We packed up the trailer and left Ft. Collins around 9:30 in the morning. Steffy had spent the night and Emily came over first thing so they were able to help us pack up. We pulled the trailer out into the street and everything worked without any problems.
We hugged Em goodbye and left the mobile home park heading to Laramie. I rode with Steff in her Blazer and we followed Glen and Badger in the trailer.
We arrived in Laramie about 11:00 and ate at Wendy�s at the Pilot on I-80. We filled up with gas at the Sinclair across the street and were very happy to be able to pay only $1.48 a gallon. We hugged Steffy goodbye and we headed west on Hwy 30.
We filled up at Rawlins at the Flying J for $1.55 and drove west on I-80 till we passed Rock Springs. We headed south just past Rock Springs about 14 miles to The Flaming Gorge Recreation Area in the Ashley National Forest.
Several miles out of Rock Springs we saw a dust cloud up ahead. As we got closer we discovered that the dust was from a sheep drive. We had seen cattle drives in Wyoming before but never a sheep drive! There were hundreds and hundreds of sheep as far as you could see. There were no fences at all along this stretch of road and at the end of the long line of sheep we saw that the only thing driving the sheep were just one man on a horse and his dog. We were pretty amazed and thoroughly enjoyed watching this spectacle.
We finally found our road to turn on and found a 9 percent grade road into the Gorge area. It was fast and winding for a while but it finally leveled off and we made it safe and sound.
We stopped for the night at Firehole Canyon Campground. I had called ahead and asked if the campground would be open and the lady on the phone told me that they didn�t gate it so go on in. We drove up to the entrance and there was a padlocked gate across the road! We were unsure what to do so we drove on around to the picnic and boat launch area. There were a few trucks with boat trailers parked there but no one was using the picnic area so we just parked beside there.
We hadn�t used our battery power that much so we decided to go easy on the lights and heater to make sure we could make it through the night. It was only about 6:00 pm and still daylight so it wasn�t a problem at all. We made a sandwich and then played hand and foot for a little while. Right before it got dark, Badger and I walked down to check out the facilities. They hadn�t turned on the water or opened the restrooms yet, which didn�t surprise us. There was a really nice information area that showed the types of fish found in the reservoir and the wildlife around the area. The sign said that there were wild horses, badger, osprey, coyotes and prairie dogs where we were and further south in the Gorge there were even elk and black bear. It was a really nice park but hardly any trees and very high desert environment so probably very hot in the summer.
The temperature only dropped to around 35 so we didn�t have to run the heater at all during the night.
April 11, 2003 � Friday
We got up and around about 7:30. Glen made coffee in our new Coleman stainless steel 12 cup coffee pot and then he made egg and sausage burritos. It was a great breakfast.
We straightened up and headed out of the park about 9:30. After driving a bit we filled up with gas in Evanston. I finally had phone service and called Steffy to let her know that we were safe and sound. We had good digital service until we passed Rock Springs. We have periodic service on the freeway but had none down in Flaming Gorge.
We drove into Utah and I was so tickled that I was able to take a picture of the �Welcome to Utah� sign. I have wanted to take pictures of all the state signs but kept forgetting. Glen was able to park in a great place so that I was able to get a nice close up of the Utah sign. It was neat because it was commemorating the 2002 Olympic Games.
We stopped at the Echo Rest Area and I gathered all sorts of great information on campgrounds and RV parks. It was a really nice rest stop and the two elderly volunteers were very helpful.
We were going to find an RV spot in Ogden for the night but we kept driving and never saw one so we drove on out to Huntsville which is about 20 miles east of Ogden. We camped for two nights at a little place called Chris�. It is a gas station and restaurant with about eight rv spots in the back. I went in to find out about the rv park and ended up talking to Chris. I asked him if I needed to sign up and he said just pay twenty bucks and pick out any site we wanted. He said they did things the old fashioned way!
We drove out back and chose a nice spot with a cement slab. (The others were just dirt.) Glen started unhooking the hitching and I plugged in the electric cord. I went in and saw that we didn�t have any electricity so I told Glen to not unhook yet. He came over and I ran in to get the little radio that I keep by the bed. We tried plugging it into the 110 plug but it wouldn�t work either. I told Glen to rest a minute and I went to the restaurant and told Chris that we didn�t have any electricity. He said that was weird and just to plug our connection into the post next to us. What a hoot!
We got all set up and ended up spending two nights there. We had planned to go on out to the National Forest campgrounds that we had called about earlier to check them out but when we got out there, about five miles from Chris�, we found that the campgrounds were just about full. Since it was Friday we figured that this was the weekender crowd so decided to wait till Sunday afternoon. That plan worked out great.
April 13 � Sunday
Almost everyone was gone when we got out to the Magpie Campground. We chose a great site and had no trouble getting set up. The campground is located beside a little river that runs between a huge canyon wall. We didn�t see any wildlife but read that deer, elk and black bear can sometimes be seen. We pretty much rested Sunday night. We played cards and Badger and I went for a walk to get to know the campground a bit. We ended up going to bed around nine because we had no TV.
April 14 � Monday
This was our second day at the Magpie Campground. It was very restful and quiet. Except for one other person in a tent we had the campground to ourselves.
Glen cooked steaks on the grill and they were yummy. This campground has neat little table-like stands at each campsite to put your grill on. I have never seen these anywhere else and think they are a great idea. The sites are very fancy. Each one has a cement slab, a nice rubber coated picnic table and a great fire pit that is raised and encircled by a two-foot wall of cement. Utah must have a lot of money to spend on their National Forests.
The weather was mild with the temps in the low sixties but very windy. It started thundering and lightening just as it was getting dark and we fell asleep to the sound of rain on the roof.
April 15 � Tuesday
It was still raining when we got up this morning. The temperature stayed around 40 all day and every so often you could see a little snow coming down.
After we ate and got around we headed to Ogden. We drove out to Antelope Island, which is northwest of Salt Lake City. It is the largest island on the lake and you are supposed to be able to see antelope, deer and buffalo there but Glen and I didn�t see anything.
The wind, rain and cold temperatures didn�t make for a very good day to be out and about. It was interesting to see the island, though. We drove across a long causeway to get onto the island itself. It smelled really salty and I could even taste salt in my mouth even though we had the windows shut on the van. There was salt piled up where the waves would wash it ashore. We saw lots of little birds riding the waves. I think they may have been eating the brine shrimp that is found in the lake. I guess the island and lake might be nicer to see if the weather is a little milder but we were not impressed at all. There were actually a couple of people camped in tent trailers in the state park. They were a lot braver than I am. I don�t know how they could stand the cold wet wind.
We ate lunch at Fazoli�s in Ogden and then bought our groceries at Smith�s. We haven�t shopped at a Smith�s since we left Riverton. It was fun to see the familiar brands.
After we drove home and put the groceries away we played Hand and Foot for a while and then Glen started up the Honda and we watched one of our taped episodes of Star Trek Voyager. It was weird watching TV again and so enjoyable. Emily is making us some tapes of some of our favorite shows. We are already looking forward to getting them in the mail.
April 16 � Wednesday
It was 29 degrees and a heavy frost when we woke up this morning. The sun was shining brightly and we packed up the trailer for the trip south. We took Hwy 89 south and hit I-15 just north of Salt Lake City. We found a Flying J on the north side of the city and filled the van with gas and then dumped our tanks and filled up with fresh water. We learned about doing this on the RV Forum that we like to read on the internet. It is free to use their dumpsite and water. The site was really clean and it was nice not to have to hook up and pay at an RV park.
We weren�t sure of the directions to the new campground but we flew by the seat of our pants and went right to it. Diamond Campground is in the Uinta National Forest about 12 miles east of Spanish Fork, which is about an hour south of Salt Lake City. So far it is one of the nicest campgrounds that we have ever been in. All the streets are newly asphalted and each campsite has a new rubber coated picnic table, grill stand and fire pit all on a cement slab. There are no hookups but there are pit toilets and water spigots scattered through the park. The area around the campground is deserty and reminded us of the Possum Kingdom area in Texas except the mountains and hills are a lot bigger here. In the distance we are able to see the snow covered Spanish Fork Peak, which is over 10,000 feet in elevation. There is a small creek that runs through the campground and lots of trees and shrubbery but there is no green on the trees yet. We wonder how hot it gets here. Some of the campsites don�t have any shade so we think it might be pretty miserable without an air conditioner. Our little Honda will run everything but that.
This campground is the first that we have stayed in so far that has a campground host. He was really nice and stopped to ask us if we needed anything. It is odd having a host and not being one. Since the campground was officially opened with a host the pay station was open. Diamond campground is $11 a night but Glen has a Golden Access Pass so we pay half price which is $5.50 a night. We stayed for five nights for only $27.50. What a deal! That is the cost of some of the RV parks for just ONE night!!!
April 17 � Thursday
Today we headed into Spanish Fork to do laundry. A really nice lady named Wanda ran the laundry mat. She talked a blue streak and wanted to know all about our Rving lifestyle. She may have been a little envious. She said they used to have a motor home and traveled but her husband got tired of driving it and didn�t want to go anywhere any more. The laundry mat was really nice. Wanda pieced quilt tops and put them all along the walls to make the building more home like. She put strips of paper with positive sayings pinned to the quilt tops. It was fun to do our laundry there.
We found an RV parts place and bought a few things for the trailer and then ran up to the little town up the freeway a bit to the Super Walmart and bought a few supplies and groceries.
April 18 � Friday
We went back to Spanish Fork today to go to the library and check our email. Every library is different on how they handle their Internet access. This library was one of the easiest to use. A lot of times they have you fill out a form and show ID but here I just signed up on a clipboard and had the use of a computer for 30 minutes. I checked the email and then looked up information on The Great Basin National Park. I was able to print out a travel guided and paid for it at the desk. It was 10 cents a copy and it costs sixty cents. It is so nice to be able to use the Internet when we need to.
We are having a little bit of difficulty figuring out how the battery works in the trailer. It doesn�t seem to take a full charge. We decided to go back to the Super Walmart and have the oil changed in the van and have the trailer battery checked to make sure it is still good. After we found out that the battery was definitely good we decided that maybe we should just go ahead and buy another battery and hook them together but we still had some questions so we visited with a fellow at an RV supply place and after talking to him we figured out that we just weren�t charging the battery long enough and decided that our decision to add another battery was a smart one so we headed back to Walmart and bought another battery, the cables and connections. We were headed back toward home when we thought that having a battery charger might work as far as charging the batteries more easily so we headed back to Walmart AGAIN! I ran in and bought the charger and we finally headed back home. Whew! What a day!
April 19 � Saturday
Glen spent most of the day working on the battery situation. He put the new battery on the trailer and hooked the charger to the old battery, which was hooked to the Honda. We ran the Honda until the old battery was all charged up and then Glen hooked the two batteries together and we finally seemed to have the power that we needed. When we turned off the Honda for the night, the lights inside the trailer were nice and bright and the battery gauge showed G, which is good. It is nice to finally have all the electric stuff figured out so we don�t have to worry about it so much.
April 20 � Sunday
Today is Easter. We woke up to 26 degrees and a heavy frost over everything. This has been the coldest that we have been since leaving Ft. Collins.
We headed back to the Super Walmart and I called the girls while Glen went in to get groceries. It was so fun talking to them. It seems like a century ago that we left but it has only been a little over a week.
We stocked up on a huge supply of groceries as we are planning to head west tomorrow and don�t know for sure what to expect down the road.
It was a nice day. I spent the day reading and Glen did a few things around the trailer to get ready for tomorrow. The sun finally came out after three days of rain and clouds.
We stopped for the night at Firehole Canyon Campground. I had called ahead and asked if the campground would be open and the lady on the phone told me that they didn�t gate it so go on in. We drove up to the entrance and there was a padlocked gate across the road! We were unsure what to do so we drove on around to the picnic and boat launch area. There were a few trucks with boat trailers parked there but no one was using the picnic area so we just parked beside there. 
We hadn�t used our battery power that much so we decided to go easy on the lights and heater to make sure we could make it through the night. It was only about 6:00 pm and still daylight so it wasn�t a problem at all. We made a sandwich and then played hand and foot for a little while. Right before it got dark, Badger and I walked down to check out the facilities. They hadn�t turned on the water or opened the restrooms yet, which didn�t surprise us. There was a really nice information area that showed the types of fish found in the reservoir and the wildlife around the area. The sign said that there were wild horses, badger, osprey, coyotes and prairie dogs where we were and further south in the Gorge there were even elk and black bear. It was a really nice park but hardly any trees and very high desert environment so probably very hot in the summer.
The temperature only dropped to around 35 so we didn�t have to run the heater at all during the night. 
We got up and around about 7:30. Glen made coffee in our new Coleman stainless steel 12 cup coffee pot and then he made egg and sausage burritos. It was a great breakfast. 
We drove into Utah and I was so tickled that I was able to take a picture of the �Welcome to Utah� sign. I have wanted to take pictures of all the state signs but kept forgetting. Glen was able to park in a great place so that I was able to get a nice close up of the Utah sign. It was neat because it was commemorating the 2002 Olympic Games.
Almost everyone was gone when we got out to the Magpie Campground. We chose a great site and had no trouble getting set up. The campground is located beside a little river that runs between a huge canyon wall. We didn�t see any wildlife but read that deer, elk and black bear can sometimes be seen. We pretty much rested Sunday night. We played cards and Badger and I went for a walk to get to know the campground a bit. We ended up going to bed around nine because we had no TV. 
We weren�t sure of the directions to the new campground but we flew by the seat of our pants and went right to it. Diamond Campground is in the Uinta National Forest about 12 miles east of Spanish Fork, which is about an hour south of Salt Lake City. So far it is one of the nicest campgrounds that we have ever been in. All the streets are newly asphalted and each campsite has a new rubber coated picnic table, grill stand and fire pit all on a cement slab. There are no hookups but there are pit toilets and water spigots scattered through the park. The area around the campground is deserty and reminded us of the Possum Kingdom area in Texas except the mountains and hills are a lot bigger here. In the distance we are able to see the snow covered Spanish Fork Peak, which is over 10,000 feet in elevation. There is a small creek that runs through the campground and lots of trees and shrubbery but there is no green on the trees yet. We wonder how hot it gets here. Some of the campsites don�t have any shade so we think it might be pretty miserable without an air conditioner. Our little Honda will run everything but that.
This campground is the first that we have stayed in so far that has a campground host. He was really nice and stopped to ask us if we needed anything. It is odd having a host and not being one. Since the campground was officially opened with a host the pay station was open. Diamond campground is $11 a night but Glen has a Golden Access Pass so we pay half price which is $5.50 a night. We stayed for five nights for only $27.50. What a deal! That is the cost of some of the RV parks for just ONE night!!!
Glen spent most of the day working on the battery situation. He put the new battery on the trailer and hooked the charger to the old battery, which was hooked to the Honda. We ran the Honda until the old battery was all charged up and then Glen hooked the two batteries together and we finally seemed to have the power that we needed. When we turned off the Honda for the night, the lights inside the trailer were nice and bright and the battery gauge showed G, which is good. It is nice to finally have all the electric stuff figured out so we don�t have to worry about it so much. 