Our volunteer spot

 June 3, 2021

In the last post I showed you the road coming into the actual spot where we volunteer. The surroundings are quite lovely and the actual location is very nice.  The host campsite has water, sewer, and electric conveniences so no complaint there.  

                              Entrance booth. This angle looks towards the river.

                             The parking lot for the visitors which is 99% fishermen

                             The small white dot you see on the left edge of the picture is our rv.

                             This is looking up the road like you would be leaving the area.

                             Our rv is in the center of the picture

                             Looking across the mountains from the booth.

                             Looking through the window on the back side of the booth.

                                            

                             Bonnie in the entrance booth.

When a vehicle comes into the recreation area, they need at least a day pass.  Or, for many of you reading this, those visitors who have had enough birthdays, can get in with their National Senior Pass; one time when being over 62 is a benefit.  A day pass is $5, a weekly pass is $15, and an annual Flaming Gorge Recreation Area pass is $35.  We also sell the Senior pass for $80 that gets you into all national parks and monuments.

The air here is very dry so 85 degrees does not feel nearly as warm as 85 degrees in Alabama.  The area is very vast and there is little air pollution, so the sun is very intense and one can get sunburned easily.

OBSERVATIONS:

I have noticed in Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and northern Utah, the most popular pick up truck is by far the Dodge Ram.  Second would be Ford with Chevy/GMC lagging well behind. Part of that could be because Jeep is also popular so the Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler dealers are easy to find.

Little Hole Recreation Area - Dutch John, Utah

 May 25, 2021

We have arrived and the area is gorgeous.  The pictures don't really show how beautiful it is, but you may enjoy seeing them. The drive in to where we will stay.

                                            Yes, that is snow on the mountains

                                            The town of Dutch John, Utah

Through Kansas and Nebraska

May 23, 2021

The drive through Kansas was great because we did not travel on any interstate highways.  The truck drivers stay away from the secondary roads because two lanes and small towns reduce their production. Our drive to our campground at Lake Ogallala in Nebraska was just as pleasant for the same reasons.  When we arrived at Lake Ogallala about 4pm, our campsite was fifty feet from the lake and we were parallel with the lake so the view of the beautiful lake was not obstructed by anything.  The temp was 81°, sunny, gentle breeze, not a cloud in the sky. Now all of this sounds good, but as the early evening got closer, around 7pm, the sky started getting dark, the wind started picking up, and it started spitting a little rain.  By 7:30, there was a severe heavy thunderstorm warning, a tornado watch, strong winds, intense downpour, and pea sized hail.  The rv was shaking and rocking like a ride simulator at Disney.  The wind was actually coming across the lake so hard it seemed like it was pulling the water from the lake and slapping it against the rv.  But an hour and a half later, the wind and rain stopped, the skies cleared but the temp dropped to 51°.  There was no damage and no injuries so we welcomed a good night’s sleep.

May 24, 2021

We awoke to a beautiful day with clear sunny skies, but cool temps. This was going to be the shortest driving day of the whole trip so we took our time and checked into Curt Gowdy State Park a bit early.  This state park is absolutely gorgeous! But like most of the area, a bit windy.

 

May 25, 2021

On the last leg of our trip before our destination, we stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming to see the Wyoming Frontier Prison Museum. The guided tour with interesting historic stories was a great insight into the lives of incorrigible people and one look at the concrete beds makes one think ‘hmmm, I’m glad my parents taught me how to behave.’  The 5’ x 7’ cells were not heated nor did they have hot water in the showers that were big enough for 30 men at a time to take a shower. The inmates were allowed to paint the inside of their cells any color they wanted and interestingly enough, many were painted yellow or light blue.

                                            Main entrance to the prison

                                            Showers for the inmates. Above and below

                                            The prisoner library room. Above and below

                                                        Rows of cells. Above and below

                                                      Individual cell with a pillow and mattress

                                                        Visitation room

The white plumbing pipe in the middle of the room above was a place where defiant prisoners were handcuffed and whipped with a rubber hose.

On to Nebraska from Kansas

 May 22 -23, 2021

We stayed at Webster State Park near Stockton, KS. Kansas has a state law for their state parks that requires campers to spend two nights on the weekends. We knew that ahead of time so it was no surprise.  One pleasant surprise was, unlike all the other small towns we drove through, there was a grocery store in Stockton so we were able to get a few things. We continued on to Webster SP, stopped at the registration office only to find out they charge $5/vehicle permit to enter the state park.  We found our pull through campsite, parked, and hooked up.  Pull through sites are nice because I don't have to unhook the Jeep.  As we were setting up, the ranger made his rounds to make sure everyone paid their $5 vehicle fee.  After checking the rv and the Jeep, he came over to me and said "you don't have a permit for your Jeep."  I explained that the registration office told me how much I owed and that's what I paid.  He said "well, the charge is for each vehicle regardless of whether one is being towed.  But, if you don't disconnect the Jeep from the rv, we'll just let it go."  Hmmmm . . . .

We did have an unusual experience later that evening. It was very windy at that state park, so we opened all the windows and door and just had the screens to keep the bugs out.  When it was time to close the solid door, I opened the screen door to get the solid door and HUNDREDS of May flies in the nymph stage swarmed into the rv.  Even though they don't bite, just seeing that many in the rv made us feel like we were itching.  We got our vacuum cleaner with the hose and took about 45 minutes clearing the rv of the May flies.  Steven Spielburg couldn't have come up with anything like that.

May 23

We left Webster SP and about 40 miles along the way we stopped at the Cottonwood Ranch. After the Civil War, the West became a symbol of opportunity.  Abraham Pratt of Yorkshire County, England, sold his liquor bottling business  and homesteaded 160 acres of land in Sheridan County, Kansas.  A couple of years later, he returned to Ripon, England and convinced his two sons to come to the US and purchase 320 acres from the Kansas Pacific Railway.  In the late 1800's the Pratts built a one room native stone house, then a few years later, wings were added to the house and outbuildings and corral walls were built.  Most ranchers raised cattle, but Pratt and his sons raised sheep.  Below are pictures of the farm buildings.

                                            The back of the house with different colored stones.

                                                        A peak inside the kitchen window