Join Us in Jackson Hole . . . But First . . . Echoes of Wagon Wheels, Sunset Over Snake River, and The Flaming Gorge
Updated: Oct 13
John got a transport load to Lake Mills, Wisconsin. After delivering the trailer we headed back to Indiana for another transport opportunity.
We had an upcoming vacation reservation in Utah, so we were watching for a load to Utah or as close to Utah as possible. In the meantime, we took two consecutive loads to Piqua, Ohio. Picked up trailer; drove three hours to Piqua, Ohio; delivered trailer; drove three hours back to Indiana; REPEAT.
We did, indeed, get a load to Utah - - approximately 65 miles from our vacation destination. I immediately began to plan our route to Utah and our overnight stops.
Our first stopover was the parking lot of the Highlander Hotel in Iowa City, Iowa. We frequent this stopover, staying there whenever we have a delivery to the west. The parking lot is huge and makes it easy for us to park when towing. We support our Host by ordering a salad or appetizer from the hotel restaurant that compliments the dinner I am cooking in the camper. We went for a long walk and sat at a gazebo amidst beautiful landscaping and birds chirping. It was quite serene.
The next day we continued driving toward our next stopover in Lexington, Nebraska. Below are some pics we took along the way.
The next night we stayed at Mac's Creek Winery & Brewery in Lexington, Nebraska. The sound of birds, again, was beautiful. We got a hard cider and two snacks to support the Host. They had live music in the evening, which was a nice surprise! Overnight we heard the owls. 🦉 Hoot Hoot Hoot 🦉 There were SO MANY OWLS! 🦉 I have never heard so many owls in one area. In the morning, John said . . . . . and I believe he was sleep walking / sleep talking . . . . . he said the Host was going around the property training the owls to say "Get the steak out. Get the steak out." 😂 LOL He was pretty adamant too! It took me a few minutes to reason with him, telling him that the place doesn't even sell steak! LOL It was something I will never forget. 😂 In the end, he came to realize (or he left his dream state) what he was saying was unrealistic.
The next stopover was at Pine Bluffs Distillery in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming - just over the border into Wyoming. We took a really long walk around the outskirts of a farmer's field. We made dinner and settled in for the night. There were significant winds, so our truck camper rocked us for a while! Wyoming is known for the wind. 💨
The following morning we had to go directly to the Port of Entry in Cheyenne, Wyoming to obtain a Registration Trip Permit, required by Wyoming for trailer transit. John obtained the necessary permit and we continued on I-80 West. We made it as far as Rawlins, Wyoming where high profile vehicles under 20,000 lbs were restricted from Interstate I-80 due to the high winds that were occurring at that time. This is not unusual for I-80 in Wyoming. The Wyoming Transportation Department even has an app called Wyoming 511 so drivers can monitor road restrictions and closures. We exited the Interstate and went to a Walmart parking lot to make a plan. The parking lot was filling up with other vehicles and tractor trailers that were doing the same thing. We looked at the current and predicted wind speeds. We decided the best plan was to get a spot at the Rawlins KOA Campground. We got one of the last spots. 😮💨 While at the KOA, we took advantage of the time to do our laundry. We made dinner and watched two episodes of the show 1923. Afterwards, we checked the winds again and decided our best "window" was to leave at 3:30 a.m. This would allow us to drive the rest of the way through Wyoming before the winds were to escalate again at 10:00 a.m. Here are some pics we took along the way.
Our plan was successful! We stopped at a great rest area in Echo Canyon after we crossed the border into Utah. We walked up a steep hill to a scenic overlook. It was beautiful. As we stood there, we read a sign (pic below) about "the echoes of the long gone sounds of wagon wheels, oxen, women, children and men forging their path into history and into our hearts." I got the chills! The chills! Please zoom in to read the sign in its entirety.
We drove the rest of the way to Kaysville, where John delivered the travel trailer. Afterward, we navigated to a grocery store. We made coffee in the camper, since we were up since 3:30 a.m. ☕️ Then we went into Smith's Marketplace. This is one of my favorite grocery stores. It has the obvious groceries, a kitchen section, clothing, pharmacy, a jewelry store, and a Starbuck's! We enjoy going to different grocery stores.
We had three days until the check-in at our vacation destination. We decided to go north into Idaho, then east into Wyoming, and then south back into Utah. Generally speaking, a loop of sorts. This was so exciting! Time off to explore! We went to our first overnight stop at The Boathouse in Burley, Idaho. This was right on the Snake River, where we were witnesses to a gorgeous sunset! Even though we were tired, it was a great day!
The next day we refilled our propane at a TSC and refueled at a Love's. We explored more of Idaho, including the Teton Scenic Byway.
We chose to stay at Riverside Park Campground in Irwin, Idaho for free (off season). We stayed riverfront on site #24. We took a long walk and had a restful sleep.
The following day we drove across the state line into Wyoming. We went to Jackson Hole, which is a mountain valley bordered by the Teton Range and the Gros Ventre Range. The area is known for elk, bison, pronghorn, moose, and bald eagles. There are walking paths everywhere! Now this is my kind of place! We went to Jackson, which is the largest incorporated town inside the valley, having a population of just under 11,000 residents. Nearby National Parks include Grand Teton National Park and Yellowstone National Park. Both of these National Parks are on our Places to Go list. But for now, we headed to Jackson. We parked and walked around Jackson, taking a pic at the famous Town Square that has four arches with elk antlers. Outdoor life - - hiking, flyfishing, float trips, mountain biking, skiing, snowsports, etc. - is huge in Jackson. It is also a very elite place to call home. The median price of sold housing is between $1.9 million - $2.01 million (listings are significantly higher). That's about $2.01 million over our budget. ☺️
In any case, we had a grand time walking around and looking in stores. I was in desperate need of hiking boots and found a pair of green Oboz on closeout (50% off)! The salesman said they were mistakenly marked down, but still honored the closeout price! Awesome! These boots will last forever. And pretty cool that we bought them in Jackson.
We went back to our truck and headed out.
We drove to a BLM (free) camping area - - Warren Bridge Recreation Area - in Pinedale, Wyoming. This was our first ever BLM camping experience. We were both feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness. But there is a lot of BLM and dispersed - - free - camping in the West, so we are definitely going to become accustomed to it. We were the only ones in this gorgeous area, with the exception of wildlife.🦌 We chose a spot by the river. It was a great night's sleep! I looked out the window when I woke and saw beautiful pure white snow! I took a couple pics and drifted back to sleep. When we got up, the snow was gone. I appreciated having the pics of the snow to show John.
We sadly left our gorgeous spot by the river to continue on. We took a scenic drive south in Wyoming and back into Utah. We had stopped at a dispersed camping area in Flaming Gorge, Utah, but we decided not to stay, and here are the reasons why:
We were at an elevation of 8,300 feet in the spring and saw bear scat. We were the only ones there. When bears leave hibernation in early spring, they are irritable due to hunger, and momma bears get aggressive if they have cubs. I just wasn't comfortable, at that point, exhausting the aroma of our cooking dinner into the air at that elevation in the spring in a soft-top truck camper. Bears can smell over 20 miles. So we decided to air on the side of caution. Better safe than sorry. We drove about a half hour, down a mountain, past a phosphate mining site, to a Walmart in Vernal, Utah. We parked there for the night, and I made steak fajitas without worry.
The next morning we went into the Walmart to purchase groceries for our upcoming vacation week. Then we hit the road, taking the Flaming Gorge Scenic Byway along the way.
We also stopped at Starvation Reservoir in Duchesne, Utah. We walked around and took in the beautiful scenery.
Afterward, we continued toward our vacation destination, stopping one more time at Park City Market to stock up on cold groceries for the week, since we were within minutes of the hotel.
Join us next week for our week-long stay at Westgate Park City, followed by four days of exploring majestic Utah!
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