August 26-29, 2021
Pocatello, Idaho - Cokeville, Rock Springs, Wyoming
Our departure day from Henry's Lake SP starts with a wonderful surprise! After looking for Moose in our travels over the last week, a large cow is wandering the field below our campsite :-) By the time I get outside she's got her head down eating, but it's such a treat to see her that close.
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| Maggie shared her great shot of the cow across the pond from their site. |
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| We're all out to see her. |
I also forgot to include that on our way to Ennis for dinner Bill saw a black bear up on the mountain. We turned around and all of us got to see him on the way into the bushes. So cool!
150 smoky miles take us to Cowboy RV Park in Pocatello for a one night stop. One of three we'll do to reposition further south. It's a busy stop getting the Jeep a much needed bath, and a stock-up grocery run at a nice size Albertson's. Our next surprise is finding my favorite Dutch pancake (they call it German here) at Elmer's nearby - so yummy with lemon and butter.
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| So much yum! |
Jim and Maggie are also staying here a couple days so we plan for a final dinner out. We get the best surprise when we're joined by another high school friend (Jimmy found out she was here and invited her to join us)!! Kathy is a new solo full-timer who's back in her home area to participate in a body building competition - wow! Delicious Italian at Cafe Tuscany, with more fun conversation wraps up this quick stop.
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| Kathy, Jim, Maggie, Jodee and Bill |
Friday morning we head south on Hwy 30 over a couple 6200 foot passes, through acres of wheat and other crops, and unfortunately under smoky haze all the way into Wyoming. Our stop is in tiny Cokeville at the Hideaway Motel right on the highway. Three 50 AMP FHU level dirt sites are in the back of the property next to a nice grass park.
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| A volleyball tournament nearby brings a busload of high school girls to join us. They're good neighbors. |
Across the road is the Golden Buckle Grill, a surprisingly upgraded eatery where we enjoy Navajo Tacos. The rest of our short stay we chill indoors.
Rare for us, we make a stop on our travel day. Fossil Butte National Monument is a treat for fossil/geology geeks like us. Four RV parking spaces in the small parking lot give us access to the nice visitors' center. Well done videos and a huge collection of fossils collected in the monument.
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| This timeline railing shows how insignificant our time on earth has been! |
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| Can't wrap my head around these numbers. |
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| A small and beautiful video room. |
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| Many of the fossils are pieces of art. |
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| We've seen many fossils around the country, but I don't remember any like this. They have a large display of predatory interaction. |
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| Displays include the very small |
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| to the very large! |
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| Fossil Butte |
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| Fossil Lake |
There is also a five mile drive to the top of the butte, but we opt not to unhook the Jeep to check it out this time. If you're in the area, this is a wonderful stop just 3 miles off the highway.
Like many places in the last six weeks, we wake on departure day to blue skies, and find ourselves in the smoke by the time we get to our next stop. This is not the prettiest part of Wyoming, and for most of our Saturday drive the skies and landscape are the same color. Unfortunately the drive includes miles of road construction. Despite the posted reduced speed limit, most big rigs are doing the maximum of 70, kicking up the loose gravel in every direction. Before we get to the end of it we have THREE chips in our (6 months old) windshield! I am not happy.
We arrive at the Rock Springs Walmart and find the last spot along the back of the parking lot. This is a busy, chaotic place. I saw a sushi restaurant sign on the highway, and am confidant this will improve my cranky mood.
A couple yummy sushi rolls at Saporo, and a nice nap, and I'm back to my usual sweet self. We run the genny and the AC for a couple hours, read, people watch, play games, and with the large slide out we get a decent night's sleep.
Every place we've left behind since mid-July gets clear skies after we leave. And the places ahead of us that are clear get smoky as we arrive. Hard not to take it personal! Checking the air quality map Sunday morning I find the trend continues.
With an earlier-than-usual start of 8:30, we take our time along Hwy 191 through part of Flaming Gorge into Vernal, Utah. Until we drop into the valley, we're blessed with blue skies over the beautiful gorge. It's a nice drive with a few 9% grades - including ten 20 mph switchbacks coming down to Flaming Gorge Lake.
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| Little Osprey Island in Flaming Gorge Lake. |
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| The first dam I've driven the motorhome over. |
Vernal is a repeat stop with so much to see. Being able to see it is the challenge this time. Arriving at Fossil Valley RV Park is like being welcomed home. The owner's son (can't believe I forgot his name) is delightful and makes us feel like we're his favorite guests! He takes us to a spot he's sure will accommodate our satellite, with lots of beautiful shade trees. Level gravel with a strip of grass, 50 AMP FHU's and zero view :-) - we love it here!
Feels good to slow down again.......
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| Ten months old and taking a few steps, Elliott is growing up way tooooo fast! |
Wow! Those fossils are pretty cool :-) It's been awhile since I've sat down long enough to read anything... But, I wanted to let you know that I like the new color scheme. Yes, too many one night stops is exhausting! Glad you survived. Wish the same could be said for the windshield. Find a good repairman and you'll be the only ones who notice.
ReplyDeleteThanks, I was ready for a different look :-) Fingers crossed the deep one can take a chip fix during our four day stop.
DeleteI always thought Pocatello was a fun name to say, we have to go just so we can say it. More fossils to be found in Vernal.
ReplyDeleteHope you can have the windshield fixed up quickly.
It is fun to say!! We love Vernal and can't wait to revisit what we've seen and discover more while we're here.
DeleteSo sorry the smoke keeps following you and glad you had such a great visit with friends! That Dutch baby looks fabulous! Those are so easy to make, I should make them more often!
ReplyDeleteOh man don't tell me you make them too!!! You're already my hero :-)
DeleteWhat are Dutch pancakes? I don't know if I've ever had them. But they look delicious
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry that you are continuing to be in the smoke. One of the reasons I didn't come West this year. Seems totally unfair that you should get chips in your windshield along with your smoke .
You have such great luck with restaurants and I have such terrible luck. What are your secrets in picking them. I don't eat out a lot but when I do I never seem to find the unique with Delicious Food Spot.
Better get your running shoes in condition that cute little Elliott is going to be sprinting by you and no time.
You were right to avoid the west this year! I'm ready to take on the humidity of the midwest and northeast next year after all this. We usually look for places with at least 4 stars and then check the menu for options. Sometimes we just luck out and sometimes we get huge disappointments.
DeleteThe smoke in the west truly has been relentless this summer. :-(( You seem to still find interesting things to do and yummy food and good friends along the way...all of which undoubtedly help alleviate bouts of crankiness, LOL! (those things help me, too.)
ReplyDeleteFossil Butte National Monument is SO cool! Definitely going on our list. I just want to figure out when we can return to traveling in the west without crowded campgrounds or wildfires. So surreal to think of how much things have changed.
I'm hoping we find less crowded parks after Labor Day! I've been amazed that even weekdays are often as busy as weekends now. There has to be a change in how our forests are managed or we are destined to have fires every summer until everything has burned to the ground :-(
DeleteSure hope the fires go out for the last portion of your summer travels, Jodee and Bill!
ReplyDeleteLooking better here in Utah - I'm sure all will be glad when I stop complaining :-))))
DeleteWe have never stopped to tour anything on move day. Think we will give it a try even with our 55' combination truck and trailer. Google Earth the stop first I suppose.
ReplyDeleteWe're 55' as well so it just never seems like we'll fit. Yep, I did Google Earth and also called them. It was a fun way to break up the drive!
DeleteSo we have never had Dutch pancakes either…they do look yummy! Also, we have never in all the years we traveled stopped to explore. I don’t know why except that perhaps we were just anxious to make the stop for the night. Kudos to you and Bill! Fossils are amazing!
ReplyDeleteOur travel days are usually short so we've always done our exploring after we arrive, but I'm now looking for interesting stops on our longer travel routes! I love learning how they find those fossils - what a cool job :-)
DeleteDIL Erin makes a Dutch Baby (with apples) for us during the holidays and we all love it. Perhaps I'll try my hand at one this year! We, too, love the Vernal area. It's fun to reexplore places we've been before and discover new things. Have you found Fantasy Canyon there yet? If not, try it next time. A fun place to wander. Safe travels as you move on.
ReplyDeleteThe Dutch pancake is so easy to make I usually do it for dinner when lazier than usual. Such a bummer about the smoke. I really need to see Fossil Butte. You do well at finding RV parking.
ReplyDeleteFossil Park is z as other tgst seems to escape us. We would like to make it one day. Bummer on the windshield.
ReplyDeleteSo glad we could get a quick fix for the chips, although they're still a little visible. Fossil Butte is worth the detour when you're in the area.
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