Traveling with the tumbling tumbleweeds

Exploring the Black Hills

Curious burros sticking their heads in the Subaru

Enjoying the view of the Tetons

A MOOSE!!!!!

We've done a lot of exploring since my last post.  We spent a day going through the Black Hills of South Dakota.  We traveled along the Peter Norbeck National Scenic Byway where we saw some amazing rock formations and enjoyed some beautiful views.  We visited Custer State Park where we explored the grassy meadows in the valley beneath the Black Hills.  We saw pronghorns, a herd of bison, prairie dogs, and some curious burros.  We stopped for lunch at beautiful Sylvan

Rafting trip on the Snake River

Lake.  We were tempted to go for a swim, but that mountain water is freezing!  So we enjoyed the view from the lake shore.  We spent a couple of windy South Dakota nights in the tent.  The sound of the tall pine trees blowing in the wind above the tent is a little scary at first, but eventually it's very peaceful.  We met lots of friendly people at the campground.  Papa from the pancake tent taught us a lot about the Black Hills.  We enjoyed his positive attitude and delicious breakfast each morning.  We were bummed to leave South Dakota because we enjoyed it SO much.  We hit the road early Wednesday morning to drive all the way across the state of Wyoming.  Papa from the pancake tent told us to expect land more rural than South Dakota (which we didn't think was possible) and a lot of wind.  That's exactly what we saw for 300 miles after we crossed the state line into Wyoming.  At one point we went 81 miles with nothing but open spaces, fences, and tumbleweeds - no animals, no exits, no gas stations, no bathroom - nothing.  We traveled through Casper, Wyoming - a city that pops up in the middle of nowhere.  It was just the city - no suburbs - and then right back to open spaces, fences, and tumbleweeds.  We passed a couple of "towns" in Wyoming like Lost Springs that had a sign giving us the following information:  elevation - 4,997, population - 4.  Four people live in Lost Springs surrounded by open spaces, fences, and tumbleweeds.  The scenery changed dramatically as the Teton Mountain Range came into view on the horizon.  We could see the snow capped peaks and our excitement built as we drove closer and closer.  We were soon awestruck by the amazing view ahead of us.  It was a fantastic finale to our 10 hour drive.  We crossed the continental divide at Togwotee Pass at an elevation of 9,500 feet.  Then we descended into Jackson Hole surrounded by magnificent views of the Tetons.  They are gigantic, snow-covered, ragged, and absolutely gorgeous!  We arrived in Jackson and checked into our cozy room at the Angler's Inn (thanks Mom!).  We quickly changed and visited a local brewery for dinner.  Jake does some home brewing so he always gets excited to try new microbrews.  He enjoyed Snake River Brewery very much.  After dinner we walked a few blocks to the Jackson County rodeo.  This was my first rodeo and I was really looking forward to the experience.  About 10 minutes into the rodeo I had tears running down my face and Jake was cracking up laughing at me.  You all know that I am an animal lover. There were parts of the rodeo I just couldn't watch.  I did enjoy the excitement and tradition surrounding the rodeo.  I'm glad I went but I will never go again.  Jake really enjoyed the rodeo.  We returned to Angler's Inn, slept very well and woke up the next morning ready to explore Grand Teton National Park.  We traveled all around the park, ate lunch at a beautiful spot overlooking Jackson Lake, and ended the day with an awesome rafting trip down the Snake River.  Our guide, Scott, was super fun and knowledgeable.  He was in his 22nd year as a river raft guide.  We were on the trip with 4 older couples and they were all very excited that we were on our honeymoon.  The view of the Tetons from the river was spectacular.  We saw bald eagles (male, female, and young) and 2 moose!!!  I LOVE MOOSE!  We plan to head to Yellowstone National Park tomorrow to see more amazing new things.  We hope all is well where you are!