At 6:15 am, I timidly peek out the window, and with fingers crossed, see nothing but blue, early morning sky, with only a few thin layers of innocent clouds. Could be a dry day!! There is a fine breakfast buffet worth waiting for, and some tableside chitchat goes on with other guests. I meet Flora and Duane from Dayton, Ohio, on a 3 week roundtrip to California. There is the obligatory posing for photos (Nicole, the Coachman Motel manager, seen here with her dogs: Bo and Roxie). Nicole, Brindil wants to extend yet another thank you to your hounds for parting with some of their dog food!
Feeling strong this morning (not the norm) as I leave Thermopolis, first passing Hot Springs State Park, site of an enormous mineral buildup from the thermals, then thru ag fields 30 miles to Worland. Tried unsuccessfully to get mares with colts (and does eat oats but little lambs eat ivy?) and mama ducks with ducklings to pose for "warm fuzzy" pix, but with no luck. (Signposts and roadwayshots are way easier, but I'm getting too many of them.)
Temperature is great, mid-70's and a fine return to summer, at least for today. Still lurking on the horizon in the form of ominous, dark grey thundercells, is the remains of this nasty front that has been doing a good job of ruining my days lately... Fields turn to sage steppe turns to heavily eroded sand formations exposing magnificent color bands. Scarlet globemallow and Indian Paintbrush inflame the ground. Ah, yes>> a preview of the Badlands! The first oil pumping stations appear. [Seems that Wyoming "is" wide open spaces, large trucks and energy production. Employment seems to teeter-totter between large trucks driven on the road and road crews fixing the roadways for these large trucks, who beat up said roadways, etc., etc.]
Just ahead, the mighty Bighorn Mountains, shrouded in clouds, await. There is not a level stretch between me and them I'm afraid, and I brace myself for a roller-coaster afternoon. The last couple miles are downhill to the sleepy, stopover town of Ten Sleep, set in a beautiful, green valley, as cliffs of bright red, sagey green and grey sands surround. A rustic cabin in Tom Broek's RV park is my stop for the night and the very cute waitress at the Ten Sleep Saloon somehow gets me to drink 3 big beers with dinner. Had to settle for Bunny Brand Ice Cream, as it seems that I am out of B&J IC territory.
Tomorrow is a big day over the Bighorns.
Feeling strong this morning (not the norm) as I leave Thermopolis, first passing Hot Springs State Park, site of an enormous mineral buildup from the thermals, then thru ag fields 30 miles to Worland. Tried unsuccessfully to get mares with colts (and does eat oats but little lambs eat ivy?) and mama ducks with ducklings to pose for "warm fuzzy" pix, but with no luck. (Signposts and roadwayshots are way easier, but I'm getting too many of them.)
Temperature is great, mid-70's and a fine return to summer, at least for today. Still lurking on the horizon in the form of ominous, dark grey thundercells, is the remains of this nasty front that has been doing a good job of ruining my days lately... Fields turn to sage steppe turns to heavily eroded sand formations exposing magnificent color bands. Scarlet globemallow and Indian Paintbrush inflame the ground. Ah, yes>> a preview of the Badlands! The first oil pumping stations appear. [Seems that Wyoming "is" wide open spaces, large trucks and energy production. Employment seems to teeter-totter between large trucks driven on the road and road crews fixing the roadways for these large trucks, who beat up said roadways, etc., etc.]
Just ahead, the mighty Bighorn Mountains, shrouded in clouds, await. There is not a level stretch between me and them I'm afraid, and I brace myself for a roller-coaster afternoon. The last couple miles are downhill to the sleepy, stopover town of Ten Sleep, set in a beautiful, green valley, as cliffs of bright red, sagey green and grey sands surround. A rustic cabin in Tom Broek's RV park is my stop for the night and the very cute waitress at the Ten Sleep Saloon somehow gets me to drink 3 big beers with dinner. Had to settle for Bunny Brand Ice Cream, as it seems that I am out of B&J IC territory.
Tomorrow is a big day over the Bighorns.
GAry: Bunny Brand is good. It is the alternative to B&J in Vermont. I have now created a google account just so I can communicate with you. Katherine here, by the way. I have been following your travels religiously from the start. I have read some of your blogs aloud to Kurt to make sure the drama is captured. Your trip over the Continental Divide was harrowing, to say the least. Safe travels you to and the Queen.
ReplyDeleteHi this is Nicole, Thank you for puttingme into your journal but one probem I couldnt get to the picture of me and my dogs. You welcome for the dog food. make sure you stop back through on your way back
ReplyDeleteSome truly breathtaking photos there, dude.
ReplyDelete