We ran out of water. That was our cue it was time to hook up the rig and move on. All in all we didn’t do too badly. Twelve days of camping is a long time to last on 60 gallons of fresh water. It helped A LOT that we were near a lake, and could pull lake water to bathe, wash hair and do basic cleaning. That allowed us to preserve what we had for drinking, cooking and quick showers. But alas, our tank finally ran dry on our last night, and it was time to go.
In over three years of full-time RVing, this was the first place we had stayed for that length of time, that we were actually sad to be leaving. We were excited for our new adventures, visiting Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone, and yet there was a part of us that was reluctant to go.
We hit the road knowing we would have to find an RV park to dump our tanks and fill up with fresh water, and we knew we desperately needed to make a grocery run at Walmart before heading over the mountains towards Jackson.
First we pulled in to the Rambling Moose Campground. This charming place has RV sites and cabins for rent. The owners live on the property, and it is wild animal central if you’re there at the right time of the year. In spring it’s common to see moose, deer, and even mountain lions roaming the area. They charge a $10 fee to use the dump station, but do not have potable water available. It’s a tight squeeze in a big rig to loop through the campground to the dump station, but doable. Unfortunately their campsites won’t accommodate a big rig like ours.
Once our holding tanks were empty we headed out towards the town of Rexburg, Idaho, which is home to the closest Walmart to Jackson Hole. We stocked up and continued, stopping one last time in Tetonia, Idaho. The town is charming (supposedly they have some of the best homemade ice cream around) and a city park provided us with the fresh water fill we so desperately needed. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited we were to learn we were going to be climbing Teton Pass, a steep 10% grade, with a full tank of water!!! Lol. (Yes, sarcasm definitely intended there).
The views of the Tetons from Tetonia were stunning, and only made me that much more anxious to get over the mountains and start exploring.
As we approached the pass, we noted many warning signs along the way. Warnings about the steepness of the grade. Warnings that no trucks with trailers of any kind were allowed between November and April. Warnings that no trucks over 60,000 lbs. were allowed ever. We passed over an in-road scale system. If the lights flashed, the vehicle passing through was required to stop at a scale house just up the highway to be weighed. Any vehicle weighing over the 60,000 lb. limit were turned back.
We began our ascent up the grade. As expected, Grace ran smoothly, barely noticing the steeper-than-usual incline. We caught up with a Class C motorhome that was struggling up the grade at barely 30 miles per hour. Eventually he was able to pull over and allow us to pass, and Grace accelerated smoothly to about 50 miles per hour while still climbing. Due to all the turns in the road, that was about as fast as you would want to go.
We were curious as to how the Smart car would handle the grade. With only three cylinders and 70 horsepower, we weren’t expecting much from it. I figured I’d be back with the Class C, struggling to just keep forward momentum up the hill. While I did have my foot in it, the little Smart handled extremely well going up the grade. I had no issue keeping up with Grace (although our real time fuel mileage dropped to about 15 MPG going up the hill).
Even though the Teton Grade is steep, it’s relatively short. If you’re heading east, as you crest the top of the grade you’re rewarded with a stunning view of Jackson and the valley below. It’s a steep descent on the back side of the grade, and trucks are restricted to 25MPH. Bubba used the jake on Grace and was able to maintain that speed all the way down the hill without ever touching his brakes. Unfortunately, an impatient motorist who apparently was too ignorant or in too big of a hurry to realize 1) trucks are restricted in speed on the grade and 2) trucks shouldn’t be going any faster than that anyways on that steep of a grade, for everyone’s safety, suddenly decided to pass both of us. He honked at Bubba as he passed and Bubba rewarded him with the #1 sign…lol.
Bad drivers aside, it was a beautiful drive.
If we had to make any recommendations to other RVers who will be traveling over the pass, we would say to know your vehicle weights and your limitations when towing. We would recommend traveling over the grade with empty tanks (that wasn’t an option for us, and luckily we have the truck to handle the extra weight). Watch your downhill speed, use your engine brake if you have one. Most importantly, enjoy the scenery! This truly is one of the most picturesque parts of the country we have ever seen.
