We packed up and left Colter Bay around 10:30. The day was sunny but it started below freezing. The RV was chilly without the propane furnace! But we left late to allow the sun to warm the roads (and get rid of any ice.)
The Tetons and Mount Moran had picked up some more snow during the night.
We drove east (and south) through the Shoshone National Forest on US Rt. 26, over the continental divide at 10,000 feet. The road was easy for driving, with a maximum 6% grade up and down. There were not many people on the road, so I drove at the speed I felt comfortable. It wouldn’t matter if there were more people on the road, I still drive at the speed I feel comfortable. There is a feeling of tipping over in the RV when I take curves.
After the continental divide the road was mostly downhill. This section of Wyoming has picturesque scenery with snow capped mountains, grassy hills, meandering rivers and some scrubby plains.
We got to our campsite at River’s Edge RV resort late afternoon, on the eastern side of Casper, WY. The campground was on the banks of the North Platte River. The campground had lots of gravel with some grass along the sides. So Lexie had some non-gravel surfaces to relax on. But she did like walking along the North Platte River.
We had pizza for dinner that evening from the local Wood Fired Pizza. This place was set up like a Chipotle: you went through the line selecting your pizza toppings before they put it into a wood-fired oven to bake. We had the Chicken Bacon Artichoke, and it wasn’t bad.
Steven took a two-mile hike at nearby Edness Kimball Wilkins State Park. The trail took him along the North Platte and then into the brush.
Saturday we took off for Devil’s Tower National Monument. We got to see more of the wild and majestic buttes and spires found in the west. We also saw signs indicating that major highways would be closed (for snow? wind?) if lights on the highway sign were flashing. We saw more of these signs as we traveled in Wyoming and South Dakota.
Along the way we saw pronghorn deer (and cattle and sheep) grazing. We are definitely in ranch country.
Devil’s Tower was even more impressive than what we saw in “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”. It was also crowded, they had a traffic light set up to slow and restrict access into the park. Three cars left the upper parking lot and the light allowed three cars to enter. Excellent traffic control. Could it have been because it was the Memorial Day weekend?
Vicki and Steve followed the trail around Devil’s Tower. We looked for falcons since it was their nesting season, but didn’t see any. We saw vultures, and many (tiny) people climbing the face of the tower.
And there was a prairie dog town near the entrance to Devil’s Tower. This was our first encounter with the creatures.
We set up camp around 6pm at Empire Lodge in Pine Haven, WY. This is a small campground near the middle of nowhere (actually close to Keystone State Park and several lakes that appear to be popular for fishing.) The campsite was the most challenging one we have had for backing in the RV. The site was almost on a terrace edge, and there wasn’t much terrace for the RV itself. There were easier sites that appeared available that a wiser person would have selected but the office was closed and with no human to get authorization, you don’t make the switch on your own.
As a bonus, we were surprisingly serenaded between 9 and 10pm by an electric guitar from somewhere outside the campground. Fortunately, the playing was good.