Lewis and Clark Whitewater Rafting, Jackson, WY

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Lewis and Clark Whitewater Rafting in Jackson,Wyoming, was a blast!  When we first arrived, we had the opportunity to rent wetsuits.  My dad brother and I didn’t wear them, but my mom and sister did.  You can also rent water shoes, but we already had them.  Then, you will board a bus that will take you and other rafters to the Snake River.  Once you get there, you will be put into a boat.  Our 5 family members were in one boat with a guide named Zac, who was very nice.  You will also get a wet jacket, and a life jacket.  Now you will carry your boat down to the water.  You get in and start to row, but you are already upon some class 1 rapids before you know it.  The class 1 rapids are really nothing to get excited about other then you don’t have to row.  The rafting trip contains mostly class 2 and class 3 rapids.  On some of the rapids, you can’t tell a difference between 2 and 3. Some of their big rapids are Ropes, Champagne, Lunch Counter, and the biggest of all Big Kahuna.  If you were just like us, and hit Big Kahuna just right, you get the biggest splash and are soaked wet. This was all part of the classic 8 mile trip.  You get a chance to see wildlife, and hit some good rapids.  Prices for this excursion are Adults-$72, Kids (6-12) – $62, Kids 6 and under are not allowed (depending on conditions of the river).  The kids 12 and under get a free wet suit rental.  In all, Lewis and Clark Rafting was a great time, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is going to Jackson, Wyoming, soon.

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Lewis and Clark Whitewater Rafting in Jackson, Wyoming, is spectacular.  First of all, when you get there, they will ask you if you want a wetsuit.  I did – especially if you’re a mom or you want to jump in the water.  After that, you sign paperwork and get on a bus for a 15-30 minute drive to the drop off point.  Then, they get you a waterjacket and a lifejacket. When they send you off, they give you a paddle.  Then they show you how to row.  Once you get started it’s pretty flat, then it gets to some class 1 rapids – which are easy and calm. Then, you hit class  2 rapids, which were okay and medium; they were kind of fun.  After that, there were class 3 rapids, which were spectacular.  One of the class three rapids is called Big Kahuna, which was fun and got my family soaked.  It had a horizon.  This means it is a rock out of the water that drops down then back up it was a thriller.   During parts of the trip we could jump in; my brothers and I jumped in; our parents stayed in the raft to stay as dry as possible.  I sat in the middle of the boat, and I was happy to not paddle the boat. It was a a fun day, and I loved going whitewater rafting on the Snake River.  I would definitely do it again.  It was one of my best things to do on my family’s trip.  I think you will love it too.  If you go to Jackson, Wyoming, I suggest you do this.

Gun Barrel, Jackson, WY

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The Gun Barrel in Jackson, WY, is a steakhouse with all different kinds of game meat. Therefore, the prices are a little more expensive, so if you are looking for something cheap – this isn’t it.  For dinner you can choose beef, buffalo, elk, venison, trout, salmon, chicken, and pork chops. There is more to choose within these categories.  What I got were the buffalo ribs. The ribs come with two sides: the vegetable and one other dish of your choice.  The vegetable of the day for us sugar snap peas. They, in my opinion, were one of the best things on the plate.  I also got the mashed potatoes; they were also really good. The buffalo ribs were good to try, but I probably wouldn’t get them again.  They were a little tough and chewy.  They definitely weren’t fall off the bone type of ribs.  The best thing I had was my dad’s mixed game plate.  I tried his venison sausage; it was really good. It tasted like summer sausage.  It had really good spices, and the meat was also really good. T he prices for my ribs were $28.95.  My dad’s mixed game plate included elk steak, buffalo prime rib, and venison sausage.  This also come with the vegetable and one side. This was $46.95.  If you are ever in the Jackson area, I would definitely recommend eating there, but make sure you have reservations.

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The Gun Barrel in Jackson,Wyoming, is a wild game restaurant that is really good. It has steak, buffalo, elk, trout, salmon, chicken and deer. I got the kids New York strip steak which was really good.  It ran for $13.00 which is one of the least expensive things there. For a side I picked sweet potatoes with butter and brown sugar on them.  They were delicious.  All of the things on the menu were expensive, but my parents really wanted to try game food.  My dad wanted to try a little bit of everything, so he got the mixed game grill which was elk steak, buffalo prime rib, and venison bratwurst.  He really liked it, and it was a great choice for him.  It was $46.95.  My mom got the elk chop; she really enjoyed hers, but she had still some left over. That ran for $32.95.  My brother got elk chops and like every 15 year old boy, he cleaned his plate, so he definitely liked his a lot.  They also were $32.95.  My other brother got the buffalo ribs which were good because they made their own barbecue sauce.  Everyone tried a little bite of his buffalo ribs; they were a little tough and chewy, but it was okay.  That was $28.95.  Overall the meals were spectacular in my opinion, I would defiantly go there again if I was in Jackson, Wyoming.  If anybody goes to Jackson, they should definitely go there, but you need to plan ahead and make reservations.

 

Geyser Gazers, Yellowstone National Park ,WY

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The one official, guided tour we took at Yellowstone National Park was Geyser Gazers. First you get on this cool, old fashioned bus.  It only holds about 15-17  people.  (I would recommend booking your tour early because we only had 2 tickets for it. Fortunately, this family of 4 didn’t show up, so we paid the money, and our whole family could go on the tour.) The cost of the tour is adult – $26, children – $13, ages 3-11 under 3 are free. When we first started the tour we got out onto the road and there was a road jam.  We think that it was due to the wildlife (bison).  So we turned around and headed to Biscuit Basin.  This really stunk, not only because we had already been there, but we really then didn’t learn anything new that the brochure didn’t tell you.  Then, we ended up getting to go back to where we were originally planned to go to.  When we got there, we got to see some things we wouldn’t have gotten to see, but again we didn’t really learn anything.  We just got to see new things.   So, if I were you, I would save my $26 and take your own self-guided tour. Read the brochure, and you will end up learning more or the same amount.  We don’t normally not recommend things, but in this case, it was not worth the money.

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In Yellowstone National Park, we took a tour called Geyser Gazers. When you start the tour you get in this cool, old fashioned bus that is in pretty good shape.  It held 15 people and it was $26 for an adult, then children 3-11 are $13, also under 3 years old is free.  When we started the tour, we got stuck in a traffic jam and had to turn back around, because there probably was an animal on the road like a bison or a bear maybe. We headed to Biscuit Basin, which was a total bummer, because our family had already been there that day so that was a let down. Plus, we didn’t learn anything that wasn’t on the brochure. There were only two places we got out of the bus.  This was disappointing, because that meant we could have driven around in our minivan and seen the same things.  Then, finally we went back to the place we were supposed to go to in the first place.  Since we had to make the first detour, we only drove through that area, and we didn’t get to get out of the bus.  We also didn’t get a chance to really slow down and look at anything.   That was the end of the tour which was a total bummer, because we didn’t learn anything new.  So if I were you, I would save my money and tour the park while reading a brochure, because that’s just as good.