we're back!!

Last week I said that we were planning a trip without a destination and so we did. It was really a great time together to just go without a real plan and to see where we went and were God led us that day. We started out Monday morning and drove to Colo.Springs for Ann to look and order new quartz countertops. Garmin was great as the place was a hole-in-the wall in an industrial area but she took us right there. Of course, that took at least 2-3 hours but one of the men and I got to talking fly fishing so it wasn't all that bad. The countertops will actually be put into place the end of this week. Then we headed north up I-25 and then headed towards Rawlins and Ann drove for awhile and she decided to take this state highway through the Medicine Bow mountains. It started snowing and blowing and the road had snow piled up higher than the trailblazer on the shoulders. Anyhow we ended up in Saratoga, Wy. for the night. It was a pleasant place and we enjoyed one of the best steak dinners we've had in quite awhile. (steak dinners are sure expensive-wonder where the beef that we raise goes-it doesn't bring that much when it leaves our place). Tuesday we headed north from Rock Springs and turned west-southwest toward Idaho Falls,Id. After getting a warning ticket in Wy. I had to pay a little more attention to the road as it followed the Snake River(a big river by our standards). We then headed north through Hailey (spent the night there-ate Mexican-didn't compare to Charlies)and the next morning drove through Ketchum (next to Sun Valley)-serious money-really serious money. One of the highlights of the trip came that morning as we crossed a divide and came to the headwaters of the Salmon River with a fantastic view of the Sawtooth range to the west and no people. Anyhow Ann called ahead and got us reservations in Glacier Park for that night so we had a destination to reach that day. up through western Montana along the west side of the Flathead Lake and fantastic fertile farmground and orchards. Very pretty-barns were painted,no junk cars in the yard, fences kept up. saw a couple of cow elk in a farmers wheat field. The cabins we stayed in were on Lake McDonald-lakes there were crystal clear-and we drove out of the Park to eat at a high volume place (not great). Next day we drove in as far as we could on the going to the sun road (14 miles) and marveled at the turquoise rivers-seriously they are a shade of blue you never see in Colorado-and then drove about 150 miles around the south end of the Park to the east side and in as far as we could go and hiked to some falls on the upper Milk River. Drove out and up another road to view some glaciers. It was hard to discern which were glaciers and just seasonal snow as there was a lot of snow on yet. They consider their season to start June 15 in the Park and normally the Going to the Sun road would have been open. Saw Rocky Mountain goats on a mountain side 1/2 mile above us and 2 yearling black bear cubs outside the park on the Blackfoot reservation. Homes were pretty junky and unkept on the east side. Then we drove east to Shelby,Mt for the night. I had thought I wanted to drive across northern Montana but changed my mind after seeing Shelby. We headed south the next day and drove down the west side of Yellowstone and the Tetons through the Madison River valley. Awesome-thats where Dick and I are going flyfishing next summer and maybe we'll let Ann and Jo come along. Spent the night in Pinedale,Wy and had another good expensive steak dinner by a lake. Next morning Ann woke up and said she was ready to to home-I agreed and so we headed south to Rock springs. Somewhere she got the idea to go by Dinasour National Monument in NE Co. so we drove to Vernal,Utah and then headed east. The Monument and Green River canyons and were nice to see but there wasn't much to do unless you drove way into the monument so we spent about 1/2 hour at a visitors center and headed east across northern Co.(new country for me) I remember coming south through some of NW Co in the '60's with the camper on the '59 Ford. Maybelle, Craig and east on 40 to Steamboat(very crowded-road and sidewalks) down to Silverthorne and I-70 then east through Denver and home. Made it about 12:15 am after 813 miles and 15 hours-a long day. We drove 3240 miles with no trouble except I hit an antelope in SW Wyoming Saturday morning with minor damage except to the antelope. Ann has pictures we will try to share and she may add her thoughts. It did rain most of the week while we were gone which will really help finish the wheat. Harvest is several days away and it's about time to turn out bulls and get ready for harvest. I know this is lengthy but I felt the need to update you while it is fresh in my mind. Bob