June 15 – Boulder, WY to DIllon, MT

With our longest mileage day to date ahead of us, we woke to sunny skies with a chilly temperature of 49o, although the wind which had been with us for days had pretty much died out.  As we were getting ready to leave, we enounteed a problem wthjt our water pump … which, fortunately corrected itself (wish I could have taken credit for the fix).

As we drove through the center of Boulder, we discovered just how small a community we'd stayed in last night.

An eagle or osprey nest, alpaca and duo of horses provided the highlights of the town.

Twelve miles further north on U.S. 191 we reached the charming town of Pinedale

the most populous town between Rock Spring and the Idaho border.  Like other places we visit, building murals are evident.

From Boulder to Pinedale and on through Bondurant and Alpine, there were spectacular views of the Wind River, Wyoming and Gros Ventire ranges.

Unique from many of the past several days, many small ponds and streams were clearly visible

as were a number of crumbling building

and any number of pronghorn antelopes.

The road then wound through numerous moutain passes,

topping out at just shy of 8.000'

The sides of some of the passes were quite steep requiring warning signs

although, fortuantely, there was no snow present today.

We passed through one section where it was obvious that a wildfire had taken its toll several years ago.

Meantime, we began to follow and occasionally cross the Snake River.

Debbie managed to spot a remote geodesic dome house, which I never saw.

And, despite the signs

we never saw any wildlife today.

After finally exiting U.S. 191, we ran into … what else … ROAD WORK

Fortunately, it was s short delay.

We continued to follow the now, aquamarine-colored, Snake River

and spotted several groups of rafters drifting with the current.

The road bed had been cut into the sides of the often steep rocky hills bordering the river. 

This led the state to post numerous signs, "Watch Out for Falling Rocks".  While we never did locate anyone going by the name or "Falling Rocks" we did see ample evidence of large boulders which had tumbled from the slopes and could have caused serious accidents to the traffic below were it not for the protective barriers.

Meanwhile, on the more gentle slopes, yellow and blue flowers

While some folks build homes across streams leading to the Snake, requring bridge access,

others look for views and build high up on the seemingly inaccessible hills.

After descending more than a half-mile, farms replaced the rugged landscape.

Then, the rains came; fortunately not too heavy, and lasted for about half-hour.

After refueling in Idaho Falls, we headed north along I-15.

The Interstate passed through several "towns" with their own exit ramps.  However, some of the towns were little more than those exit ramps while others, Humphrey, appeaerd to be a community of two buildings, both boarded up!

In the distance, new mountain chains began to appear on the horiizon.

Disappointingly, we also saw areas where vehicles people were through with were simply left to disintergrate over time.

At a rest area, there was a colelction of stones, apparently "autographed" by visitors taking a break from driving.

and Debbie spotted a very old travel trailer, one which would probably qualify for the RV Museum we visited last week.

Then, we were in

with its own its own "Continental Divide". 

Grazing and farm land was mixed with the cultivated acreage abutting the mountains.

Tonight we are in a campground in Dillon, Montana (population around 4,200).

Driving to our site, we passed an antique "tear drop" travel trailer.

We were also visited by both a yellow-headed blackbird

and another bird we've yet to idenitfy.

As with our last campground in Boulder, we are situated not too many miles from snow-capped mountains.

Note the rain showers beneath the clouds

This evening, some of that rain blew through the campground, and more is due, beginning over night … when temperatures are predicted to drop into th emid-40os.

 

 

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *