Days Forty-seven and Forty-eight (0 miles, rest days): Lazy Dayz

6:00AM. Ella is curled up by my face like a furry ski mask, fast asleep. I slowly pull away from the fuzzy rugrat and stuff away my sleeping bag. Bill and Bob are quietly doing the same thing. Our odd host is already up and buried in his computer. As soon as he notices we are awake, it's like a switch is flipped, and he immediatly begins his chatter-box. Bill, Bob, and I look at each other and start packing faster. Ella is up and jumping around our panniers, so I let her run around by my bike outside.

Our host informs us that he will be riding with us this morning, without asking if we wanted the extra company. He doesn't say how long and I take my opportunity to save Bill and Bob. I suggest we go to get breakfast and coffee before we ride. The guy decides he is going to come as well. We stop at Starbucks and the three of us take our time ordering. The guy never orders a thing and continues his endless conversation without skipping a beat. Bill and I quietly look over a map and Bob is typing away on his phone. The guy decides he wants to look at the map as well and moves uncomfortably close to Bill. So much so, that Bill tries to edge away but to no avail.

After a looonnnnggg breakfast, we sluggishly walk out the door and stand around "checking our bikes". Finally, I resort to fiddling with an ATM for 20 minutes pulling out money. When I am done, the guy finally decides he has work to do and can't ride with us or he will be late. AT LAST! We were free and we felt like dancing in the street! Bill, Bob, and I say our goodbyes and finally head our separate ways. I was going to take a few days in Jackson and they were going to keep riding until Montana. I'm going to miss my riding pals but I'll catch them again.

Soon after they had pedaled out of site, I ride a few miles down the road to Philip's house. Philip is a good friend from high school and just so happened to be working in Jackson for the summer. He left the door unlocked for me, so I bring my gear in and take a much needed shower. Once I was changed and settled in, I took Ella out to play for a little while. We jumped onto the unloaded bike and cruised into downtown Jackson. The town was completely mobbed. Tourists were coursing in and out of every building like an army of ants.

I made my way through the frenzy to grab another cup of coffee. I couldn't walk more than 10 feet without being stopped for a picture of Ella! It was like being the body guard for a celebrity! I had to keep my head down and push through the crowd to avoid being caught by the tourist hordes. I spent the morning exploring all of the odd shops and stores around town. It was cool to see all of the art galleries and shops, but I couldn't afford anything nor did I have room to carry it! I worked my way around each block and would occasionally stop to snap a shot of the town. After barreling my way through the endless crowds all morning, I decided to go back to the house and work on my bike for a bit.

I spent a few hours, tuning, cleaning, and repairing various issues on my bike and bringing it back into tip top shape. Running smooth and looking clean, I loaded Ella back on to the bike and we went to search for food. Back downtown, I found an excellent coffee shop called Jackson Hole Coffee Roasters. While sitting out front and working on my writing, I had the best cinnamon roll I have ever had in my entire life. Fresh baked, warm and fluffy I savored every bite. The hot pastry was coated with sweet homemade cream cheese frosting and the bottom had been caramelized with a dripping mix of sugar and cinnamon. It was heaven on a plate. If I could spend the money, I would have had ten more!

Reluctantly, I leave the coffee shop behind and roll through the streets and neighborhoods for a few more hours. Philip finally sends me a text letting me know he will be home soon, so I cruise on back. I work on some photos until Philip and his girlfriend arrive about an hour later. For dinner they made a tofu stir fry and baked potatoes. I never had any intention to eat vegetarian meals, but I ended up eating two giant plates full and a baked potato. It was surprisingly good and I couldn't be more grateful for all of their hospitality. We all sat around the table for quite awhile, catching up and shooting the breeze. I really enjoyed spending time with my buddy from back home. Finally around 11:30PM, we all turned in for the night. I couldn't have been happier to stay in a nice apartment and get a good night's sleep!

Morning rays of sun are shining along the bottom of the window curtain. I lay silently on the floor watching shadows dance across the wall. It  is a good feeling, knowing I am in no rush to be anywhere. Ella yawns and rolls over onto her back, still very much asleep. It's peaceful sitting alone in the quiet of early morning. Around 6:45AM Philip and his girlfriend emerge and go for a morning run. Feeling refreshed, I pack up my gear at my own pace and bring my panniers out one at a time. While I'm loading the bike, STING! OW DAMMIT! A bee had stung me right in the calf for no particular reason! Why?! I brush off the annoyance and go back to loading my bike. As I am loading the last pannier, STING! WHY?!? Another bee at stung me right in the ankle of the same leg! I thought it was a good morning when I woke up! Jumping around, I kill the bee that stung me and return to setting up my bike.

As I am getting ready to push off, Philip and his girlfriend come back from their morning run. I say goodbye to my friends and thank them for their hospitality before heading off into Jackson. Back in town, I stop for coffee in Starbucks and ride around the antler arches. I realized I was still hungry, so I went to get another amazing cinnamon roll from JH Coffee. It definitely made up for the bee stings. I polished off the cinnamon roll and headed into the park to relax for a bit.

My cousins, Katie, Troy and their kids show up not long after I get into the park. It is great to see some family on the road. Troy drives Thomas and me back to their campground while Katie and Gretchen stop by the grocery store. I was going to spend the day with my cousins and go to String Lake with them. Back at the campground I lock up my gear before we set off for the lake. The day is  absolutely beautiful. A full day of sun, blue skies, clear water and view of the Teton's like no other. We meet up with a few of their friends from Nashville and have a big picnic by the lake. I probably ate the majority of the food I was so hungry!

Ella and I spent the afternoon walking through the woods, taking photos and exploring the lake. The kids were swimming, paddling and kayaking while all of the adults chilled on the shores, catching up with one another. I enjoyed relaxing by the lake with my feet in the water and Ella loved all the attention she was getting. We stayed by the lake until late in the afternoon before we packed up and headed back toward Jackson. The whole group decided to stop at this Pizza/Pasta place at Dornan's in Moose. It was fantastic food and I was finally full after eating an entire BBQ Chicken Pizza by  myself plus appetizers. Heading back to the campground, we had an amazing sunset as the sun dipped low behind the mountains.

Back at the campground, Troy and I talked about different trips we had done and looked through most of my trip photos. When it was finally too dark to see in front of you, we decided to hit the hay. I had a good time and enjoyed every moment of my rest days. Tomorrow, I leave Jackson and head back toward Yellowstone National Park!