Eric's Thoughts: Day 4

I know it sounds cliche, but words cannot describe how amazing today was. But I will do my best to hit some of the highlights. Today was our first day to raft on the Snake River. We woke up early to do a combination float followed by some whitewater rafting. The sightings of bald eagles and osprey were fairly common. I think my favorite sighting was of a juvenile bald eagle still in the nest. We floated for a few miles and then stopped for an amazing breakfast. Jenny and I were reminded of our rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. For those of you who don't know, I proposed to Jenny while we were on a 15 day rafting trip. We both realized that this was the first time we had been in a raft since that incredible trip, so our experience was accompanied with a strong feeling of nostalgia.

After breakfast, we got back in the raft to hit some whitewater. It was exhilarating, and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We both realized after the fact that we were really spoiled by the trip in the Canyon because while these rapids were enjoyable, it is hard to compare the massive waves that you see at several points in the Canyon. That being said, I still highly recommend fitting a rafting trip in if you are in this area. We went with a company called Barker-Ewing. They were well-organized and professional. One of the highlights for me was when I voluntarily went into the 45 degree water. "That was refreshing" were my exact words when I climbed back onto the raft. My talent for downplaying experiences knows no bounds as it was in fact brutally cold.

The day did not end there. We had an excellent lunch at a place called Sidewinders, and then because the temperatures have been in the mid 70's (I hope that does not upset the Houston crowd too much), we decided to for a little stroll at a place called Cache Creek. It was an amazing walk through a myriad of wildflowers surrounded by majestic snow covered peaks and beautiful pine trees next to a rapidly flowing creek, simply breathtaking. To end our evening, We are going to go out for a nice dinner and watch a gunfight (yes, a staged one) downtown. I hope it will be an amusing end to an already amazing day.

I am not sure when my next post will be as we leave Jackson tomorrow to head into Teton National Park followed by Yellowstone, and I understand cell phone reception is nonexistent, so I will continue with my thoughts when I can.