they have something tangible in their heads to look forward to.
We move on, though, and pass through Jackson Hole, which we all recognise from Christmas 2007. We continue North into Grand Teton National Park and after an hour or so, we finally reach Colter Bay campsite; another public site with no hook-ups, but huge and not one of our favourites. But here there is a bit more “stuff”, so we can hire boats and kayaks for the next day.
Sarah and Eliza are tasked with making a fire while I cook. It starts ok but soon goes out and Monty and I rescue it just in time (I won’t hear the last of that one). We end up eating in the dark, to an accompaniment of 20 or so concerned fellow campers who are wandering about looking for their lost dog “Ace”, a sheepdog with only three legs. Some concerned soul had heard their dog barking, felt sorry for it, and had let it out, and Ace then disappeared over the horizon, never to be seen again. The initial search goes on all night, which becomes slightly tiresome towards the early hours, and the dog is actually never found, as far as we know. Not ideal, at least not for Ace or the dispossessed family, but perhaps quite jolly for the local bears and wolves.
The next day we rent a motorboat, which packs a fair punch with a 9bhp engine, and could probably exceed 10 knots with a following wind. We find a deserted island for breakfast
and Sarah goes swimming, which given the temperature of the water impresses everyone. Then we get out the fishing gear and the worms. Eliza likes that bit.
A Golden Eagle watches over us and we buzz about in the boat trying to get a better look.
Finally it flies off, and we stop for lunch.
Once full of fizzy drink and chocolate, everyone has a go at driving. Eliza whistles constantly;
Monty sticks out his tongue.
This arrangement is predictably chaotic, and in due course I have to tow us out of trouble.
Sarah recalls my description of the “pista” technique that Pelicano used back in Corcovado and she tries this with the 9bhp that we are packing, only forgets one crucial part which is that you pull the propeller out of the water before beaching. This leads to an engine stalled in the drive position which takes a bit of fiddling to get started again.
We all go swimming here, and the water is indeed super-cold, but very refreshing. Afterwards, Jemima and Eliza want to push the boat off, so I oblige, but add a bit of fun by ramming the 9bhp into reverse on full throttle just as the beach lets us go. Jemima lets go straight away, having had 10 years’ experience of this kind of jape, but Eliza holds on grimly until a worried Mum pulls her on-board. Jemima is left behind on the beach
but rather touchingly, Monty gets highly worked up and insists that we go back.
We return the boat after a full day, return to the campsite, and prepare for an early start to Yellowstone the next day.
