Day 20 – Tuesday, July 16, 2013

We left our little forestry site on the Hoback River and headed on secondary highways through Wyoming and into Utah. Julie notes “Not before Brad demonstrated how to spill a full travel mug of coffee but avoid the many electronics on the table. Quite impressive.” Our route took us through the Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. We tried uploading yesterday’s post in Rock Springs, WY but it wouldn’t let us so you may get 2 posts today if we find accommodating wifi.

On the long and high highway through Wyoming, the elevation varies between 6,400′ and 8,400′ above sea level. Julie notes “Based on the love of log cabins and buildings through this flat part of Wyoming, we now understand why there are no trees almost as far as the eye can see. You would also want to be a horse lover here as beautiful ranches abound. We also saw alpaca or llamas. What is the difference? Maybe that is one of the many things we’ll learn in South America. (And then forget.)”

Wyoming – puts the ‘high’ in highway

Some of the wildlife in Rock Springs, WY. Julie notes “The Utah High School Rodeo was going on all week in town so businesses and organizations had decorated the bulls you see. Some very creative ones lined the street. Brad and I were denied entry into the rodeo. We are guessing it was because we were Canadian and possibly the fact that neither of us are sure we graduated high school. But definitely not because of how old we looked.”

…and some pronghorns. Julie notes “Oh give me a home, where the bison roam and the deer and the pronghorn play…” An updated version of ‘Holmes, Holmes on the Range’. If you had joined us on last year’s naturalist adventure through southern Saskatchewan you would’ve learned that pronghorn are neither deer nor antelope but unto their own pronghorniness. Hmm that doesn’t sound quite right but you know what I mean.”

The place mat in Rock Springs Chopstix Asian Bistro that we stopped at for lunch said that I was born in the Year of the Horse and that made me attractive to the opposite sex. I guess they were right? Julie notes “If it says so on the place mat, who am I to disagree? Plus I thought he was pointing at me and saying ‘gorgeous’. Then I turned around…”

We crossed the Flaming Gorge Dam. Julie notes “Dam it! I had a hard time getting a good shot. There was a fire in this area in 2002, took 20,000 acres, started by a vehicle spark they surmise. Once again Mother Nature is reclaiming in leaps and bounds.”

We found a site around 6:00 PM at Steinaker State Park near Vernal, UT. We took a site up high overlooking the reservoir and surrounding mountain scenery. The temperature for the day hovered around the 30 C mark reaching highs of 35 C when we were in the badlands town of Rock Springs. People were friendly and helpful despite the heat. Julie notes “For our Ontario readers, this was more like blast furnace hot as compared to their steamy jungle hot. Wyoming Wowed us some more as we entered into the amazing badlands with its hoodoos and formations. Then we entered Uinta’s area of Utah where we Unanimously agreed it was Undescribably (it seems that’s not a word but it goes with my theme) Unbelievable in its beauty. We drove a road with 10, 20 mph switchbacks with a 9% grade and along the roadside there are signs with the prehistory of area i.e. which dinosaurs roamed, what fossils were found, where you would’ve been driving under sea with some giant lizards. Very neat, but not cool.”

Steinaker State Park near Vernal, UT. up high overlooking the reservoir and surrounding mountain scenery.

Signing off for today. Cheers to all our loyal followers! …the muleskinner and his sidekick

Julie notes “Flitting around behind us were the newly discovered Bigger Than Your Average Swallow. Sorry Karen S. No Blue footed Boobies, although if you were lucky last night you would’ve seen a Two-footed Blue Boobied Gal hot footing it in the outdoor shower. We also watched an amazing lightening show in the yonder hills in lieu of a campfire. Mother Nature and her freebies!”