Digging for Our Roots, Part I: Big Sky Country

6 July 2012

On the 5^th, we took care of some business while we were in Provo and did a little touring. Drove through Brigham Young University and saw some of the historic downtown area. The campground is right next to the Provo River so we went along the bike path for a bit. Nice shady cool area.

We ate a nice dinner outside. Just as we were finishing the cleanup, the winds got strong and the rain came pouring down. Russ got a bit wet getting some of our stuff into the car and out of the weather. But I think he felt that it was refreshing after all the heat we have been in. It rained on and off during the night and early the next morning.

This morning we headed northeast out of Provo and turned east on I-80 towards Rock Springs. Crossing the Wasatch Mountains out of Provo was absolutely breathtaking. We followed the Provo River, watching rafters and fly fishermen enjoying the waters. We passed into Heber Valley which is a very pretty agricultural valley surrounded by mountains. There are several reservoirs along the way with lots of opportunities for camping and boating.

Then we sailed into the Great Big Nothing. Trees disappeared, anything green disappeared and what remained was dry sagebrush on rolling hills and sharp edged buttes. It is beautiful but a huge contrast to the mountains we had passed through.

I-80 is a pretty lonely highway. There are occasional off-ramps to roads that disappear over the horizon. Occasionally there is a small town with a gas station and convenience store. Rock Springs was probably the largest town we saw along the way. It has all the requisite big box stores and fast food restaurants. And it has a nice little historical downtown which is in the process of being renovated.

Shortly after we set up our trailer, we were treated to a “thunder concert” and some rain. The thunder seemed to roll on forever and ever! Looks like this may be the schedule for the trip – arrive at our campsite about 4 pm, hopefully get the trailer set up then watch a thunderstorm roll through. Plays hob with trying to figure out when we can grill our dinner outside.

So I didn’t cook, and we ate at “Ted’s Supper Club” where we enjoyed a nice steak (Russ had prime rib). A bit of a shock when we first walked in though because we had to wend our way through the smoke filled bar to get to the dining area. Don’t know when the last time was that I was in a smoking establishment.