Sorry about not getting my post for Day 3 up. The hotel in Park City, UT had a horrible connection. Rich got his newspaper loaded on his Nook by standing in the doorway of the bathroom! It’s hard to image someone having a WiFi that only has one bar of strength.
Leaving Cheyenne was cold and damp. I made Rick start us out of town. Just outside of town, there was a dense fog that limited visibility quite a bit. Don’t pity Rick. He needed this kind of experience and we were with him to help with info. The traffic was light, so it wasn’t so bad. Just a few big trucks. I explained that this type of fog is where the pea soup description came from.
I have a new rule to add to my Rules for Travel list:
* Rick is always a passenger, until I make him drive.
Rick doesn’t like to drive. He says it’s just with us because we make too many comments on his driving. Boy, he should never get married then!
Driving through Wyoming was uneventful. The land is pretty much high desert with lots of scrub. You see cattle now and then, but not as often as I thought. Isn’t Wyoming known for their beef production?
We stopped for a rest area and discovered the remains of an old fort there. Rich loves these types of forts. So we just had to go and check it out. We pulled up to Fort Steele and got out to look around. A man on an ATV came roaring up with brochures and info. I love this about these sites. Someone lives on site and greets the visitors who come out. He assured us that the wigglies weren’t coming out today since it was so cool. By that, he meant the rattlesnakes.
In the west, there is a cool job that retired people do at these sites. They come out in their travel homes and live on site. The organization behind the site pays for water, gas, and other utilities. So you get a free place to live and you just have to say Hi and explain the site to the few people who come out. Not bad.
We did the self guided tour of the remains and walked over the fort grounds. Not much is left, just some chimneys and part of an old corral. The schoolhouse built after that time was standing. The quartermaster had been rebuilt, but was locked. We took some pictures and even got some of the train going over the trestle right by the site.
We made it toward the Utah border and realized this would be the best route to reach Flaming Gorge and Dinosaur National Park. I’ve wanted to go there, but could never work it into a vacation because of it’s location.
Our stop for the night was in Park City, UT. My friend, Kim, has spent time there and highly recommended it. I found a hotel and a brewpub, so it seemed like a great place to stop. We got into town at a good time and settled in. We prepared our appetites and headed out to Squatter’s Grille and Pub.
Their beer list was adequate. Rich had an IPA to start. It had a nice flavor and fit the description well. I ordered the Polygamy Porter, but was disappointed that it didn’t have enough flavor on the end of the taste. They were drinkable though. Unfortunately for Rick, they were all of root beer. He had to go with a Coke.
I ordered the Chicken Chimachanga, which came with a green chile sauce and spice guacamole. Rich had the lamb shank while Rick had a BBQ chicken pizza. The Rich tried the Brewer’s special, a pale ale called Apollo 13. We purposely left room for dessert. One order of bread pudding and one order of Peanut Butter Chocolate pie, please. The pudding was more of a souffle than bread, but it was tasty. The pie was awesome and none of us could stop eating it.
Yes, we did the Rose pose in front of the building before going in to eat.
I had noticed a trailhead on our way to the brewpub. We decided to stop and see where the trails ran. We found a short trail (1.5 miles) to McLeod Creek that would help us walk off dinner and dessert. The atmosphere was alpine meadow, but with a busy road in the middle of it. We walked down to the creek and admired the sculptures placed along the path. One set were musical instruments that Rick played a tune on.
We got down to the wooden bridge and turned to walk back. I realized that the walk back would have a slight upward incline. Oh my gosh, the back of my legs were aching at the end. So it was 1.5 miles down there and 1.5 to come back. I did my first hike! A whole 3 miles!
Getting back to the hotel, Rick and I went down to the pool and hot tub. The pool was warm enough for me to swim around a bit. Then we transferred to the warm, warm water of the spa. Ah! So much for aching muscles.
We returned to our room, showered, and settled in for the evening. Since there was no WiFi to be had, I settled for TV. I just had to ignore the young child running in the room overhead.
On to Day 4 and Nevada.
