|
|
||||
| Date | Starting Place | Ending Place | Author | Last Update |
|
|
||||
| 07-30-09 |
Swan Valley, Idaho, United States |
Wolf Creek Campground, Wyoming, United States |
ray | 04-19-14 10:03:08 |
|
|
||||
|
I wasn't in any hurry to get on the road as I knew it would be a short day and I didn't see any reason to spend lots of time in some campground in Wyoming. After checking the internet, I got up and walked over to the cafe for breakfast. While there were open tables, I decided to sit at the counter. I had the veggie omelet, which was OK (I didn't like the zucchini), attempted a few unsuccessful conversational gambits, and walked back to the cabin. I didn't get ready right away. The sky was mostly cloudy with some very dark patches and I didn't feel much urgency to leave. I eventually left around 10:15am. When I passed the osprey, we re-enacted the same circling, screeching dance. This time, I managed to get a photo.  The wind was blowing directly in my face and I wondered if today would be one of those all-day headwind slogs. I was looking for a sandwich or some snacks. The first name on the map is Irwin but there was no food there. At Palisades, I stopped at a gas station and got an apple and some red licorice, a favorite bike touring snack food. I didn't realize that red licorice comes in different flavors. I was shocked when I took my first bite and realized this wasn't the usual stuff. I examined the bag and saw that it was "strawberry flavored." The stuff was terrible and I will check that before I buy red licorice again! A store a short distance down the road advertised sandwiches so I stopped in. The place had very little on the shelves and very slow service. But, I was already there so I ordered a cheese sandwich and got some BBQ chips. The road was now right next to the river.  I was still in a valley rimmed with green, tree-covered hills.  Not long after Palisades, I came to the Palisades Dam.  As you can see, there is some kind of RV-campground right below the dam. Looking at the campground while I climbed up to dam-level, I wasn't sure I would want to spend the night right below an earthen dam! Once I got to the top of the dam, the views became broad vistas of water, trees, and mountains.   The road ran along the eastern edge of the reservoir and was quite lumpy,.  Some of the sections were quite steep to climb over a rock face that couldn't be traversed with a road. The views were so stunning that I took several that looked like this.  The views on the other side of the road were nice, as well. I liked the way the trees stuck up through the brush on this hillside.  Sometimes, there were placid side pools. This one had a beautiful reflection.  This view summarizes, to me, the difference between driving along a beautiful road and biking along it. I doubt that anyone driving by even saw this pool. I not only saw it, but got some photos and spent a few minutes admiring it. When the road got down to reservoir level, the views, while similar to all the other photos, was still very pretty.  The road was not particularly busy, though it did have its share of long-haul trucks. The shoulder was narrow but adequate given my rear-view mirror.  Another stunning tree photo!  The reservoir extends into Wyoming where the city of Alpine is perched on its shore.  It turns out, the reservoir is fed by two rivers, the Snake and a river whose name I can't find. Here is their confluence.  Just past the Wyoming Welcomes You sign, the road moves away from the reservoir and goes through ever-increasing signs of urbanization. When I got to Alpine proper, I saw several Fireworks stores.  As we don't have such things in California, I stopped to check out their wares. I was surprised to see an entire store full of nothing but fireworks. Some were standalone rockets, other huge assortment packs.  Needless to say, I didn't buy any but I did have a short, informative talk with the clerk there. I found a grocery store and bought some food for dinner, tomorrow's breakfast, and road food. On my way back to the route, I stopped at a Subway for a patty-less veggie sandwich and a water refill. While I was there, I had a very odd conversation with a fellow bike tourist whose rig I saw as I walked in. He was pulling a trailer plus a full set of panniers with additional load on his rear rack. I wondered what he was carrying with all that gear and got the idea that he had a boat with him. This caused some confusion, at first, and he soon told me that he had been touring for 35 years. He went on to say that since he used his bike for all his transportation, he had a quarter of a million dollars in the bank. He asked if I knew where he might take a hot shower and then left. I couldn't help wondering what kind of image I project when I am on the road. The route to Jackson (Highways 26 and 89) takes a perpendicular turn at Alpine and heads up the Snake River Canyon.  There is a wide shoulder on a smooth 2 lane road that was recently repaved.  Yet again, I had wonderful views up the river canyon.  Lots of people were having fun in the river.  There are a series of campgrounds in the gorge past Alpine. I figured I would ride as far as I wanted and then stop at the nearest one. I didn't have a reservation in Jackson until tomorrow night so there was no need to push long mileage. I stopped at the first campground, Wolf Creek, just to check it out. I saw the campground host and he told me that all the other campgrounds further up the canyon were full. So, I decided to end my day at Wolf Creek. I found an open spot (there were only a few left), locked my bike to the table, and walked back to pay my fee. I didn't have exact change, so I knocked on the host's RV. I could hear Rush Limbaugh coming out of the RV but didn't think anything of it. The host's wife came out and in filling out my fee packet discovered that I lived in San Francisco. This set her off. It seems that all of California's problems are caused by illegal aliens and letting "little frogs and a fish" prevent farmers from growing food. I was also informed that climate change was baloney (her word) and that we are headed into a new ice age. As I left, she was blathering on about "Obama's health care" and that I better hope to die before I was 75. Welcome to Wyoming! I walked back, set-up camp, and took a short nap. I made a dinner of the last of my pasta and mushroom soup sauce. As the sun left the canyon, it got colder and I put on all the clothing I had with me, including my rain jacket. It was clear when I got into my tent and I wanted to leave the rain fly off so I could go to sleep looking at the stars. But, I decided that I would rather not be awakened by rain drops in the middle of the night, my usual decision. Sure enough, it started to rain about 4am and continued, on and off, for about an hour! It is hard to sleep with rain pelting your tent! |
||||
|
|
||||