Alexandria's Picture of the Day
Rain in Eastern Wyoming
Snake River--Idaho/Oregon Border
We got a good start today at 9 am--not too early and not too late. As we left Idaho and made our way into our fourth state on the trip, Utah, we saw the vegetation give way from sagebrush and grass to a different kind of sage and juniper trees. The foothills in Northern Utah are planted so that farmers sow crops in every little crevice amongst the hills they can find, leaving the rocky, barren, juniper and sage strongholds free. It makes the tilled land look more like the layout of a giant golf course in some ways than a producing farm. I, myself, liked the effect.
We all oohed and aahed over the glimpse of red rock in Utah before we crossed over into Wyoming--the strange rock formations, the obvious striations in the worn red earth, and the violent, diagonal upheavals that make you look twice and say--what the heck happened there. Big forces--much beauty.
After we crossed into Wyoming, we ran into a rainstorm outside Evanston that Lynn drove through. We managed to stay just ahead of it on the rest of our trip before it veered slightly south after we checked into our hotel. Lucky for us. We encountered our first tunnel near Green River, WY, and shortly thereafter witnessed an interesting and alarming bit of road rage between two very aggressive Harley riders and a black Honda Accord. We didn't see what precipitated it, but apparently it was enough to provoke the two bikers to surround the car (at times trying to kick its trunk lid and back fender) and then to escort it off the road at an exit ten miles later. We crossed the Continental Divide twice today, having had the opportunity to go through the Great Divide Basin in between. Terry noted for the record that the final crossing was at 2:53, Mountain Time.
Everyone was fascinated by the snow fences in Wyoming, many of which are being rebuilt right now. Alexandria decided that the older ones, which are built at an angle, look like wolverine hurdles, and the newer ones look like fences designed to keep elephants in their place. We passed the largest wind farm in the west just after the rest stop at Wagonhound Road (an address I wouldn't mind having.) For most of the afternoon, we were surrounded by rain clouds, but alas, the road ahead of us stayed dry. I did witness crosshatched virga at one point, something I've never seen, but I wasn't able to photograph it.
We all oohed and aahed over the glimpse of red rock in Utah before we crossed over into Wyoming--the strange rock formations, the obvious striations in the worn red earth, and the violent, diagonal upheavals that make you look twice and say--what the heck happened there. Big forces--much beauty.
After we crossed into Wyoming, we ran into a rainstorm outside Evanston that Lynn drove through. We managed to stay just ahead of it on the rest of our trip before it veered slightly south after we checked into our hotel. Lucky for us. We encountered our first tunnel near Green River, WY, and shortly thereafter witnessed an interesting and alarming bit of road rage between two very aggressive Harley riders and a black Honda Accord. We didn't see what precipitated it, but apparently it was enough to provoke the two bikers to surround the car (at times trying to kick its trunk lid and back fender) and then to escort it off the road at an exit ten miles later. We crossed the Continental Divide twice today, having had the opportunity to go through the Great Divide Basin in between. Terry noted for the record that the final crossing was at 2:53, Mountain Time.
Everyone was fascinated by the snow fences in Wyoming, many of which are being rebuilt right now. Alexandria decided that the older ones, which are built at an angle, look like wolverine hurdles, and the newer ones look like fences designed to keep elephants in their place. We passed the largest wind farm in the west just after the rest stop at Wagonhound Road (an address I wouldn't mind having.) For most of the afternoon, we were surrounded by rain clouds, but alas, the road ahead of us stayed dry. I did witness crosshatched virga at one point, something I've never seen, but I wasn't able to photograph it.
We checked into our hotel in Laramie at about 5pm and the headed into downtown Laramie for dinner only to find out that Laramie is celebrating Jubilee Days. This involves a street fair, live country music, a carnival, and apparently, an "open containers are ok" policy in the streets. Every restaurant was packed, so we headed over the to Library Bar and Grill next to the University of Wyoming Campus and enjoyed the best food and beer I've had in quite some time. After that, we headed back to the ranch for some swimming, hot tub time, and general relaxation. I would say that today was unequivocally a success.
Game count today: 100s of antelope, a handful of deer, hawks, a buzzard, and a few white pelicans.
Road kill: 1 rabbit, 3 deer, 3 skunks, and some kind of lizard.
License plates: 35 states now!
Tomorrow's destination: Dumas, Texas!
I have never seen lizard roadkill! Definitely blog-worthy. Congrats on a successful beginning to the trip. Watch out for the aggressive bikers.
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