SOLTESWEB.NET    ALASKA TRIP 2005 - SEPTEMBER Page 5


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Sunday, September 25

This morning started with a little sleet, a little snow, a little rain...and a lot of chill.   No church today in the Tetons...the park is closing up for the season.  

We couldn't see much because of the overcast clouds, so we stopped at a couple of lodges to shop and sightsee and use Wi-Fi.  By the time we got to Jenny Lake, about 11 am, it was starting to clear.  It gradually warmed up during the day, and by mid-afternoon, it was a beautiful fall day. Low was 37 this morning; high 55.  It was supposed to be 20-22 degrees in the Tetons tonight, so we decided to leave, going south on Hwy 89.

 

These were taken at Jenny Lake in the Tetons, when it had cleared somewhat.

 

Ah, the colors!  These were taken along the highway, especially between Hoback Junction and Alpine.  The evergreens and the yellows of the aspen were mixed with the oranges and reds of the maples, and the orange and purples of the weeds.  Very colorful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We're still enjoying our truck, but not the price of diesel fuel.  In Wyoming, it's higher than premium gas.

We are staying at a Forest Service campground called Alfred Flats, off Hwy 89 a few miles south of Smoot, WY.  Find that on the map.  We're the only ones here...even the host is gone, so we parked in his spot.  It's 9 pm, and the temperature is falling, now 38 degrees.

 

 

 

 

Monday, September 26

Ed's brother-in-law Frank's birthday today.  Happy Birthday, Frank!

A beautiful crisp cold morning as we continue down the road.  We're on this high plateau, so the elevations vary between 6500 and 8000 ft.  We came across signs for Fossil Butte National Monument.  When we entered, we found the fossils were fish, alligators, palm fronds, insects. etc. from an ancient lake bed.  Very interesting!  Later, at a fossil gallery, we ended up buying a couple of slabs of sandstone containing fossil fish that we will pick out.
 


We drove through the town of Kemmerer, Wyoming, that was the site of the first J.C. Penney store,  He first called it the "Golden Rule Store" . It's also a big coal mining area.  We continued past the town of Green River and south to a campground by a lake in Flaming Gorge.  It was warm and sunny, and we enjoyed walking around in short sleeves!  The day started at 22 degrees, and reached 75 in the afternoon.

Tuesday, September 27

We saw some pronghorn on the way out of the campground.

Utah - headed for the Red Canyon in Flaming Gorge National Monument.  Lots of ups and downs, with all kinds of rock formations.  The mountains have a lot of red in them, and lots of fossils.  We stopped at the Red Canyon Lodge for a great breakfast...stuffed omelet and blueberry pancakes.  Further south and east, we stopped at the Dinosaur National Monument quarry.  Here we saw lots of dinosaur bones on the side of a ridge that now has a visitor center built around it.  Definitely a must see.  We drove then as far as Steamboat Springs, Colorado, crossing mountains, farms, rivers...all beautiful scenery.  Again, the yellow of the aspen trees was so bright in the sun!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's a big pink dinosaur welcoming you to the town of Vernal, Utah.  Then there's Patty showing you the size of the Allosaurs in the Dinosaur visitor center.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More bones!  All very interesting.

Tonight, we were going to spend the night at Wal-Mart in Steamboat Springs, but there were signs in the parking lot telling us not to do it.  So, we went down the street to the Safeway store, where they told us that it would be OK to stay there in their parking lot.

 

 

 


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