Well, we took off early as is our usual custom heading north, trying to stay ahead of the traffic through Riverside and San Bernardino. Smooth sailing most of the way. Then across the Mohave, through Las Vegas and stopping for the night in St. George. We camped at Snow Canyon State Park just outside of town, a beautiful canyon of red rock. After the first long day, we tend to slow down and keep the mileage to a comfortable 250 miles or less a day. After another overnight in Provo, Utah, we arrived in Idaho Falls where we met up with friends Bret and Tami. We met Bret and Tami some years ago while exploring Indian ruins in Utah. Bret had been exploring a cave and fell, severely cutting his knee, so being Good Samaritans we helped him get back to his car. If you are a long time reader of the blog, you might remember the photo.
After an overnight in Idaho Falls we continued on to Jackson and the Grand Tetons. I don’t much like the town of Jackson, too much traffic, crowded, expensive and not very pretty, but ahh, the Tetons. One of the most beautiful mountain ranges in the west. Being there before the summer season ends it also has too many people. But take a hike and we are soon away from the crowds.
We planned ahead of time to meet up with my pilgrim brother Len and his wife Janet. They arrived right on time having traveled from Winnipeg via Mt Rushmore and Yellowstone for a week of camping. We spent the first day trying to stay dry as the rain came down. This was a blessing in disguise because the storm cleared away all the smoke from the numerous fires in the west. We first encountered the smoke around Provo, Utah and it stayed with us all the way to the Tetons. Thick gray smoke cutting visibility to less than a mile at times.
After the rain we managed to get in a nice easy hike along the shore of Leigh Lake, only encountering a few other hikers. As planned, after a couple of days we packed up and headed east, across the Continental Divide for a stop and soak in the hot springs at Thermopolis. We stopped at a rest stop on the way for lunch. Getting ready to leave, Cathie went to bring in the slide out on trailer. We hear a “Clunk” and the slide stopped moving. So I gave it a try and it came in with a whole bunch of “Clunks”. No Bueno.
We got into a RV park in Thermopolis and in putting the slide out, it was obvious that a gear had one or more broken teeth. I called around and found a RV repair place in nearby Riverton. So in the morning with the help of a big wrench, we got the slide back in and we headed to Riverton. The shop ordered a new slide motor and with overnight air it was there the following morning. Only problem was that it was the wrong motor. A search for the right one turned up nothing, so a call the the manufacturer was made and they didn’t have one either. But for the right price they would make us a new one. Of course this was on Friday before the Labor Day weekend, so they wouldn’t get started making the new one till after the holiday. We are told it will arrive in a week to ten days.
So here we sit in Riverton till the part arrives. We are hold up in a so-so RV park in town and we’ll manage to entertain ourselves somehow. There is a bike path and the Wind River runs past the town, so I’ll get on the bike and perhaps get the kayak wet. Len and Janet hung around till after the holiday, but they needed to get moving as their time on the road was limited. So we said our goodbyes and promised to meet up again in the future. Cathie and I will take care of chores and do a deep cleaning of the RV. We will also manage to get in a little exploring in this part of Wyoming.
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