The rain had passed and after a week of getting rained on every single day we finally got some blue skies. The county road we took to Cokeville ended and we were dumped back on highway 89 – back to normal volumes of traffic. We’ve been following 89 on-and-off since it’s southern terminus in Flagstaff and it usually has a nice shoulder.
The road veered ever so slightly into Idaho and we were able to get a photo with the state sign, right before veering back into Wyoming for the fourth time where we were finally able to see the “Welcome to Wyoming” sign!
The wind picked up and pushed us along Salt Creek Canyon as we headed up towards a mountain pass. The road got steep and the sun beat down and for the first time in a week I was actually sweating. We crossed the pass at 7600 feet and descended into Star Valley, a picturesque alpine valley with snow-capped mountains to either side. Between the tailwind and descent we made it to the town of Afton for a late lunch and pushed onwards. The weather was good today and to be rainy tomorrow so we wanted to make as much progress towards Jackson as possible.
We arrived in the town of Alpine and given the night’s forecast decided to grab a motel instead of finding a campsite. Melvin’s Brewing lies on the edge of town and was a great place to stop for a bite and a beer.
Notes from Donald: “Flying up Salt Creek Canyon was really fun and I enjoyed drinking some beer at Melvin’s Brewing in Alpine. Also, world’s largest Elk Horn Arch!”
Today’s mileage: 87 miles
Total: 1444 miles
Beautiful pics and good weather news for a change! Way to pick up two state signs in such a short period.
Looking forward to news of your time in Jackson Galen!