Hi Dear Readers! I am writing from Dutch John, Utah, my first visit to the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area. Much like Idaho, I have driven through this area many times and read the signs as Alan and I zoomed past—always too intent on getting to either Colorado or back to the San Juan Islands. We never had more than a one-night stop in Idaho, nor did we take the time to duck into this canyon. It’s delightful. And cool. And, get this, raining! Not just a trickle either; on the drive today we were treated to lightening and thunder and drops larger than quarters pounding on Wurzig’s windshield.
Yep, today on my drive down from Blackfoot Reservoir, the lowest
temperature was 50 degrees—half of what it was when I pulled out of the Porsche dealership
in Boise on Tuesday. You read that
right, but I will not go into details other than to say the people there were
wonderful and Beagle, who never is short of admirers, was a hit parked in front
of the showroom. I spent two hours
giving tours to visitors and staff; two people came in to the showroom to see
if she was for sale.
As if.
While in Boise, the Noses and I enjoyed five nights in a
VRBO; a delightful house with an Opus-escape-proof backyard for them and A/C
for all of us.
Wurzig is fixed for now (same message as before, they replaced
the second most likely culprit, all being done under warranty--sorry I did go into details) but there are no
guarantees since the light does not come on regularly. Having spent some time discussing the issue
with a friend as well as the mechanic, I am confident that, even if the light
returns, I do not need to alter my plans.
Whatever those are.
During one of the hot days in Boise, I took a drive up to
Cascade Lake to look at some properties.
I was discouraged: The prices
were atrocious for what you were getting. Nothing was feeling right: Canada was still closed, the heat was
oppressive, and I was considering ending not only that day trip, but my entire
trip as well. I decided to rest a minute near the lake and
called a friend who encouraged me to continue north to McCall; he has a cabin
there and knowing for what I have been searching, was quite sure I would love
it.
And I did.
Sitting at the Shore Lodge eating lunch in the sunshine (it
was a mere 75 degrees up there) looking over the marina and up the long, dark,
gorgeous lake, I thought, “Beagle who?”
I could have stayed there the entire summer.
So why am I in Utah?
Meeting up with family for four days but then I am returning to
Idaho. I’ll swing through Sun Valley and
up into Stanley (highly recommended by the camping-crazy locals in Boise)
before returning to McCall.
And how about the trip down here? You ask such good questions! Well, the first night, as I said, it was 100
degrees and 1:00 when I left Boise with the intention of getting in a hundred
miles or so before stopping at an RV park along the route. I needed electricity: We all needed A/C.
But all the RV parks were full, so I used Campendium and
found the Rock Creek RV Park, a county park in Twin Falls that had electric
hook-ups. Yes! They were first come first serve only, I was counting
on a lot of Kitness.
I pulled in and the first loop was completely taken. As I started
my right turn into the second loop, I noticed an open spot at the end of the
loop on the left. So I did what any desperate
woman would do, I turned the wrong way up the one-way drive, drove just far
enough to be able to back Beagle into position, jumped out, plugged in Beagle and
then sat in the car until the A/C had cooled her down. I nabbed one of only three spots left—the other
two filled up within thirty minutes. And
the Kitness was working—most people had
another RV right in their face but, being on the end, we had a large tree and
acres of green across the way.
Just after sunset I felt a huge wind hit Beagle and then my phone alerted me to a weather advisory; the area was due for wind gusts up to 60 MPH with blowing sand and dirt, warning people off the highway due to lack of visibility.
I’ll say.
I hopped out of Beagle to safely stow my chair and couldn’t
see more than twenty feet! The dirt was
everywhere! It smacked you in the face,
blew up your nose and into your eyes. Between the wind, dirt and heat, I felt like I
was camping on Mars.
The second night we stopped at Blackfoot Reservoir, where we were welcomed with 75 degrees and this as our view: (The picture at the
top of this post was taken this morning from inside Beagle as the sun was rising—didn’t even open the
door.)
And the drive today was fantastic: Rolling hills, lush, green farmland with happy cows, two lane highways (one lane each direction) the entire time and then, along Highway 414 in south-western Wyoming, some of the most beautiful hillsides I have ever seen: They looked like they were made with layers of sand and the thickest layer was, I am not kidding you, a light greenish blue. Being on the aforementioned two-lane highway with no pull outs, I was unable to stop and take a picture. But it was stunning.
This is what I have missed.
I’m back. The rain
stopped so I walked Opus down to the marina where they rent stand-up paddleboards
as well as boats. Tomorrow another storm
is due to roll through but Saturday and Sunday look as delightful as the clear,
deep water. I cannot wait to swim!
-K
No comments:
Post a Comment