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| pee break along the road, somewhere in drab and brown Wyoming |
It was nice to leave Sundance the next day but disappointed the weather had not improved overnight. It was 8 degrees and felt colder with the wind blowing down from the Black Hills. We zigzagged down through the centre of the state, passing Casper and taking SR 220 which would eventually hit I-80 and then on into Utah. Near Alcova and still in Wyoming we came across Independance Rock, the rain stopping long enough for us to stretch our legs and take some pictures. Known as the Register of the Desert this 136 foot high granite outcropping near the meandering Sweetwater River can been seen for miles and was a key landmark for pioneers as they made their way across the American frontier. Arriving at this location by the fourth of July assured the wagon trains would make it through the Rockies before winter. Hopefully we could do the same as snow had already been forecast for Yellowstone, just north of us. Hundreds of names have been carved into the hard stone over the years but when I climbed up as far as I dared to get a view of the brown and flat arid land all about, the Shirley Mountains just visible to the southeast, I saw only a lone rock rabbit hopping away. As it was still wet from the rain I was more concerned about slipping and breaking my neck. Then we were back on the road, planning our next layover in Rawlins, an hour away. It was still cool and wet when we hitched up at the Red Desert Rose Campground and we hoped Carolyn and Dee had put an order in for good weather when we arrived the next day.
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| rock rabbit |
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| standing atop Independance Rock, Marie on walkway below me |
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| Red Desert Rose Campground, Rawlins, Wyoming |
By late morning the next day as we drove down a fairly empty I-80 the sun had come out and puffy white clouds dotted a beautiful blue sky. We approached Green River and the Flaming Gorge Reservoir that continued on into Colorado and finally felt warm again, Salt Lake City just two hours west of us.
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| near Green River, Wyoming |
Richard, Lyn and Dee were waiting for us outside Dee's house in American Fork when we pulled up later in the afternoon. It was a 55-Only residence only and I was amazed how quiet the neighborhood was. Dee's home we found huge and inviting and it was nice to be able to spend a few days there relaxing. After supper we made plans the next day to drive up to Snowbasin Resort on Ogden Mountain for one of the last free outdoor concerts of the year. We would also meet up with Carolyn, Michael, Rachel and Jason there. The ski resort was winding down for the summer and signs imploring the snow to come were in evidence! It was here the 2002 Winter Olympic alpine skiing races for downhill, combined and super-G were held. There were not a lot of people yet when we arrived so we had choice spots on the sloping green lawn in front of the stage to lay out our blankets and chairs.
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| me, Rich, Lyn and Dee |
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| Tyler and Isaiah |
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| Richard, Dee's place |
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| Dee making supper |
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| Dee's backyard |
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| Rich, on our way to Snowbasin |
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| Dee, Marie and Lyn, Wasatch Range, near Snowbasin, Utah |
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| Dee, Snowbasin |
Marie and I took the cable car up to the top (seniors rate, Marie fibbed) and had a spectacular view of the Ogden valley stretched out over 9000 feet below. I found an interesting rock specimen of quartzite we brought home, typical of the colorful and varied types of rock in that area. The party was winding down when we took the ride back down to the valley floor and headed to Carolyn and Mike's place in nearby Ogden for dinner. Their home in Ogden Canyon was as scary as it was spectacular, located right alongside imposing crumbling cliffs, Wheeler Creek winding behind their house and the Wheeler Canyon hiking rail close enough to see the occasional rider or hiker passing by. Later that night after a huge bonfire and marshmallows we headed back to American Fork, promising Carolyn we would drive back the next day and stay overnight before heading on our way north to British Columbia.
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| Rich, Mike, Jason, Carolyn, Lyn, Dee and Amy |
After saying goodbye to Rich, Dee and Carolyn we climbed back into our truck and made our way through the hectic traffic north on I-15 through Salt Lake City until we found the turn off for the winding, dangerous Ogden Canyon road and, a few miles later, the narrow stony drive up to Michael's place. I managed to manoeuver the camper into place beside their house, leveling it with some short pieces of 2x6s Michael provided. We built a fire in the early evening and sat about talking about their plans for the new house going up next to their first home that Jason and Amy now lived in. The next day while Marie, Jason, Carolyn, Amy and baby Lucas went for a walk up to the reservoir Michael and I waited around for the delivery driver from Home Depot who was delivering a large load of insulation batts and driwall, helping him load everything into the new garage. Later that night Marie and I spent a few wonderful hours being being thrilled by Jason's Visual Reality system, drinking wine and eating pizza, enjoying everyone's company one last time before retiring for the night.
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| Dee and Lyn by the fire |
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| 4 views of Michael and Carolyn's canyon property |
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| the work of home building never ends |
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| Carolyn and Marie |
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| Mike and Marie, view from the creek |
On a cold Tuesday the 19th, the temperature a mere 6 degrees celcius, we said goodbye to Michael and Carolyn and headed north to our next destination in Idaho. We had had a fun-filled four days with my brother and sisters and wished we could have stayed longer but September was slipping by and we had many miles yet to go... gws
