Monday, April 24/2017

Headed out

Today we found our travels taking out of the State of Utah and into the State of Wyoming.  We left the quiet of McCoy Flats and continued northward towards home sweet home!!  We had to drive through Vernal, Utah and over the pass and it is always a very scenic drive.  I only hope we don't encounter any snow on the road.  This particular pass is long and high and is a constant uphill trek.  At one point along the highway there is a warning sign informing motorists of the upcoming 10 switchbacks in 4 miles!!   Some curves in the road are down to 20 mph!!  It is beautiful scenery and I would imagine this area get a ton of summer campers and quad enthusiasts.  There was a large open pit mining operation on the pass and I can't imagine the amount of snow that these miners have to deal with during the winter.  Definitely not a place I would want to be!!

Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Our scenic highlight today was the always impressive Flaming Gorge Recreation Area.  It is located in both the states of Utah and Wyoming.  Established in 1968, it is the largest reservoir in Wyoming (91 miles long) and is governed by the U.S. Forest Service.  The reservoir was formed on the Green River and the Flaming Gorge Dam holds back millions and millions and millions of gallons of water.  It garners its rather colorful name by the red sandstone cliffs that surround the area.  The water of course is the centerpiece of the gorge itself, offering all kinds of fun activities as well as being home for a variety of fish including several varieties of trout (lakers included), Kokanee salmon and small mouth bass. Hikers and campers are welcome and we did see some quad trails as well.  I imagine that there is something for everyone in this area.

Open pit mine

Who takes a picture of bug guts on the windshield??

We scooted past the southern most end of the reservoir

The arch bridge going over the damn

on the actual dam

Crossing the dam

oncoming traffic

Part of Flaming Gorge Dam

Out of Utah and into Wyoming

Our spot for the night

We camped at  Bicentennial Park in Eden, Wyoming for the night as the rain and snow started to fall and we had a high pass to cross and I sure didn't want to be doing it when it was already snowing in the lower elevations!!  I could only imagine what it was doing on the pass.
The phone has been giving us grief for a while and getting much worse since we started our journey home so tomorrow I will stop at a Verizon store and see if some tech savvy person can figure out what the issue is.  It keeps telling me I cannot take a picture because my storage is full!!  Well, we will see about that tomorrow!!
Being so miserable out, BBQ was out of the question so it was an "inside" meal tonight.  I was just glad to be out of the miserable weather.
It was a quiet evening of watching The Voice on TV and reading my Kindle.  John was working on the blog.  Man, that is an all consuming task in itself.  Who would have thought when John suggested the idea of keeping a blog that it would actually become a "chore"!!  But.....Life is Good!!