September 1, 2003—Flaming Gorge

We said goodbye to the Pfeiffers about 10 a.m. on the 29^th and then were finally ready to go ourselves by noon. We had hoped to be able to do a web page update but the Operations Manager said that the high speed Internet was down. We said goodbye to a selected few and headed to town to close out our post office box and cash our checks. Before hitting the southern edge of Yellowstone Park, it had begun to rain.

                Yellowstone burn                                               Lewis Falls

The rain hung with us, coming down in earnest as we passed through Teton National Park and Jackson and then south on Hwy 191 towards Pinedale. Under very dark skies by 7 p.m. we found a small forest service campground along the Hoback River and managed to shoe horn in to one of the small spots. Rain continued so we were happy the spot was paved.

                   Jackson Lake

We got an early start on the 30^th and reached Rock Springs, WY to find diesel priced at $1.45/gal at the Flying J, the lowest we had seen it in ages. Topped off the tank and then saw a Super WalMart sign as we headed down I-80 towards our next turnoff at Hwy. 191. We mega-shopped for two hours, stocking up on enough to last us for the next month. We were amazed at how full the baskets were and the cost compared to what that would have run at the tiny Market Place store in West Yellowstone where we shopped.

Right after lunch we turned south on Hwy. 191 towards Flaming Gorge. Just before Wyoming turned to Utah we noticed a sign reading Clay Creek Basin Rd. which, though gravel, looked wide and not too steep. Three and a half miles down this gently sloping road we came to the perfect boondock spot.

                    Hwy 191, WY                                             Clay Creek Basin

The surrounding countryside was so magnificent it begged to be explored on the motorcycles, so that’s what we did on Augusts’ last day. We put on over 125 miles riding the bikes through mountains, canyons, dirt roads and back paved roads. One of our stops was to Brown’s Park, a waterfowl management area, which encompasses a BLM historical site called John Jarvie Ranch along the Green River. Getting there was quite fun: down a dirt road through a canyon called Jesse Ewing Canyon, which features a 17% grade for two miles. We were glad to be on the motorcycles, although we did see several trucks and one car. We passed a little back road’s humor on our way through Clay Creek Basin; this cattle guard ornament someone added brightened our day!

                  Road side art                                         Claudia's new friend

                  Motorcycle trail                                   Marc rides off into the distance

Mr. John Jarvie, a Scotsman, settled in Browns Park in 1880. He built a general store-trading post a couple years after he & his wife Nellie originally built a hand-dug underground “home”. The general store was built from hand-hewn railroad ties he found in the Green River. Later, he added a water wheel for irrigation and also started a ferry service crossing the Green River. Mr. Jarvie was well educated and well liked; in demand at social functions because of his musical talents on the organ and concertina. But not well enough liked—on July 6, 1909 Jarvie was robbed, murdered and his store ransacked. They never found his killers. The safe that was robbed still stands in the store.

             Hand dug Jarvie home                                    Jarvie out buildings

                       Jarvie store                       

Being shed of the trailer allowed us to visit Antelope Flats at Flaming Gorge, traveling a several mile long dirt road which would have been slow going with the rig behind us.

             Wall near Flaming Gorge       

           Antelope Flats, Flaming Gorge

September 1 we headed out by 9:30 with a destination of Dinosaur National Park, out of Vernal, UT. We passed over the Flaming Gorge Dam, now highly protected by police and requiring you to divest yourself of pagers, cell phones, cameras, backpacks, and purses in order to take the tour, which we did not. It is a scenic area however. Then on to the uphill climb through a portion of the aspen clad Uintas Mountains to the nine mile long, 8% downgrade which leads to Vernal.  Tonight we sit under huge cottonwoods along the Green River in Dinosaur National Park in one of the few spots where we would fit. However, since the campground is practically empty, we had a good selection.

We’ve had a definite change in climate since dropping from a high elevation of over 8400 feet today. It’s 90 degrees and this national park campground has no hookups. Since the Green River is right outside our sandy doorstep, we placed the lawn chairs out in the water and cooled off our feet while acquiring a mild sunburn. It’s a lazy evening tonight with a barbecued tri-tip while we make plans to see the park on the motorcycles tomorrow.