Yesterday, Tues 19th - Elko, NV to Evanston, WY
We left Elko, NV around 9am PT. About an hour and a half later we dropped out of the Nevada desert into Utah and began our journey across the Bonneville Salt Flats and the Great Salt Lake area into Salt Lake City. We entered Mountain Time when we entered Utah and lost an hour which always throws us off for the day. About 10 miles into the salt flats there is a rest area where we stopped for lunch. The shelters for the tables were nice - we were out of the sun, but the wind was coming from the side we were sitting on. The wind was pretty gusty, too. Roger had to go chasing my paper plate out into the parking area. This was our second lunch holding onto our food so it wouldn't blow away.
The temperature averaged about 95 and then as we got closer to Salt Lake City it got up to 99 degrees. I thought I was going to have a meltdown - literally. I was on the sunny side, shades in the window, maps across my lap to cover me up, and I was a bit uncomfy! I kept wishing for a big ole cloud to get under for shade but it didn't happen. Driving through Salt Lake City, Roger had a death grip on the steering wheel trying to keep us in our lane and get through the traffic. When he finally peeled his fingers off, they were white from the pressure. Then he had to face the long, steep climb out of the city up to Park City, Utah which was a bit hard on the truck as well as Roger. Once we got finished with that adventure and the road became less up and down it became an easier drive.
The only RV park in Evanston, WY is a mom and pop place that has been in the family for 80 years - or so the flyer and signs said. It's a small campground, but has grass and trees and fairly nice sites. Nothing special, but they do keep it clean and there is a special place for Maggie to do her business.
No RV repairs last night!!
After the stress of the driving yesterday, Roger's day was vastly improved when two guys came over and admired his truck! The truck is sporting a new coat of paint and is pristine. The guys couldn't believe that a 2004 could look like that. Rog had to fess up, though, and tell them the paint job was only three weeks old! He spent at least an hour with them "talking truck."
The night was cool and we slept well despite the train track being nearby. It was dark and quiet and we were tired.
Today's Adventure - Evanston, WY to Laramie, WY
We got off to a good start this morning. We decided not to drug Maggie because after two days of getting her relaxing drug, she was a bit lethargic. We got going and she started shaking and shivering and whining to get in my lap. I popped a quarter of a pill (She usually gets a half) into her mouth and it wasn't long before she calmed down and curled up in her bed on the console between us. She was good the rest of the day.The weather this morning was nice - mid 80s. We kept looking for a rest area for lunch but they are few and far between in Wyoming. Rog spotted a lone gas station that had a large flat parking area for trucks so we decided we would pull in there and just eat in the RV.
We pulled up behind the gas station and lo and behold there was an entrance to a small restaurant called the Dusty Trails Cafe. Not really wanting hummus, crackers and cheese for lunch I went in and asked the cook what they had in the way of vegetarian. He didn't laugh at me as I expected he would with us being in cow country. He told me he could make anything I wanted but he had grilled cheese on the menu and he would make sure he cooked it on a grill that had no meat anywhere near it. I was impressed. I told Roger and he said he was good with a grilled cheese and fries. While I walked Maggie around to do her business, the cook and Roger chatted while he made our lunch. He was from Doylestown, PA where Roger was stationed years ago. Small world. We took our sandwiches and fries and sat in the RV out of the wind and enjoyed a hot lunch.Wind - yes, I think Wyoming must be known for wind judging by the number of wind turbines and snow fences we saw today!
We came to the conclusion today that Wyoming Dept of Transportation must be repaving all of I-80 in the state. We spent a lot of time in single lanes on one side or the other of the interstate. Miles and miles of it. But, the good thing was that we got to see up close hundreds of Mini Coopers in all shapes, sizes, colors, and configurations. They were heading west like a parade heading for a rally perhaps. They were cute - especially the ones hauling little teardrop shaped trailers behind them.
Then our fun began! We pulled into the Laramie KOA (right off the interstate) and hooked up. Roger's job is to do the hook ups while I go inside and open the slides and put things back into place that we have to put away for traveling. Despite the construction today we didn't feel as if we had any particularly bumpy roads - we've been over much worse. The inside of the RV was a total disaster! Cupboard doors were open, stuff spilled out, wall hangings on the floor, and a glass from a broken light bulb in a wall sconce was all over the floor. So, I closed doors, picked up stuff that would be blocking the sliders from opening up. Apparently I missed one cupboard door and when I tried putting the galley slider out it started making weird noises. It had caught on the door and was ripping it off the hinges of the cabinet. Something for Roger to fix!
Then I went into the bathroom to turn on the vent fan to air out the place and heard water running. I asked Roger if I should hear water running. His immediate reaction was to run outside and turn the water off figuring that a water line had popped loose under the floor somewhere in the "basement." So, he started looking for the leak. He tore the side paneling off to get to the water works but couldn't find any drips. He had me turn the water back on. No drips. Hmmm. I went back inside to see if I heard water dripping and discovered the shower was running. That's odd!! We keep the laundry basket in the shower stall and it was full of water! We must have left one of the bath soap containers (which we normally set in the laundry basket for travel) on the shelf above the spigot handles and it had fallen off and caught the handle for the hot water and turned it on. So, not a disaster thank goodness, but it caused some panic and some extra work on Roger's part at the end of a hard day of driving. Then he spent the next half hour putting all that stuff back in the basement. Still waiting, though, was the cupboard door repair (repaired with minimal complications.) While I messed about this evening trying to get the hotspot working and get onto the blog site he went around with a screwdriver and tightened all the cupboard door handles that had also worked themselves loose with the vibrations from the road. No, I'd say he isn't having fun yet. Maybe tomorrow? It's been raining and the weather is cool so we should sleep well tonight. Tomorrow we reach our destination - Colorado Springs. It's a short day of driving compared to the last three.
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