Sat, Oct 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010 at 09:20PM Saturday, October 2, 2010
After a good night’s rest we were up early and hit the trail just a little before sunrise. The plan for the day was to end up a lot closer to the Tetons and Yellowstone. We knew this would mean a good bit of driving but there would be a diversity of landscapes between the two. For at least one more day the weather was perfect.
Just as the landscapes were diverse so were the things we saw today. The most unusual sighting came as we were leaving Vernal, UT and we saw some large items in trailers in front of a Home and Garden store. As we got closer it became apparent that these large items, and I mean very large, were pumpkins. It seems Utah has a Giant Pumpkin Growers Organization and they were having a competition. To really get a better idea of the size of these monsters, you have to look at the photos. The competitors were just beginning to arrive, but I’m guessing we saw some of the largest ones before we left. These folks are some serious growers is all I can say.
As the morning progressed we made out next stop in a beautiful aspen grove in the Ashley National Forest just south of Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area. This was a long and leisurely stop. The pups and I wandered around in the aspens enjoying the blue skies and the smell of the forest. Charles had a few phone calls to make and remarkably had a cell signal so he stayed at the Jeep. It truly was heavenly there with mild temperatures and just the slightest breeze to make the aspen leaves shimmer.
Just a short drive more and it was time for some lunch. We found our way to the Red Canyon Lodge just outside Flaming Gorge and split a good grilled turkey sandwich as we sat out on the deck and watched four Stellar Jays fly to and fro from the bird feeder. While they enjoyed the bird seed there were at least a dozen chipmunks scampering around on the ground below the feeder grabbing whatever morsels the Jays dropped. The Lodge has some cabins and will take pets (they also said we could bring the pups up on the desk with us as long as they were on a leash) so we made a note that this would be a good option the next time we are passing thru the area.
After lunch we got out the Utah recreation map and searched for an interesting backroad to take and were lucky enough to find out we were just a few miles away from the Spirit Lake Scenic Backway. Of course we took it and it turned out to be a very nice drive (all dirt as all Backways are but gravel) and we had a nice stop for the pups to swim at Sheep Creek Lake. At the end of the Backway drive we reentered the world of paved two-lane roads.
Since it is Saturday and we were not sure just how far we would get or where we would stay we knew it was time to just drive for a while until we found a room. We passed thru several smaller towns but saw no good accommodations. But luck always seems to be with us! Just about an hour before sunset we arrived in Afton, WY which is about 100 miles south of Jackson Hole. As we made the short drive thru the main street we saw only one questionable motel and were about to resign ourselves to having to make that two hour drive to Jackson Hole when we spotted an older motel that appeared to be in good repair. We pulled up to the office but it was dark inside. Just as we started to back out an elderly lady drove up and motioned to Charles to go back to the office. Of course, the first question we must ask is if they allow pets. She said No! Then she asked what we had and Charles told her we had two Australian Shepherds who helped us work our cattle and traveled everywhere with us. Way to go Charles… throw in that rancher connection… Afton is a ranch community! It worked! She said OK and we were in. Whew, that was a close one. She even recommended a restaurant and it turned out to be a good family style restaurant.
We had another very nice day. Oh, and my knee is much better Mother! (I knew she would want to know). We are resting comfortably in our room… everyone has had supper and we are ready to do a little reading and get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow we will head into the Tetons and then our favorite park… Yellowstone!
We hope you all are well too.
Peace, Hope & Love,
Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger
PS Even if you don’t look at any other pictures, you’ve got to check out those gigantic pumpkins!
Reader Comments (1)
There was a 1700 lb pumpkin on Good Morning America today.... I wondered if if was out of the same area you photographed these... It surely made me think of you all. Love & Hugs