Woke up to cool temperatures and rain this morning here at Hill AFB. and we are even getting some thunder and lightning in the area. Looking at the radar images it looks like this storm system is also moving through and headed up to Montana which should help with the fires.
September 19, 2017
We left Hill AFB about 9:30 AM, jumped on I-15 headed to the Canyon View RV Park in Spanish Fork, UT. The park is really not an RV park, just a large parking lot with 30 amp electric and water hookups but it will serve us well while we are here.
After getting hooked up in our parking site we drove over to Ron and Katie Cutler’s home in Payson. We first met them in Temecula, CA while we were hosting at at Vail Lake Resort several years ago and have remained good friends since.
We spent three days visiting with Ron and Katie and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We didn’t do too much, just hung out at their house and visited. One day we did go out to a “u-pick it” and got some really nice fruits and veggies. Thank you Ron and Katie for the wonderful conversation, the delicious meals and most of all, your friendship.
Yesterday we headed up I-15, then Hwy 189 to I-80 headed to Rock Springs, WY. Our plan was to stay at the Sweetwater Fairgrounds campground for one night and then head up to Casper to visit Joyce’s family. However, mother nature got in the way of our plans.
This morning we woke up to gusty winds and rain…lots of rain. So, we stirred the Jello bowl and decided to drive on to Rawlins, get fuel and then decide what to do from there.
After getting on I-80 and driving about 20 miles we ran into snow showers. Further down the boulevard the snow got darned serious and started sticking to the sides of the highway. Fortunately the road wasn’t getting anything sticking and no ice.
After we got 45 gallons of fuel at $2.95 per gallon (with our Pilot/Flying J Rewards Card) we went into the Denny’s to get a bite to eat. After looking at the weather reports and radar images then checking the Wyoming Roads website, we made the decision just to get into an RV park here and spend the night. We’ll continue on to Casper in the morning.
September 22, 2017
We left Rawlins in sunny but windy weather and headed up to Casper to the Fort Casper RV Park. We have stayed here when it was affiliated with Passport America at $20 a night, half-price of the $40 they normally change. Some time ago the park decided to drop their membership so we had to pay the whole shebang. I can tell you this place is not worth that much money. That said, the other parks in the area are not much better.
We had a good time visiting with Joyce’s sister Patty, her son Michael, his wife Jamie and their adorable daughter Ariella. We took them all out for dinner at a great Chinese/Japanese buffet restaurant and then the next night Joyce cooked a delicious chili and cornbread supper.
Happy Birthday!
This morning we had breakfast with Patty at Sherrie’s Place, a really cool little joint in the downtown area. If you are ever in the Casper area make sure you put this place on your list of places to eat.
After eating way too much food Joyce and I said goodbye to Patty, went back to the RV park, hooked up and made our way down I-25 to the F. E. Warren AFB’s Crow Creek Famcamp just north of Cheyenne. This campground is mostly all dirt/gravel parking with good 30/50 amp electrical service, water and sewer hookups. We were in a pull-through that shares electric with the next site so whoever gets here first gets the 50 amp.
After hooking we made the obligatory exchange and commissary run. The BX and commissary are both small but adequate.
September 25, 2017
We left F. E. Warren AFB about 9:30, got on I-25 south headed for Denver, CO. We stopped for fuel in Longmont where we paid $2.50 a gallon. We also called the Westminster Elks Lodge that is located just north west of Denver and were told that they had one full-hookup and several water/electric sites available. When we arrived that full-hookup site was still empty so we backed in and hooked up. Only 30 amp electric but at $18 a night we can make that work.
Joyce got a hold of Julie Harris so we met her for lunch. It was really nice to see her again.
After lunch I called Mark Harris who I served with the the 7th Airlift Squadron at Travis AFB back in the day. Mark now works for United Airlines as a Boeing 787 systems instructor. We made plans to meet up tomorrow.
Yesterday I dropped Joyce off at Julie’s home and then Mark came over to the lodge. We went out for breakfast and then came back here and hung out in the lounge. Even though it was over 20 years since we had seen each other, we both agreed it was like it was yesterday that we were sitting in The Pit at Travis having a cold one together. Thanks Mark for a great day.
Joyce, Julie and her daughter Jessica and some friends drove up to Estes Park so that Julie could take some pictures of the kids.
September 26, 2017
Yesterday we drove down to Golden, CO to visit the Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave. We followed our GPS up the long and twisty Lookout Mountain Road that, if the weather would have been nice, would have been a beautiful drive. As it was there was low clouds all over the area so we were in fog most of the way up.
After getting parked and paying the entrance fee we started our tour with a short film about the life of William Frederick “Buffalo Bill” Cody. Next we walked through the museum which is fascinating.
After spending a good hour in the museum we walked up to the graves of Buffalo Bill and his wife Louisa Frederici Cody. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the burial of Buffalo Bill. Read more about that here: http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-buffalo-bill-grave-20150716-story.html
Since we were getting hungry we drove back into Golden to the Miners Saloon to have a little lunch. I had the Colorado Native Bison Brat that came with cold slaw and a delicious pickle spear. All of those were made in-house and I have to say that the brat was the best I have ever eaten. Joyce chose the Roast Beef French Dip that came with heirloom tomato soup. Her meal was equally delicious.
We had planned to head over to the Coors Brewery for their tour but when we got to the parking lot and saw the line to get the shuttle bus we changed our minds. The tour might have been good but we didn’t want to hassle with the crowds.
So, we decided to just go back to the downtown area and walk around for a while. Joyce spied a quilting shop so we stopped in there to have a look around. While there one of the sales ladies told us about the local quilt museum that had recently moved from the downtown area to a larger facility. Next stop, the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum.
The museum is fairly small but adequate for what they do. The present exhibits are the "Pagtinabangay: Quilts of Caohagan Island” and the American Quilt Study Group (AQSG) Presents "Civil War Era Quilts”. Both were amazing to say the least.
This morning we left Westminster and headed down I-25 to the Colorado Springs Elks Lodge. We scored a back-in site that has 30 amp electric service and water for $20 a night. There is no sewer hookups but they lodge has a dump station.
More later.
Barry & Joyce
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