Wyoming - STR-2021-24

Friday, 30 July

After a few days in Idaho, we are back in Wyoming. We had an early start to travel almost two hours for 10am golf at Cedar Creek Golf Course in Star Valley Ranch, WY.  Selected as other golf courses along our planned route were either private or only 9 hole courses.

Darrell's first tee shot hit a tree along the narrow fairway, while Kris placed hers in the fairway. That pretty much sums up the first nine holes. Kris continued to pick up strokes to lead by 6 at the turn. Darrell started hitting better on the back nine, but there just were not enough holes to make up his deficit. Kris' chip in birdie on the final hole secured her the honors on the day.

As we were approaching the 18th green, the rain that was forecast for later in the afternoon arrived early. We managed to finish the hole, loaded the clubs in Sprinty in the rain, and were happy we were able to finish golf without getting too wet.

The course was a nice layout, although a bit tight for long hitters. Set against the mountains, it was quite picturesque.

Finishing just before 2pm left us with an opportunity to visit the Museum of the Mountain Man (https://museumofthemountainman.com/) in Pinedale, WY, enroute to our campsite for the night. As we passed through Hoback Junction, we noticed we were just 13 miles south of Jackson, WY, gateway to the Grand Teton National Park. It was so tempting to call an audible in our travel plans, but we kept telling ourselves and each other we will be back here soon. Besides, showing up at one of the most iconic summer destinations on a Friday evening without reservations is a recipe for frustration.

So we continued on to Pinedale, WY, which boasts being "The Real Wyoming", about 60 miles south of Hoback Junction. We encountered heavy rain and wind for parts of the drive, almost enough to get off the highway. Fortunately, traffic was light, and everyone slowed down for the conditions.

We added the Museum of the Mountain Man to our travel plans only a few days ago as we watched a recent video from Adventures of AplusK (https://youtu.be/nFjBPQu0nns) who had just visited the museum.

The Museum presents a visual and interpretative experience into the romantic era of the 1800s Mountain Man and provides a comprehensive overview of the Western Fur Trade's historical significance. Situated in the heart of the country that was once the hub of the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous system, the Museum stands as a monument to the men and the commerce that opened the West.

The Rocky Mountain Rendezvous was first held in 1825 as a means for fur trappers to meet up with suppliers at the end of a trapping season. Annual Rendezvous were held until 1840 when the market for beaver pelts dried up. Six of the rendezvous were held near Pinedale, which the town has marketed as their connection to the mountain men of the 1820-1940 timeframe.

Their main exhibit, "The Rocky Mountain Fur Trade", offers a broad overview of the fur trade in the Rocky Mountains and specifically the Green River Valley between 1820 and 1840. Displays include trappers' equipment on loan from the American Mountain Men Association, a diorama of a Rendezvous scene, flintlock and percussion guns from the late 1700s and early 1800s, and tools, equipment, and trade goods used during the fur trade era.

In the lower level, they have an exhibit they describe as a time loop - an exhibit showcasing what was going on in Pinedale from 1890 to 1970. One of many interesting tidbits we picked up was that in 1935, the Ripleys Believe It or Not column in the Denver Post proved Pinedale was the farthest town from a railroad in the United States.

The museum was quite interesting and we were rushed as the museum closed at 5pm. We wished we had made more time to visit - maybe we will make a repeat visit next time we are traveling through this part of Wyoming.

Sprinty's campsite for the night is at Highline Trail RV Park in Boulder, WY. Just over an hour south of Jackson, WY and less than two hours from Yellowstone, the staff assumed were were on our way to Yellowstone. Not this trip.

Saturday, 31 July

In planning our time in Wyoming, we focused on trying to ride bikes and play golf. Both were somewhat few and far between in southwest Wyoming.

Lacking any bike routes in SW Wyoming, we played golf at White Mountain Golf Course in Rock Springs, WY. Driving the 90 miles from Boulder to Rock Springs was driving through a whole lot of not much. We did enjoy very light traffic.

We were paired up with Bruce and Lori, who live nearby. They were fun to spend the day on the golf course with. As is somewhat typical, Kris showed off her consistency early and avoided trouble, while Darrell lost two balls and played in the sand too much. Kris led at the turn. And like yesterday, Darrell played the back nine better, but Kris yielded nothing and took honors on the day. Maybe Darrell needs to start with the back nine - he seems to do better on the back nine holes recently.

Rock Springs was a large enough town to have a Starbucks for Kris to pay up.

We then turned east on I-80 for about 100 miles of a whole lot of not much except traffic. Our campsite for the night was Western Hills Campground in Rawlins, WY. While not a fancy campground, it is very well equipped for RVers passing through. The laundry was as nice as a high end laundromat with 6 washers and 6 dryers - and they all worked. The restroom facility was also very nice. Most of the campsites are pull throughs, so if you are just passing through, you don't have to unhook. Even the wifi was decent. Mighty nice, and fairly priced. Highly recommended as a place to overnight while traveling I-80.

Sunday, 1 August

After a provision stop (groceries and fuel), we headed of I-80 east to Laramie, WY. Just as we were navigating the on ramp, twice the transmission shifted roughly followed by the trio of dash warning lights (a.k.a. the Three Stooges). The frequency of their appearance is increasing making the project to replace the speed sensor more pressing. We drove the 95 miles to Laramie without cruise control (cruise control goes on vacation when the Three Stooges show up) with gusty headwinds, forecast to be 40+mph.

Our activity for today was to bike ride the Laramie River Green Belt Trail. At 5.8 miles long (according to TrailLink), normally it would not have warranted making the activity list. However, southern Wyoming has very few dedicated bike trails, and there is only one trail in Laramie. And today was a bike ride day.

We parked at the Optimist Park in Laramie. The trail mostly followed the Laramie River. The actual distance we ride turned out to be 7.6 miles. Our pedal assist was quite nice as we rode into the 25+mph headwinds in some of the exposed sections of the trail.

We finished the ride about lunchtime and reviewed our options for the rest of the day. Unlike the last few weeks, the day was pretty open. We decided to try and boondock tonight in the Medicine Bow National Forest just east of Laramie at 8,600 feet elevation. The Tie City Campground is comprised of 17 campsites in a single tear-drop loop. Some sites are nestled in a dense grove of aspen, fir and spruce, others are in a grassy meadow. The interior road is narrow and rough in places. The campground is convenient to a network of challenging mountain bike trails. 

Tie City was named for the railroad men who cut the ties for the Union Pacific Railroad from this forest.

We drove through the loop and found only about half the sites were occupied. We picked site 2 nestled in the trees as the most ideal for Sprinty. $10/night, $5/night with the Senior Pass.

We used the free afternoon for a couple of chores and enjoyed decent cell service being fairly close to I-80.

An unexpected sighting was a Botta's Pocket Gopher (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Botta%27s_pocket_gopher) whose borrow was on the edge of the campsite. He drew our attention as the grass was rustling more violently than the wind would cause.

Botta's Pocket Gopher

Botta's Pocket Gopher

The gopher provided some amusement as we watched tall stalks of grass seem to mysteriously get pulled down into the ground as the gopher pulled them down by the roots. Again and again. Shortly after we got pictures, the activity stopped, and the gopher covered up the hole.

Monday, 2 August

Sprinty enjoyed his $5/night National Forest boondocking experience. The Alde heating system worked just as it should as the low temperature got to 43 degrees. Sprinty has not experienced 43 degrees since St. Elmo, CO, over a month ago.

As we planned the day, we learned that the interstate rest area about a mile away was also the site of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument. We stopped there first and learned a bit more of the history of the Lincoln Highway, the first coast-to-coast paved highway - from New York to San Francisco. Henry Bourne Joy was the president of the Lincoln Highway Association (also president of Packers Motor Car Company) and is sometimes called the father of the nation's modern highway system.

The Abraham Lincoln Memorial Monument located at the rest area commemorates the sesquicentennial of Lincoln's birth by the State if Wyoming.

Sprinty mostly coasted back down the grade into Laramie for golf at The Jacoby Golf Course. The Jacoby Golf Course is owned and operated by the University of Wyoming. The course was a nice layout and in great condition. The grass was longer than usual, perhaps due to the rain last week, which made hitting the fairway a priority. We both played fairly well, and made the turn tied up. We stayed close until the 17th hole when Kris struggled with the shaggy grass. Today was Darrell's turn to buy.

After a quick stop at Starbucks, we headed south on US 287 to Boyd Lake State Park in Loveland, CO, Sprinty's home for the next few days.