Wednesday, October 28, 2015

LARAMIE WYOMING TO MEEKER COLORADO…..DESPITE RELENTLESS MORNING WINDS IT WAS ANOTHER GREAT DRIVING DAY

DSC_0008

WEST OF LARAMIE WYOMING HEADING WEST ON I-80 FOR RAWLINS WYOMING EARLY THIS MORNING

I was hoping it was Wal-mart’s parking lot sweeper machine I was hearing around 5 a.m. & not a snow plow going by.  With fingers crossed I cautiously raised the blind beside my bed a couple inches & peered out.  Big sigh of relief, no snow.  In fact when I took Pheebs out a half hour later I was happy to see clear skies overhead & noticed Tuesday’s winds had diminished some.  Lots of frost on everything though & it sure was freezing cold. 

DSC_0002

SURE WAS FROSTY COLD IN LARAMIE WYOMING THIS MORNING

DSC_0003

ROLLING WEST ON I-80 THROUGH LARAMIE ABOUT 7:30 WE WERE ALREADY DEALING WITH WIND GUSTS

12189184_10153243317392749_1270961986659230911_o

WIND WARNING SIGN………….PHOTO BY KELLY

Checking weather ahead for the next few days we decided to head for warmer temps down around Rifle Colorado.  There’s a short window of good weather in the Capital Reef area for Friday, Saturday, & Sunday so we hope to be there for those days.  On Monday the weather begins to rapidly deteriorate so we’ll head out & make tracks for Congress Arizona at that time.  Well at least those are the Jell-0 weather plans for now.

DSC_0010

ANOTHER BUNCH OF ROAD PHOTOS FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT TODAY

DSC_0012

THE SETTING MOON IS VISIBLE IN SOME OF THESE PHOTOS

DSC_0013

DSC_0011

DSC_0014

DSC_0018

I SURE DO ENJOY SEEING THOSE SNOW CAPPED MOUNTAINS

Motored out of Wal-mart’s parking lot at 7:20 Mountain Time with sunrise just breaking in the east.  Soon as we rolled up onto I-80 West we were immediately aware of stiffening head winds again & all the way from Laramie to west of of Rawlins we did constant battle with those winds.  Warning signs said 50+ mph winds & advised ‘no small trailers’.  Luckily we had a full tank of fuel to keep us anchored but the extra weight made a lot of extra work for the Big EEE hauling itself up the many, many, steep grades in the hundred mile stretch between Laramie & Rawlins.  On the upside we had a sunny day, dry roads, & beautiful rolling hills scenery all the way.  Nice to see something new & travel a route we hadn’t traveled before & it sure is nice being back in cowboy country again:))

DSC_0023

AMIDST THE COLORFUL BLANKETS & PILLOWS WE HAVE A TIRED LITTLE POOCH SOUND ASLEEP AS WE PLOD STEADILY WESTWARD ON I-80 THIS MORNING

DSC_0036

THIS IS PHEEBS PREFERRED SPOT BETWEEN OUR SEATS IN THE MOTORHOME

Picked up a couple McDonald coffees in Rawlins & headed the last 25 miles west to our highway 789 turn off.  What a huge relief it was to finally reach this spot & finally swing the rigs nose southward out of those unrelenting gusty winds.  As we rolled off I-80 the thought occurred to me we had been on that interstate since early last Sunday morning when we picked it up just south of Chicago.  I-80 had treated us well for three & half days with it’s much lighter traffic loads out here in the west.  There were times on I-80 in the last day or two when I could look ahead & in my rear view mirror & see we were the only ones on the interstate.  Sounds unbelievable but it’s one of the perks here in the west.

DSC_0016

IN ALL THESE PHOTOS YOU CAN SEE THERE NEVER IS ANY HEAVY TRAFFIC

DSC_0017

DSC_0020

What a nice feeling being back on a two lane road again & we pretty much had the whole highway to ourselves for the next few hours all the way down to Meeker Colorado.  Great scenery all the way with snowy mountains on our left & tall hills on our right.  Sweeping valley vistas, mountain side ranches, a herd of wild white tail deer, grazing cows, wooden rail fences mixed in with some ponds & a mountain stream running alongside the road south of Baggs Colorado.

DSC_0026

HIGHWAY 789 HEADING SOUTH IS OUR FIRST TWO LANE HIGHWAY SINCE LEAVING BAYFIELD

DSC_0027

Sad news from SASSY today on her post entitled ‘Bennie.’  We did briefly meet Bennie at our campsite on Ogilbe Road west of Yuma last winter when Sassy dropped by for a few minutes.  Our thoughts go out to Sassy at this time of loss.

DSC_0029

COLORADO DEAD AHEAD ABOUT HALF A MILE

DSC_0032

DSC_0033

DSC_0034

WE USED THIS SAME ROUTE LAST OCTOBER & THANKS TO MIKE McFALL FOR TELLING US ABOUT IT

DSC_0035

DSC_0039

DSC_0041

DSC_0044

DSC_0043

DSC_0045

TOO BAD ABOUT ALL THE GLASS REFLECTIONS TODAY

DSC_0051

We had decided to head for Rifle Colorado where we knew temperatures to be milder but about 40 miles north of Rifle we rolled into the wee town of Meeker.  It was warm there & we decided to look for a county park & call it a day.  It was 2 p.m.  We lucked out & found a Park just a block off main street at the southern end of 4th street.  The Park had a large parking lot area with a few electric outlets plus a dump station & water at one end.  Fifteen dollars a night to the Iron Ranger so we dumped our tanks & took on some fresh water.  We are the only one’s here & it’s a nice spot with a grassy picnic area complete with mountain stream flowing by a short distance away.  Pheebs later took Kelly for a walk all around the Park’s perimeter.

DSC_0054

MEEKER COLORADO’S TOWN PARK IS RV FRIENDLY

DSC_0052

DSC_0057

SNOW CAPPED MOUNTAINS CAN BE SEEN IN THE BACKGROUND AT LEFT

DSC_0056

MOTORHOME ON LEFT, NICE GRASSY AREA & MOUNTAIN STREAM ON RIGHT

Rain in the forecast for Thursday so I think we’ll head for even warmer Moab & find us a boondocking spot before heading on over to Torrey (Capital Reef) Friday.  Supposed to be cold over there tomorrow but temps are coming up starting Friday.

DSC_0046

GROANER’S CORNER:(( “Honey!” screamed my husband from our bedroom, “you gotta check this out!  “What is it?” I hollered back from the kitchen. “You’re not going to believe what I found when I was drilling a hole  through the wall! I found a secret stash of bottles!” Just then I heard my daughters voice hollering from the bathroom, “I’m trying to brush my teeth in here & someone is drilling a hole through the medicine cabinet!!!!!”

17 comments:

  1. I really liked the Rifle CO area when the hounds and I camped at their SP north of town last June. It was just a little hotter than the temps you are feeling now. Good to hear the EEE has not had any mechanical issues like your trip last year ... makes traveling so much nicer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks like a nice place to rest and relax from the drive, perhaps two nights and explore area in jeep. Just what I would do anyway. Happy all is going well on your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  3. We had sweepers at Walmart too the last couple times. And during the night when it's quiet the sweeper sounds like it is coming down the aisle in the moho!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Just checking your route and looks like a wonder drive to the southwest.
    Plans in Jello, yep thats the way.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Sounds like your having a great trip. Love the pics, window glare or not.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I LOVE the travel photos of the highways and byways...and what a great find to park for the night.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I just really enjoy that route and I have done it a bunch of times....... I hope to do it again and again. Enjoy!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks like just wonderful driving, great photos! Dull, wet and windy back here.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Those headwinds cannot be fuel friendly for sure!! Glad to see you finally got to turn EEE South..and that park looks like a great spot to pull in early and enjoy...Safe travels.

    ReplyDelete
  10. So good to see your travels. I got to my Winter "retreat" early, about three weeks at this point and miss the traveling already. Safe travels

    ReplyDelete
  11. Let us know if you need some boondocking locations in Moab.

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a gorgeous drive! Sorry about the wind but you'd never know it looking at the photos. I don't believe there is a bad drive here in the west. You are headed to my all time favorite areas, Moab and Capital Reef. Even if it is just a quick stop, it will be a beautiful one:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. We just got back from a trip to Lexington Kentucky in our 17ft CASITA . We spent the nights at Cracker Barrel'S RV Parking lot in from Amarillo Texas to Kentucky. WE WENT FROM aMARILLO THROUGH OKLAHOMA , ARKANSAS , TENNESEE , KENTUCKY and added Missouri on the way home . No sweepers to wake us up . We felt safe and no one bothered us .
    I really enjoy your Blog, pictures , and the groaners corner . HAVE A SAFE TRIP AND WATCH OUT FOR THE DEER . We hit a deer with huge antlers just outside Joplin ,Missouri and it did a lot of damage to our FORD F 1-50 truck .

    ReplyDelete
  14. In 2002 I traveled I-80 en-route to the Oregon coast and had severe winds like you. But once I crossed the continental divide the wind suddenly ceased. When I looked in my mirror, I could see all of the dust that I also just drove through. It was very weird. Your gas mileage must have sucked going west. Maybe it will be better when you come back east and all balance out.

    ReplyDelete
  15. When I see the wide open landscapes out west, then I know that I am in th wrong spot right now. NYC is NOT my favorite spot.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I just picnicked in that same park last week! Then we took a jeep ride over Yellow Jacket Pass...I have family in Rifle and Silt..

    ReplyDelete
  17. Looks like a beautiful drive but that wind sign would have me off the highway without hesitation. We're heading out with up to 20 MPH winds that I'm not looking forward to. Of course we're only going 70 miles :-))))) Love Pheebs in the sunshine, so nice when they love traveling.

    ReplyDelete