Grand Teton RV Resort in Moran, WY

This morning we woke up in Lander, with Chris taking off early so we could get to Grand Teton National Park at a decent time. Our RV spot was basically in the parking lot of a McDonald's, so we hopped over there for breakfast.

August has discovered, like many children, that McDonald's Playplace is the greatest thing ever! He had so much fun, and even though the germophobe in me is not thrilled about what's lurking in those places, I was thrilled that he was able to get that much active playtime in. He is such a brave little guy, climbing in the tubes all the way up to the top by himself and then sliding down. His face here pretty much sums it up.

I had hoped to hit up some stuff in Lander before we left, but the Pioneer Days festivities didn't start until later tonight and all of the museums and library were closed today in observance of the 4th. So, we went to Safeway to grab a couple last minute holiday groceries and kill some time, then went on our way.

Per our usual timing, we happened upon Chris around lunchtime near a town with a good restaurant selection so we checked out the Cowboy Cafe. I was complaining the other day about bad meals, luckily we've had a string of good ones since then. We both got grilled sandwiches here, which were tasty.

This place is also known for its pie, so of course we had to try some. Chris got a slice of chocolate pecan, and I had strawberry rhubarb. The slices were huge (no way I could finish mine), and delicious.

August was very curious about the cowboy standing by the door, and enjoyed checking it out. Afterwards, Chris rode on and fortunately for me the little guy took a nap and for once since we weren't driving I got to take one too.

We picked Chris up several miles from the park. We had decided before we even left for the trip that he wouldn't ride through Grand Teton or Yellowstone as ironically the heavy RV and other traffic makes it one of the more dangerous areas for cyclists. Plus, this is the "vacation" part of the trip for us as we're taking two rest days to see the sights.

Tonight we are staying just outside Grand Teton National Park. Our campsite cost as much as a nice hotel in Indiana, but hopefully this will be by far the most expensive of the trip. Very much looking forward to exploring the parks, and maybe even more so looking forward to staying in one place for two nights. We kicked off the Independence Day festivities by grilling out bacon cheeseburgers, sweet corn and strawberries, with blackberry cobbler for dessert.

All of the trip we have been playing the game of looking for our RV's twin without seeing anything too similar. Well, the fates smiled upon us today as we noticed when we were pulling into our spot that our next door neighbor's RV is almost identical. It is a different model, but same make, same year, same size, and same trim. Whoever can tell me which one is ours in the comments first wins a dollar! Yes, a whole dollar.

We spent a while tonight talking with its owner, a really nice guy named John with an interesting background. Three years ago he lost his parents and his wife in a short span of time, and decided afterwards that it was time make a big change and see the country. He sold his house in San Diego, bought an RV, and has been touring ever since. He spent 30 years with the government and is now spending his days hiking and drinking white wine in the evening outside his RV. The next deadline he has to meet is getting to Virginia by November to meet his first grandchild when he is born. It's really inspiring meeting people out here who are living out their dreams, in a variety of ways.