Sunday, November 6/2011

Headed Out

La Sal Mountains

Our spot for a few days

I awoke to sunshine this morning and it was awesome to feel it coming through the windows.  After traveling through rain and snow yesterday, the outside of the windshield is filthy and needs a good cleaning.  Someone should do that before we leave!!
It will be a short day today as our Moab destination is less than 50 miles away!!  Woo Hoo!!  After two long days of travel, to get out of the snow, it is nice to be back to our "short" days.
We are planning on spending a week or so around here to do a few more of the trails the Moab area has to offer then, we will head into Arizona and the warmth of the Sonoran Desert.
We were able to get to the same spot we were parked at on Willow Springs road two yea fo s ago.  We are tucked behind a large rock formation and can not be seen from the trail.  It is a perfect spot.
The wind is blowing a bit but the temp is much improved over the last few days.  It is not to get below freezing tonight and we may not even have to use the heaters!!

Saturday, November 5/2011

Wyoming scenery

Butch Cassidy Cabin

Dance Hall

Heading into Colorado

Time to find a place to Park

Well, it might be called Sweetwater Station but it was anything but sweet!!  It rained for most of the night and was windy.  We parked beside a very busy highway and if this traffic is any indication as to the amount of traffic "back in the day",  I can understand why this was a popular "station".
We will be continuing our travels South and will cross into the state of Colorado today.  This of course could mean lousy roads ahead as we will be in  the mountains and upper elevations today.  It is a good thing that I travel with The Four Powers - God, Allah, Buddha and the Gitchi Manitou!!
We are traveling on the Chief Washakie Trail,  named after the Shoshone Indian Chief who is noted for his exploits in fighting and also for his friendship with the white pioneers.  When wagon trains were passing though Shoshone country in the 1850's, Washakie and his people aided the overland travelers in fording steams and recovering strayed cattle.  He was also a Scout for the US Army.  From all the reading I did on this man, he truly was a man of vision and wisdom and led his people well.
We passed another landmark in our travels - this being Split Rock.  The Sweetwater Valley was home to three distinctive granite landmarks - Independence Rock, Devil's Gate and Split Rock.  The last of these, Split Rock had guided travelers for decades before the emigrants arrived.  The distinctive "gun sight" notch in the Rattlesnake Range was visible to the emigrants for the better part of two days. rising some 1000 feet above the prairie.  Split Rock aimed the emigrants directly at South Pass, more that 75 miles away.
We finally got to the small town of Baggs - a place John was interested in seeing.  He had done a lot of research and found out that this area was one frequented by Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch.  Baggs, once the gathering place for outlaws in the 1880's and 90's with its location, made it a perfect place for outlaws to celebrate their latest heist.  Apparently,  Butch and the boys liked to party - hence the name "the wild bunch".  they were frequent visitors to the Gaddis-Mathew house and it became known as a "hangout" for the gang while enjoyed music and dancing.  Butch was an accomplished harmonicist and enjoyed entertaining.  A rock fortress nearby - The Hole in the Wall  was their hideout once the partying was over.
Once we hit the interstate at Rawlins, we encountered snow and ground drifting which continued as we crossed into the state of Colorado.  Being in the upper elevations always brings the possibility of snow and we were not disappointed.  The only good thing about this today, was the fact that the ground stayed wet and the temperature remained above zero so we had no ugly icy roads to deal with.  We saw tons of deer and antelope and an equal amount of hunters all decked out in their bright orange suits.
When we were finally down into the lower elevations, the snow disappeared and the sun came out.  The leaves are still on the trees here, some of them still green!!
We continued into the state of Utah were we found a small road off the interstate to spend the night.

Friday, November 4/2011

Marie had to get a pic of the bunny before we left Billings

Headed out

Montana scenery

Beautiful Wyoming

Entering Wind River Canyon

Boysen State Park

Time to park for the night

The sun is shining again this morning.  Everyday that I wake up and don't see snow on the ground, I feel like we have dodged another bullet.  We are still too far north for my liking so hopefully today we get a few more miles behind us and stay in the warmer weather.  There is stormy weather all around us so I hope we can avoid most of it.  John keeps reminding me that we have three mountain ranges to get across before I see the sands of the Sonoran Desert so I hope we are as lucky as we were last year and have dry pavement all the way down.  I will keep my fingers crossed and call upon God, Allah, Buddha and the Gitchi Manitou if I need to!! (They ride in the bus with me at all times!!)
On our travels today, we went though the city of Cody, Wyoming.  This city was named after William Frederick Cody - primarily known as Buffalo Bill.  Buffalo Bill first came to this area in the 1870's guiding Professor O.C. March (a distinguished geologist) who was making a study of the natural resources of the West. He returned to this beautiful area in the 1890's with the avowed purpose of land development and the building of a community.  The site was named Cody in 1895 at the insistence of Buffalo Bills fellow developers.  In 1902, the town was incorporated and Buffalo Bill opened his infamous "Hotel in the Rockies" - the Irma - named after his youngest daughter.  Bill induced the Burlington Railroad to build a spur into the town and promoted a road to the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park (the first national park in North America).  He persuaded his friend, President Theodore Rooselvelt to establish the Bureau of Reclamation and to build the Shoshone Dam and Reservoir.  Buffalo Bill, also with the help of Teddy Rooselvelt,  established the first great National Forest - The Shoshone and the first ranger station.  He was a very busy man.
Once we got past Cody, we found our selves at yet another historic site.  This was the Half Way Stage Stop.  At this spot in 1903, a rock dugout facing south, near a spring in the hillside was established as a stage "noon stop" where horses were changed and meals served.  The primitive accommodation was half way between Corbett Crossing and the Stinking Water River and the bustling Frontier town of Meeteetse (which we had passed through earlier).  In 1904, Halfway Stop had a newfangled phone complete with a large public telephone sign!!  The station was abandoned in 1908 after automobiles began to use the route but the spring remained in use for many years,  a favorite watering place in this arid country.  The marker commemorates early station keepers and travelers who passed this way.
There obviously is a lot of history in this state and it would be great to spend some time in this area on our return home to explore some of the back trails and go where the outlaws once used to go!!
We drove through the small city of Lander which lies at the base of the Wind River Mountains.  It is here that Rodeo as a spectator sport was born.  Over 109 years ago, the first paid rodeo was staged in Lander and continues today.  Lander itself, was created to provide protection for the newly established Wind River Reservation and was a small military post - Camp Augur and was renamed Lander after Colonel F.W. Lander who headed a survey of an Oregon Trail cutoff in 1857-58.
It was starting to get late and time for us to start looking for a place to stop for the night.  We ended up stopping at a place called Sweetwater Station, so named because it was a stage and pony express stop along the Sweetwater River.  And that folks, end the history lesson for today!!!

Thursday, November 3 2011

Before pics

After pics

Woke up this morning to sunshine and quiet.  No one was up yet and the only reason I was up was because Hogan needed to pee!!
The jeep is supposed to be ready today so hopefully we will be heading out of here and pointing this rig South!!
As the day progressed, John made a few trips over to the shop to see how things were coming along and came back saying they were still waiting for parts but they were expecting them soon.  The owner offered us the use of his truck so we took him up on it and went shopping.  (not my kind of shopping - John shopping)  We bought two metal gas cans for the back of the jeep and a jack for the jeep.  We were in the neatest store but he would not give me time to look!!  Now what is with that. I am sure that there was something in that store that I needed!!
We headed to the bus and waited... and waited....and waited until finally it was done!!!!  However... it was too late in the day to head out so we decided to stay for the night and be gone Tomrrow
The jeep loaded up without any trouble (there was a bit of concern that it would not fit as well as we wanted it to now that there is a tie Carrier on the back with a basket on the top of it making it taller than it was.  The 2 inch lift didn't help either but alas, it fit perfectly!!
I had been slow simmering a stew throughout the day and that is what we had for supper.  It was good - even if I do say so myself!!
With supper done, we watched TV and passed the evening away quietly.  Tomorrow - we travel.

In it's house!

Wednesday, November 2/2011

Well, there was a bit more frost on the big bus windows this morning when I got up and thank heavens we left the heater on for the night.  I am afraid I would have froze my "knees and things" this morning when I got out of bed had we not done that!!
The sun is shining so it will not be too long before the windows thaw out.
We will be leaving Billings today as the jeep is supposed to be done this afternoon, then it will be adios chilly weather and heading to the warmer stuff - hopefully.  We still have a long way to go before we hit the Arizona sunshine.
I sent off a few emails and chatted with Beef this morning.  He will be starting the rink job for the winter so that is a good thing for him.
We headed over to where the jeep was and once there, found out that it would not be ready until probably tomorrow.  Apparently they are waiting for parts (story of my life!!).  Oh well, there is a spot here for us to park and I anticipate that there will be less noise here so I can live with that.
We settled in for the night and had a little cottontail bunny provide us with the evening's entertainment.  Here in the midst of  Billings, lives this little bunny.  There is no vegetation around that I can see except for a few scattered weeds and grass so I wonder what the little thing survives on.  He has shelter under the various out buildings on the property but I see no real food anywhere.  John and I were having corn on the cob for supper tonight so I left the husks over by one of the sheds for him to munch on.  John wondered if the owners would have issues with me leaving "garbage" outside their buildings but I didn't really care.  Hopefully Mr.Peter Cottontail finds them and enjoys his meal!!
It is definitely warm here as we are nestled beside a rather large building and there are buildings all around us.  As the evening progressed, the noise level settled and it was quiet.  Very conducive for sleep.

Tuesday, November 1/2011

It is the first of November today and here we are,  sitting in Billings, Montana.  The weather seems to be holding for now although John says that it is to get pretty cold by Friday.  We should be out of here and further south by Wednesday so that is a good thing.
We decided not to move today as we are only staying for one more night so why bother.  This stop is good enough although it is a bit noisy and we all know how John and I have become accustomed to peace and quiet.
It was a pyjama day for me as I had no real reason to get dressed.  I had no where to go and spent the majority of the day reading my book.  I love that Kindle!!
John was on the Internet looking up "stuff" and when that got boring, he kicked my ass in a game of Yahtzee.  I am such a good wife,  that I let him win most of the time!!
We had Shepherd's pie for supper (Shirley had given it to us before we left) and it was delicious.  Thanks Shirley!!
It will be getting chilly tonight so we left the radiant heater on when we went to bed so it will not be as chilly in here in the morning.