After the kid left us in Jackson, Wyoming we stopped in town for breakfast at Café Genevieve and gave the third bicycle away to the waitress. We seem to have a history of giving away bikes! (see post giving away a bike )
Then we headed for some boondocking in the forest near the Grand Teton National Park. Thanks to iOverlander and other Vanagon owners we found a spot with a great view, flat space and privacy.
Mike and the dogs hiked to a rocky outcropping for a different view.
Now that we were alone, we spent some time reflecting on what had happened in the past few days with our passenger. Anytime another person is added to van-life it brings about changes. Many van travelers have reported this. Having another person along changed our travel, our eating, even our interpersonal communication. We felt the changes and attempted to adjust to them for everyones comfort. But it wasn’t enough.
The final 24 hours together were tough. It was an emotional time for us, and ended very painfully. We gave and gave and gave, yet received no gratitude in the end. There was not even a “thank you” as we parted ways. We were reminded that sometimes we open our hearts and feel rewarded by it. Other times we open our hearts and end up hurt. Even as older adults we feel the injuries. All of the kids that have entered and exited our lives have left marks on our hearts. We still love all of them and wish the best success for each of them; we just learn to be more cautious in our interactions with some of them.
After the reflective downtime, we hit the road again. We passed through the backside of the Tetons into Idaho. Read the next post for more about parades, hot springs and then on to Montana.
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