1122 August 31, 2024 Recovery Day

The stars last night were amazing. The glittering canopy blanketed us and because we were up on a ridge the sky was huge. The big dipper loomed large and clear. The Milky Way was a bright white wash across the heavens. I stood in awe.

We slept well and this morning, the sky was beginning to brighten as we woke. The sun rose as it set last night…as a large orange globe.

We enjoyed a campfire and our coffee. We could see wild horses to the north and south. We saw with the binoculars, a coyote strolling down the dirt road.

We aired down the tires because we had read that the road today would be a “rough clay road.” In fact, the road surface was great! We continued our trip. We wanted to see the rest of the loop. The visibility was much better; the colors more vivid.

Remnants of the Bar X Ranch.

There were so many pronghorns out and about. They were skittish and went tearing across the grassy plains at our approach; kicking up great plumes of dust as they went.

We saw a prairie dog standing sentry at his hole near the intersection.

There were lots of little birds and grasshoppers that took flight as we passed. We saw bullet shaped raptors flying low, searching. We saw one jackrabbit hightailing it from one bush to another.

We passed Honeycomb Buttes and Oregon Buttes.

We came to a group of free range cattle. To whom do these cows belong and where is their ranch? We crossed a cattleguard and there was a sign for NL Land and Livestock.

As we neared the end of our ride we saw a few campers and trailers parked among the rocks.

We saw a few more horses and lots more pronghorns.

We went past South Pass. This was an important path for human migration for millennia. Native Americans walked this way through the Rocky Mountains. Years later this route was used by the pioneers traversing the Oregon Trail and by the Pony Express as well.

At long last, we were among powerlines and then on the highway. We had a very successful and fun time.

We were back at the RV park before lunchtime. The remainder of the day was spent cleaning gear, doing laundry, gathering supplies, and getting fuel and fresh water. Tomorrow, we will move to Threemile Campground in the Shoshone National Forest. It is three miles from the East Entrance to Yellowstone. We will be there for a couple of nights. We have read that cell service/internet is limited/nonexistent. We will post again when we are able. We have not been to Yellowstone before and we are very eager to be there.

1121 August 30, 2024 The Red Desert

I started my day with a walk from the campground, through an old industrial area, and down a country lane.

We packed clothes and food for an overnight Jeep adventure.  We left Lander at 10am.  We drove 40 miles south on 28 and then entered the Great Northern Red Desert and the Great Divide Basin.  This is a 9,000 square mile parcel of BLM land.  It is the largest high-altitude desert in the US.  It is the largest unfenced area in the country.  Wyoming is the 10^th biggest state.  48% of Wyoming is public land.  6 people per square mile live here.    We drove another 40 miles into this expansive, remote, wilderness.  We saw one other car and two dirt bikes. 

We saw pronghorns.

We saw a few prairie dogs.

We saw wild horses.

We saw a coyote running on the road, away from us.  He was much too quick for pictures.

We were looking for sand dunes.  It was so smoky and hazy that we couldn’t see very far and we never found the dunes. 

There were some green areas where springs provide water for wildlife.

We did stop a lot to look at the scenery.

I am quite sure that this place looks very different when the sky is blue and the visibility is better. This is the radar pictures of the haze above the desert.

It took us awhile to find a nice free dispersed campsite.  We finally found a perfect spot.  We sat up on a ridge at 7,200 feet of elevation and we could look down into the valley below on both sides.  The weather was gorgeous.  There was a slight breeze.  It was 79 degrees and there was 12% humidity.

We could see wild horses in the distance.  We set up camp and sat in our chairs to watch them.  They began to move toward us, past our road and out into the wilderness.

We were in the Great Divide Basin.  This is a depression where the Continental Divide separates and then comes back together again.  The moisture that gathers in this area doesn’t go to the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean.  Eons ago, this was a sea.  Fossil hunters have found the remains of crocodiles and other ancient sea life.

The Shoshone Indians called this place by two names; “the place where God ran out of mountains,” and “land of many ponies.”

It would be easy to get lost out here.  We were thankful that we had a great map form the BLM office.  Cell service was intermittent. 

There is evidence of civilization out here; remnants of wooden fences, barbed wire, 6” nails, and corrals.  People have attempted to live and raise cattle out here but the terrain is too rugged for ranching…though pronghorns, deer, and horses certainly seem to thrive. 

We had a campfire and added layers as the sun began to go down.  We were grateful and lucky to be able to stay here.

1120 August 29, 2024 Lander

I took a walk down into the town of Rawlins this morning.  It was fairly unremarkable except for this doe with twins standing in an alley.

We left Rawlins and traveled north on highway 287 or the Chief Washakie Trail.  Chief Washakie was a prominent Shoshone leader.

We stopped at the Split Rock Historic Site.  This was the coolest rest stop.  This iconic stone formation was a landmark on the Oregon Trail.  There are apparently rutted trails nearby.  This was also the site of a Pony Express office.  Of course, for thousands of years before that, it was the home of Native American peoples who thought that this was their land.  This was the site of many battles between the people who lived here and the pioneers who came traipsing through.

We walked the trails at the site.

I had my breakfast at a picnic table nestled among the rocks.  Sitting there, it was easy to imagine this place from an earlier time.

There was lots of interesting plant life.

Pricklypear

Gumweed

Rubber rabbitbrush

White sagebrush

We passed Green Mountain and saw groups of pronghorns grazing.

The landscape began to change and we saw red rock.

We arrived in Lander at around noon.  We are staying at the Mountain Range RV Park. It is a small nicely kept park with great views of the golf course and then the mountains beyond. We plan to use this place as a base.  We are planning an overnight Jeep trip in the Red Desert tomorrow.

Tim found a bike shop where he was able to get his flat tire repaired.

This afternoon, we went to the National Forest Field Office and the BLM Field Office to get maps for our offroad adventure.

Tonight, we made a reservation at the Cowfish Restaurant.  We had read that the food was really good and that was an understatement. We shared appetizers; ahi tuna with avocado and wonton with some delicious sauce, mussels and crusty grilled bread, southwestern eggrolls – a fusion of Mexican and Asian cuisine that really worked, and yummy brussels sprouts topped with green apples and hazelnuts. This chef knows how to put foods together! We enjoyed our meal and had excellent service.

We walked through town.

The sun set over the mountains. There is a lot of wildfire smoke making the air pungent and hazy.

1119 August 28, 2024 Snowy Range Scenic Byway

I took my morning walk on the campground roads.

We left to continue or journey on 130 West along the scenic highway.

We stopped at the Snowy Range Observation Point. The wind was so blustery, I wasn’t sure that I would make it up the steps without blowing off! The views were outstanding.

We stopped at Mirror Lake. This is a pristine glacier fed lake. I could see every rock in the bottom!

We parked the RV and set out to walk along the ridge. This was the first time that I didn’t feel winded while walking at higher elevations.

We didn’t drive very far today and we stopped at a KOA along the interstate.

We packed stuff for toast and omelets and took a drive on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, a dirt and gravel road.

1118 August 27, 2024 Wyoming!

Tim looked out the window first thing this morning and there was an elk in the campsite next to us.  I wonder if the people who live here are as enthralled by the presence of the elks as we tourists?  Something tells me no.  We watched them eating flowers in town yesterday.

I drove the Jeep to the Estes Public Library and parked.  From there, I was able to access the Riverwalk.  The walkway was very well crafted and a pleasure to walk. 

This is a quaint and charming mountain town.  There were lots of lovely shops.  It would have been a great place to buy gifts.  There were high end boutiques, fine leather goods and handbags, pottery, jewelry, jerky, granola, distilleries; something for everyone.   It was too early to shop though!

I did stop at the Kind Coffee café for some cold brew.

This is a really artsy place.  There were sculptures and flower gardens and murals.

There were lots of chimes and musical instruments along the river.

The Veteran’s Memorial.

I was so glad that I made the choice to visit Estes Park today.

We packed up and with clean laundry, a full fresh water tank and other tanks empty, we began our journey to Wyoming.

We left Estes Park and traveled on winding roads back through Big Thompson River Canyon.

Three wild turkeys crossed the road in front of us.

We drove through Loveland and north through Fort Collins.   Fort Collins seemed like a really nice town.  There was everything anyone could want…from Walmart to Cadillac!

As we drove further north, the scenery changed.  It was starting to look like Wyoming with rolling hills and beautiful golden grasses, scrubby bushes and lots of rocks.

We saw pronghorns on the fields and prairie dogs guarding their sandy hills.

There were miles of snow fence. 

We got fuel in Laramie and then drove on the Snowy Range Scenic Byway.  We stopped at the Visitor Center for maps and information.  I saw this Cowboy Code posted.

My paltry pictures cannot capture the scale of this place.  Visibility today was 25 miles!  The sky is so blue and the air smells like pine.

We crossed over the North Fork of the Little Laramie River and then through the small town of Centennial; population 253.  We were at 8,000 feet.

We entered the Medicine Bow National Forest and found a campsite along a gurgling stream at the North Fork Campground.

This evening, we packed dinner and drove the Jeep 16 miles on a gravel forest road to Sand Lake.  We were at an elevation of 10,000 feet.

We walked to the water and through a derelict campground. 

We saw a marmot run across the meadow and he found a hiding spot in a crumbling cabin.

There were some hoof prints and some pawprints in the mud near the lake.

We ate corn on the cob and rotisserie chicken and grapes.

We inadvertently dropped a grape and two birds, Canada jays, also known as camp robbers, swooped in to claim it.  We watched one of the pair fly off with the grape in his beak.

On the way back to the campground, we saw a deer and then later, we watched this porcupine waddle across the road and scramble up the steep bank.

Tim brought me a purple wildflower, and I guess you could say he took me out to dinner.  When we got back, he brought me a square of dark chocolate.  It was a nice day.

After dark, we went out to look at the sky.  The moon had set at 4pm.   We were at a high elevation where the air was cold and thin and crisp.  The milky way and the stars were bright and beautiful.  I don’t know when I have seen a prettier sky.

1117 August 26, 2024 Beauty Abounds

We woke early this morning.  Tim fixed coffee and I began to pack.  We had two options for returning to Estes Park.  We had thought we might go south toward Denver and 70 and then take another scenic ride back to the RV park.  Or, we were up and ready early enough that we could reenter RMNP and travel without a timed entry pass.  We elected to go back through the park.

Leaving Sunset Point, the sky was cloudy.

We went back through the Grand Lake entrance. We saw yet another herd of elk.  We have seen more elk here than we have ever seen before.

Big elk hoof prints and itty bitty hoof prints as well.

We stopped at the Holzwarth Historic Site.  There was a nice path here across the meadow and we decided to take a walk.  The cabins are used by rangers and park employees…but this would have been a really cool place to stay!

More Colorado River.

We traveled on and stopped at Rainbow Curve.

Another stop at Hidden Valley for breakfast.  This chipmunk was quite daring.  He actually climbed on Tim’s shoe and tapped him on the leg.  I am quite sure he was looking for handouts.

We took a walk here as well.

We got back to Manor RV Park before noon.  We unpacked and cleaned up and rested.

This evening, we had a timed entry permit for Bear Lake Road at 4pm. We ordered food from Smokin’ Dave’s BBQ and we took that with us into RMNP.

We began with a very pleasant walk around Sprague Lake.

There were more elk alongside the road.

We took a short walk at Bear Lake.

Glacier Creek.

We found a sweet picnic spot along a gurgling stream. We ate our delicious bison ribs with Caesar salad. The ribs were huge and reminded us of the Fred Flintstone version. They were also very lean and meaty. A doe and her twin fawns walked across the stream as we were eating.

We took the road to Fern Lake.

We stopped to sit at a roadside picnic table and Tim caught sight of two mule deer bucks.

We were quietly watching when Tim heard a noise behind us. A herd of about twenty elk walked down the hill and across the road very close to us. It was magical. We watched them drink from a puddle. There were young bucks, mommas and babies.

As we left the park. We saw another momma deer with two babies.

We went into town to get gas for the Jeep.

There were elk in town!

The sunset this evening. Another fabulous ending to a very fun day!

This was our last day in this awesome national park. The grandeur, the wildlife, the lakes and rivers and streams, the alpine tundra, the Rocky Mountains, all conspired to make this another favorite trip! We are a little sad to leave. Tomorrow we will move to Wyoming.

1116 August 25, 2024 Rocky Mountain High

We spent the morning exercising, doing chores and packing and preparing for an overnight Jeep camping adventure.

We had a timed entry pass for RMNP at 12 noon.  We took the Old Fall River Road.  This is a one-way gravel road that steadily climbs in elevation.  There are no guardrails and there are lots of switchbacks.  The road traverses 9 miles of stunning scenery.  We stopped to walk at Chasm Falls.

We stopped at almost every scenic overlook.  We did not do much hiking.  We are very aware that we are at high altitudes and we are not acclimated.  Strolling/walking is fine but climbing leaves us slightly short of breath.

There was this one crazy guy riding his bicycle up the 9 mile dirt road. I think that he was very brave and that he is the definition of grit!

We rose into the clouds and above the tree line into the alpine tundra.  We arrived at the Alpine Visitor Center at 11,796 feet.  It was windy and 42 degrees at the peak.

We doubled back on Trail Ridge Road to see the portion that we missed while driving offroad.  We saw a herd of about 100 elk.

Lots more spectacular scenery.

At Many Parks Curve, we turned around and headed to the Grand Lake or West Entrance.  We stopped to see the Colorado River.  The mighty river begins here as a collection of snow melt and then continues south for 1,400 miles all the way to the Mexican border.  By the time it gets there, it is merely a trickle.  It was raining big fat drops as we tried to get a picture.

Near the end of the 42 mile park road, there was a large section of trees burned out by wildfires in 2020. The area is just beginning to recover and small spruce trees are growing.

We drove out of the park and to Granby Lake.  We found a pretty campsite at Sunset Point in the Arapaho National Forest.  It was raining and chilly and we debated whether or not we should stay.  There was a fire ban so no campfire for us.  We checked the weather and decided that it was going to clear.  The sun did come out along with a marvelous rainbow vivid, large, and complete.

As we were eating our simple dinner of lettuce wraps and blackberries we saw more dark clouds.  Apparently, the weather forecast and radar is not very reliable here.  The weather seems to be very fickle.  We hurriedly packed up our supper and we got into the tent just as it began to really rain.  It stopped and started again and it rained for a long time.  We had some significant wind but it was short lived.  I read and we went to sleep super early.  We were warm and cozy enough in our nest.

1115 August 24, 2024 Estes Park

I took an early morning walk on the frontage road.  Highway 76 was on one side and farmland and a pond on the other.  It was a gorgeous morning. 

Today we had just a two hour drive.  We began to see the shadowy outline of the Rocky Mountains from about 50 miles away. 

Loveland.

As we continued our drive, we entered Thompson River Canyon.

We arrived in Estes Park.  We will use this as home base as we explore Rocky Mountain National Park over the next several days. We settled into our site before noon.

This magpie greeted us and was looking for lunch!

The National Park works on a timed entry system.  We did not have a permit but we knew we could enter after 2pm.  We packed a picnic and set out.  The line to get in was long and it took about 30 minutes to get through the gate.  We saw several mule deer.

We drove to the Upper Beaver Meadows and took the gravel road all the way to the end.  There were about 90 elk in the field. It was amazing!  We stayed and watched them for about an hour.

This old guy had the biggest rack.  He had a hard time getting up and walking to follow the rest of the herd.

Tim found us the perfect spot for dinner.  We enjoyed our tuna poke bowls with quinoa and cucumber and mango. 

Our dinnertime view!

After eating, Tim asked if I wanted to see more of the park…of course!

We stopped at a scenic overlook at Many Parks Curve.  WOW!!!  The scenery was breathtaking.

We tuned around there and went back to the RV.  We have an adventure planned for tomorrow!

Even as we were enjoying our time here, our hearts were sad and heavy.  We knew that Dre’s father was very ill.  He passed away this evening surrounded by his family.  Rest now Jorge.

1114 August 23, 2024 Mucky Mess

Last night when we arrived at the Sheridan Lake State Fishing Area, everything was dry and hardpacked.  In the campsite next to us, we could see some ruts where someone had a hard time when it was wet.  Tim had me check the weather forecast.  There was a 55, 45, 35% chance of thunderstorms at 1am, 2am, and 3am.  The lightning and rain began long before that.  It rained most of the night.  It was still dark and raining when Tim got up.  I lingered in bed waiting for the sky to brighten and for the rain to stop.  I set out for a walk.  The dirt and gravel road surface was slick and greasy.  There were also several soft spots where my shoes sunk into the mud. 

Tim met me outside.  He was worried about our ability to get out.  He suggested that we unhook the Jeep.  This proved to be a wise decision.  Tim drove out first in the RV.  For about 4 miles, he used every ounce of his driving skills and abilities to make it up the road.  He was slipping and sliding and at times, he was sideways.  I followed behind in the Jeep.  I got stuck twice.  The second time, one front wheel was in the ditch.  I used 4-wheel drive and was able to extricate myself.  We left the road rutted and messy…but there was no other way for us to get out!  What a huge relief it was to arrive at the pavement.  It was an intense morning.

We found a truck wash and Tim drove several miles out of the way to get there.  For $58.00, six men with power washers and brushes, scrubbed the RV.  They removed all of the dust and mud from our offroad adventures.

We arrived in Colorado.  The landscape was changing again; more hills and rocks. 

There were lots of farms, cattle ranches, stockyards, grain elevators, and farm equipment dealers.  We passed through some small towns.

Last night our campground was at 2,600 feet of elevation.  Tonight, we are at 4,400 feet.  We have been climbing without really noticing.  Everything appears so open and the change is very gradual.   

We are in Fort Morgan at a small campground near the highway.  We have full hookups so it is laundry day.  As I cooked dinner, we had a tremendous storm with high winds and pouring rain.  One side of the Jeep is much cleaner now!

1113 August 22, 2024 Looks Like Kansas

When I woke up this morning, the sky was just starting to pinken.  I dressed quickly and made myself a cup of coffee.  I went outside to watch the sunrise.  It has been a long time since I had witnessed the beginning of a new day.  I was filled with a deep sense of peace.

I walked the roads of the pristine park.  I was almost chilly enough to want a sweatshirt but I chose to embrace the fresh air and then it wasn’t long before I was warm enough.  I saw deer running amongst the trees.  There were vultures perched and watchful and waiting.

I heard thunder and decided to head back to the RV.  The first drops of rain fell as we prepared to leave.  The rain passed and the sky turned blue.  There is a persistent haze that is from the Canadian wildfires.

Once we were on our way and headed west on 70, we decided that today, it looked like Kansas.  There were rolling and grassy hills.  There were corn and sorghum and soybean and hayfields.  There were cattle ranches and then suddenly, lots of windmills, hundreds or maybe thousands.

There isn’t much in this western portion of Kansas!

After Salina, 70W is a scenic route.  We planned to slow it down today.  We are grateful for the freedom to choose another path.  We elected to take the scenic route to the north of the interstate and through the Great Plains.  Our new RV has GPS and we have plugged in all of the coach features like height and weight and this GPS is customized to show us the best roads for our rig.  We chose to trust it!  We took the exit from 70 and came upon an unexpected road closure.  We had two options.  We could have disconnected the Jeep and turned around and gone back to the highway.  The second option was a gravel road that would serve as a detour.  Tim drove 16 miles on that gravel road. 

It was slow going but the condition of the road was fairly good.  This was the best part of my day!  The scenery was lovely!

There was a farmer plowing in his field and I am quite sure he looked at us and thought “What the hell?”  The cows even looked at us funny.

Finally, we arrived at the pavement in Waldo.

We found another free campsite at Sheridan Lake State Fishing Campground.  The lake is really dry but our site is under a big old cottonwood tree.  Sitting under that tree, was Tim’s favorite part of this day. 

We spent a lot of time sitting outside enjoying the warm breeze, dinner, and than the sunset.

I am very sure that we will remember this trip! Today was definitely a change of pace.  What is the most adventuresome thing that you did today?  There are lots of nooks and crannies in this great country of ours…get out and explore!