We are closing up the 5er this AM and heading off  from Rawlins to Rock Springs, WY. More later today.

We pulled into Rock Springs and went right to the Super Walmart. I bought a XM satellite radio and boom box to go with it. I just got tired of being out in the boonies with NO radio AT ALL. I seem to wake up at 3 AM and just lay there. Now I can be informed with world news or music. Terry went off to the food section and stocked up. We next went to Flying J. What a mess (seems they all are that way. One hard turn for fuel and then had to back around to get to the dump station. I didn't know I could back that well. We left Rock Springs all gassed up and ready to stay out in the wild for many a day. So off we headed to Pindale to the north. We have gone here many times in years past for that OH so short vacation. But now we have weeks to do anything we want. 

We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce in Pindale to ask about the road to Green River Lakes and they said it was as bad as ever. We just didn't think we wanted to pull our home over that washboard nightmare. So we headed west on HW 191 and stopped to camp at Warren Bridge: The Green River has long sustained the communities of western Wyoming. Here the river offers habitat for raptors and songbirds, deer, trout, and salmon. The recreationist can flyfish, hunt for big game or game birds, canoe and kayak in the river, or sit by the banks and watch the water flow. In June, this area is the site of a roundup of thousands of cattle- a real taste of the "Old West." The campsite fee is $10, not free but still not bad.

Campsite at Warren Bridge BLM 

Terry took the pics, gave me the camera to download them, and off he went to fish this nice stretch of river. Hope he has great luck. Update: He got a nice one for his first attempt here.

We have been moving much faster than planned but I do have that wanderlust in me, and that combined with finding that perfect campsite. We just seem to keep on the move. May be in Oregon before we know it. We know one thing we are going to have to land by Wed. or Thursday and get settled for the long holiday weekend when the locals will be out in force. 
Tomorrow we will take the washboard drive to Green River lakes and also the Upper Green River Rec. just across the road from us we have never been to. 
It's going to be a fantastic sunset with clear skies and I see on the web there is a lunar eclipse at about 4 AM. Might miss that. We shall see. 
XM radio sounding in the background with it set right now on 60s music. Later, think it is time to get away from the maching and sit outside for awhile. 

Tuesday  Aug. 28

Another shot of our campground at Warren Bridge.  See a real bridge. 
.

Just on the near side of the bridge a Forest Service Road goes back up the river and you can get to several wonderful campsites Free for 14 days. Sorry the ruff road down to the river is vay to steep to pull a trailer over. 

Next we took off to visit Green River Lakes which we have camped at many times in the past. The road is just as bad as ever, as they do not grade it at an angle but leave the grader blade at a right angle to the road and it hops up and down and creates a washboard effect. We think they just don't like people getting back into the area. 
But not to worry we won't be going back. It would just be too hard to bare again, the distruction we found, in the used to be wonderland.  The pine beatle has done its thing and devisated much of the area.  The main campground looks like a war zone as they have tried to cut out some of the dead pine. See the bottom picture. It is just not a fun place to be, our look at anymore.

But the river still flows and people can take the tails high up above the tree line and still enjoy the area. 

Such a sad sight. And sorry to say, much of the west is looking just like this. In a few years, will it be worth even coming back. Or will there be anything left. One lighting strike and this will all burn. If fire can kill the beatle, maybe the forest could start over.

We think we are going to head out in the morning on over to Riverside campground north of Ashton, Idaho.

HW 32 at Tetonia goes on over to Jackson, WY. Which is about 60 miles from where we are at now. 

Wednesday  Aug. 29

We have made it to Buffalo campground (see above graphic)  and are all set up in a prefect campsite right on the river. 1 PM  $12 a night.  And in this area hardly any campers. All the reservable site are booked but none of the first come first served ones, have people in them. So hop in the old RV and get on out here, for a great Labor Day weekend. 
(Pics later) We came over into Idaho from Jackson. No one told us about the HIGH pass on WY State WY 22.  WOW over 10% grades and we got behind a dump truck pulling a small caterpillar. He could only go 10 mph and slowed us down so much we couldn't keep up momentum. We had to stop and rest on the summit to let our trusty Duramax cool down. It didn't overheat but was right up there.   Breaks worked just fine.  I had Terry kiss the dash when we got down the mountain. Much more later... right now we are going into Island Park so terry can get a Idaho fishing lic. and for lunch.

Here Terry  is  knee deep in the Buffalo river.  None of the 8 fish he caught that night had any size to them.  Will have to look for the bigger fish.

The view from inside the Trailer looking out the dining area window overloking the Buffalo river.
 

.Here are a Couple of Osprey fledglings,  the  mother osprey took off when we drove up with the pick up and the chicks kept callling to her, wanting more fish.  Looks like this is Terry's compitition.
 

The view of our campsite overlookng the Buffalo river.  A very rare picture of Ron.

Thursdsay  Aug. 30

We went for a drive to the headwaters of Henrys Fork River. 

Big Springs & Johnny Sack Cabin 
One hundred and twenty million gallons of pure water a day — enough to meet the water needs of a large city — surge out of the ground here. Walk the short distance from the parking lot to the bridge. Toss fish food available at the vending machine into the water, and watch the monster fish rise to eat it. You'll see the spring’s constant flow, at a year-round temperature of 52 degrees, and the clean gravel bottom —perfect trout habitat. Big Springs trout get BIG. Leave your fishing pole in the car: No fishing is allowed until below the outlet to Henry's Lake, several miles away.

Take the short walking trail around the pond to reach Johnny Sack's cabin, an historic building and museum that is on the National Register of Historic Places Johnny was a German immigrant who built his cozy cabin and its furnishings by hand out of local trees. He also built a water wheel turned by spring water tumbling out of the hillside. The wheel provided electricity and brought water uphill to the cabin. Johnny's old place is now a visitor center and an attraction in its own right.

We also drove into some other campgrounds to see if we might want to move after the Labor Day weekend.  We found Flat Rock and Upper Coffee Pot campgrounds very nice with sites right on the Henrys Fork river. 

 Saturday  Sept. 1

.Friday kind of was a rany day and Terry went and did three weeks of laundery. Then later watched as the crowds moved into the campgrounds. 

My post to the RV.NET forum yesterday....
We rushed over to the West Yellowstone area in Idaho on Wed. (Buffalo campground in Targhee NF) from the Pinedale WY area, to get ahead of the holiday campers. We found MANY great spots open in the Island Park area. (see our blog below) The reserved spots were all tagged. Now on Friday evening the campers are pouring in. Glad we landed early. Glad they can get out for the holiday camping event. The people watching will be fun, knowing next week they will all be back at work and we will have all this bounty to ourselves. We are having a few showers when many were setting up by now at 7 PM the sun is breaking out and it might be a fun camping night for all concerned. Have a great Labor Day. We all deserve it. Americans take less time off then most of the rest of the industrialized world. 

Today Sat broke clear and looking good. We went for a drive down State HW 47 on the Mesa Falls Secnic ByWay to the Upper and lowere falls. and then on into Afton for supplies. Came back via some remote Forest Service roads in the high country. 

The forest in this part of Idaho is green and healthy as far as we can see. Nice after Wyoming. There is allot of fairly new growth (last 10 to 20 years) due to harvesting or fire, so the growth is young. 

We took this late evening picture out of our 5er between showers. This as good as it gets.

A shot of the lower falls from the overlook off HW 47 ByWay. The upper falls are privately owned and they wanted big bucks to enter.  The sign that told of a viewing fees was not on the main road but after you pulled off on the long drive down to the falls. So we said no thanks and just drove back out to the main road.

We are not in the pic as I'm taking it and Terry is off fishing. 
Another shot of our campsite. The more we look around the more we like it right here in our little piece of heaven. It is at the end of the last loop and that means not much traffic. Three units pulled in about dark last night in the light rain and first thing this AM they all left. 

It is Sat. at we are listening to Garrison Keilor and his "Prairie Home Companion" NPR radio show. It is his first live new show of the season and he is broadcasting form the Minnesota State Fair.

So I'm streaming it, posting this blog, and now will go through the forums to see what is going on in the RVing world.
Terry is tying flies, since he doesn't think he can fish with all the float trips going down the river. 

Have a great Holiday!