July 23, 2011 Pinedale, Wyoming

I’m sitting in the laundry room at the Bayview hotel in Pinedale, Wyoming.  I have to sit here because the dryer takes two runs and the laundry room is crowded.  If you leave and your dryer turns off, your clothes are instantly shelved.  This does not make me miss dorm life AT ALL.

But the rest of the day was pretty good.  And I have some time for writing. 

I started the day by hiking the river trail close to our campground at Dinosaur.  It was a 2 mile loop that ran along the Green River.  The vistas were heavenly, as was the solitude.  After I returned to camp, Gerry took off for the same hike.  He had just finished cooking pancakes for the kids and was starting to pack up the gear.  After he returned and the car was completely packed, we headed out for the Dinosaur visitor center where we were to catch a shuttle bus for the fossil exhibit.  That turned out to be a bust, but the kids still got their Jr. Ranger badges.  2 parks down, 3 to go.

Pancakes!

The swearing in ceremony for the Jr. Ranger

We drove across the Flaming Gorge dam – very impressive.  The recreation area looks like so much fun but at 68 degrees, the water is a little cold for my taste.  Both Gerry and I plan to read more about John Wesley Powell when we return to New Mexico.  His journal entries alone are quite entertaining. 

A whirlwind comes and scatters the fire among the dead willows and cedar-spray, and soon there is a conflagration.  The cook fills his arms with the mess kit, and, jumping into a boat, stumbles and falls, and away go our cooking utensils into the river.

Flaming Gorge Reservoir

Flaming Gorge Dam

All along Hwy 191, there are signs indicating the period the rocks, bluffs and outcroppings formed – Cambrian, Cretaceous, etc.  Cool!  The rest of the drive into Wyoming was scenic as well.  Those green dots on the highway maps don’t lie. 

Gerry:  What has 6,000 wings and doesn’t fly?

Me:  What?

Gerry:  The front of our minivan.

We pulled into Pinedale, population 1200, at about 4 pm.  We dined at the Lakeside Lodge, a hidden wonder!  The food was overpriced, but the V&T, view of the lake, and outdoor seating greatly made up for it.  The local grocery store looks like a mash up between Cabela’s and Smith’s – elk heads hanging over the Tillamook cheese and camping gear mixed in with the vitamins.

WHERE'S OUR FOOD???

View from our table

Tomorrow, we travel to Grand Tetons.  Prayers requested for a campsite.