Sunday, April 29/2012

What I seen when I looked out the window this morning

Heading Out

Snow on the distant mountains

Right it is

Last of the snow near the road

OMG!!!!!

Here we go..... grabbing first gear

Right it is

Sandy road to our camp spot at Boysen Reservoir 

Tonight's camping spot

Beside a big old cottonwood tree

Sandy beach

Exploring the waters

cute - but mean!!

Checking out the beach

Hogan trying to catch the birds

He was so happy - could not keep him out of the water

Rolling in the grass to get dry (after 3 hours of being in and out of the water)

Getting ready to cook supper

The campfire is ready to go

It's on

Sun going down

moon through he cottonwood leaves

Hogan in his chair enjoying the fire

I was up early this morning (6 a.m. - way too early) and of course the wind is still blowing.  The sun is shining though' so life is good.  Hogan had to go out and so I took the opportunity to turn on the heater so that when I finally decided to actually get out of bed to stay, it would be warm in the bus.
With Hogan back in the bus, I crawled back to bed only to be awakened by his growling.  It was 7:00 a.m. and time for me to rise and shine - well, rise anyway - maybe not shine!!( Later that day John asked what time I was on (laughing) Of course I was still on Wickenburg time, 1 Hr behind John since he changed his watch when we left AZ! I'm such a loser!!)
I looked to see what Hogan was growling at and saw a herd of 25 (yes, I counted them) antelope beside the bus.  Of course I had to get the camera out and the binoculars and spent the next half hour watching them and taking pictures.  They really are beautiful creatures.  When John got up at 8:00 a.m., they were still out there so he got to see them too.
We travelled down the road today to Wyoming's Boysen State Park.  We normally do not stay in parks but there are so few places to stay along this road that we thought we would give this a try.  What a wonderful decision that turned out to be as we found a great spot "on the beach".
Boysen State park surrounds the huge Boysen Reservoir.  It includes 11 different campgrounds and the reservoirs boasts several varieties of fish including walleye, pike, crappie as well as rainbow cutthroat and brown trout.  The reservoir was formed by the boysen dam - an earth filled dam on the Wind River.  It was constructed between 1947 and 1952 at the mouth of the Wind River Canyon and the dam and much of the reservoir are located on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
The campsite was situated only a few yards from the water's edge and it was nothing but awesome soft sand from the bus to the water.
John wanted to watch the hockey game so Hogan and I got out the chair, the umbrella and the ball and tennis racket and parked on the beach for the next three hours.  Hogan was in his glory and ran up and down the beach like there was no tomorrow.  He was like a kid in a candy store.  After a few tentative steps into the water, he would not stay our of it.  Oh how that dog loves the water.  He irritated the sea gulls and I am sure that they were just teasing him after a while as they would let him get so close and then fly away over the water where he would chase them into the water and try swimming to catch them.  I laughed so much my sides hurt!!
When the fish stated jumping (and I suspect it was the trout ) they would jump right out of the water and I must say that some of them were a good size.  Now where is my fishing rod when I need it?  Hogan was in the water looking for the fish.  OH MY God, it was soooo funny.
He chased his ball for miles and I thought "Man, is he going to sleep tonight"!!
After the hockey game, John did come outside and he too,  enjoyed the antics of the jumping fish.  My they were busy.  There were a few Canada Geese flying by and lots of duck and gulls.
John got out the BBQ and cooked an awesome steak supper (as usual) then we gathered some drift wood for a fire.  The campfire was set out in the sand and we enjoyed it for a while before I headed to bed.  I think three hours out on the beach with the dog has kicked the stuffing out of me!!
What an awesome site to camp.  Perhaps we will have to come back this way again sometime in the future and I would certainly encourage anyone in this area to come and enjoy this park, the water and the beach.

Saturday, April 28/2012

The sun is shining and that is a good thing as it is a bit chilly in the bus this morning.  Hogan is eager to get outside and check out all the sites.  What remains of a deer is not too far from the bus and although he has gone over to sniff at it, he does not seem all that interested and THAT is a very good thing!!

Heading out

Over the cattle guard and up the hill to the stop sign

Kenny Reservoir Dam 

such a pretty little valley we have traveled today

The White River meandered through this valley along side us  

Signs along the way

This is Butch Cassidy territory!!

Speed limit 75 MPH

I can do that!

Hogan chillin going down the Hwy

Left it is

Our spot for the night

If it's good enough for them it's good enough for us

Ferris Mountains Wy

Some ambiance!

Traffic is starting to pick up on the highway beside us and it won't be too long before we join them in our drive towards home.   Once we cross the cattle guard and stop at the stop sign, we will hang a right and hit the pavement and once again, be on our way home.
We followed a wonderful little valley today that eventually took us to the town of Meeker where we were able to purchase diesel fuel at a bargain price of $3.99 .9.  The bus was rather thirsty so it took over $300.00 to fill the thing.  Not too bad, if you say it quick!!  Of course Hogan was up on the dash while John was filling the tank and the guys in the truck next to us thought that was pretty cool.  Hogan was being a ham and I said "that is the way he rolls".
Back on the road again, we left Colorado behind and entered the state of Wyoming at Baggs.  This is Butch Cassidy territory as this area is steeped with stories of his adventures around these parts.
Finding a place to park for the night along this stretch of the highway is a challenge.  Much of the land is privately owned and there are plenty of NO Trespassing signs.  There is only one rest area and that is day use only - What the Hell!!  We pulled off the highway and took a dirt road which lead us to an open area out in the middle of the sage brush and this is where we stayed.  There is a bit of a pond beside us and two Canada Geese are enjoying a swim on their journey back to Canada.   It is windier than hell (as it usually is in this area) but this spot will do for the night.
Of course John had to recalibrate the dish as we have had several elevation changes since we left Wickenburg and today, the dish just had trouble finding its sweet spot.  With that done and the satellites found, we watched the hockey game and enjoyed spaghetti and meat balls for supper.   Awesome!!