Wood Family Goes West 2020: Day 6

Posted on August 2, 2020 by Melissa

This morning I woke up early to go and get some of the home-made donuts from Yeti Post. (See yesterday’s blog for more information.) I went to the take-out window, donned my mask, and ordered some delicious breakfast fare to take back to my crew.

I caught up on our laundry; we generate a lot of dirty clothes in five days. During breakfast, I got four splinters in my hand from the picnic table on the porch. While Kevin was helping me get them out, we met the neighbors on the other side of our duplex. Not only are they from Georgia, but they are UGA graduates! The wife, Susie, was one of the original Gym Dogs from 1973 and the husband, Craig, was a walk-on freshman for the Dawgs in football in 1965. Susie and I also graduated from the same college within UGA. She was a home-economics major which got folded into the College of Family and Consumer Sciences–my undergraduate college. They told us that the owners of our side of the duplex live in Monroe, Georgia and the owners of the duplex next door are from Alpharetta, Georgia. Small world!

We had reservations for a private rafting trip with Teton Scenic Float Tours. We drove less than an hour to the boat ramp where we met up with Mark, our guide and the owner of the company. This was a great option for our family; they are the only company that will take children under six years old down the Snake River. He designed the seats on the boat to accommodate families with younger kids.

Guess what we saw??? LOTS of BALD EAGLES. I bet we saw 20 different eagles. It was awesome. Mark pointed out the huge nests as we passed. He offered three pairs of binoculars to us so that we could get a closer look as we floated right underneath the awesome birds.

We rafted about seven miles down the river and stopped for a picnic lunch on a sandbar. The kids collected rocks and looked for tadpoles. It was so much fun!

The total trip was 14 miles and took us three hours. I reapplied sunscreen constantly and no-one got terribly burned. Mama win! It’s supposed to be easier to get a sunburn here. The elevation is 6,000 ft above sea level. (At home, our elevation is 1,400 ft.) Edwin and Mont were able to get out of the raft and hold on for a bit during the end of the ride. The water was so cold! Kevin and I held Morgan and Lillie over the edge so that they could dip their feet in the water, too.

Back at the house, we figured out where we wanted to eat dinner. The Royal Wolf in Driggs made the final cut. We ended up eating inside as there was a wait for patio seating. This restaurant required masks when moving around inside. The menu provided lots of options–Kevin had a some pork “wings;” I had ravioli; Edwin had a Philly cheese steak sandwich. (Kevin wants me to add that the French fries made with Idaho potatoes were amazing.) Another “small world” moment. There was a Widespread Panic poster hanging in the restaurant. Widespread Panic started in my hometown of Athens. The lead singer of the band frequents Clarkesville; his wife has a business there, too.