The Tortoise Begins

Right now I'm in a cafe In Jackson Hole, WY. The first night of the tour was a bit strange: nobody quite knew what to expect and it seemed like there were far too many people. I couldn't sleep for hours.

The next morning we woke in Lamoille Canyon, Nevada, and we ate breakfast and then I did my first hike. We walked about 2 miles up the canyon to a FREEZING lake (two words: run off), but it was unbelievably refreshing in the heat. After swimming about for a bit, we got out and walked back down to the bus, and drove off to our dinner destination - I have no idea where we were. Before dinner a group of us walked 2 miles down this path to some natural hot springs. It was pretty cold and rain seemed to be on the horizon, but we got in anyway. It was full of algae but was brill - really really warm! We left when we heard thunder and by the time we arrived back a dust storm was beginning. Helpfully, I hadn't been able to dry off and therefore became a magnet for all the dust. Dinner was dusty.

We drove through the night and woke up here, where we're doing a bit of shopping, admiring the antler arches and going swimming.

The bus is pretty good to drive on - when sitting on the back pads you get the most incredible panoramic view.

Later we're driving to Grand Tetons NP and will camp there.