A Freeway Runs Through It - Echo Canyon 
New "Refineries" ? Near Opal
Bear River Lunch Stop
Cricket Eater Looking for a Handout
Buffalo at Bear River
Wind Generators and Snow Fences
Sheep Wagons - Wyoming Sky 
"Strawberry and Vanilla Buttes"
Moose Ran Across the Road at Daniel
Muddy Creek High Water Looking Downstream
Muddy Creek Looking Upstream at CulvertFinished packing the vehicle and was on my way about 8 a.m. or so. Decided not to cross the cutoff with all the gravel trucks and the oilfield traffic. Besides I forgot to drop off the recycling in Pinedale yesterday, so went through Pinedale and did that. It only takes 10 or 15 more minutes to go that way. Since I was going right by her place I stopped at Kay's to say "Hi" because I hadn't seen her for quite a while. If course it was more than hi. We talked fast and I got to see her new pastel paintings and others she had done at the Lorenzo Chavez workshop in Idaho Falls. I thought they were beautiful. Kay gave me a special prayer for the trip and sent angels along to take care of me.
On down the road. At Daniel I saw a moose cross the road and then stopped next at the vanilla and strawberry buttes - my name for a favorite scene - they called for me to photograph them. Between LaBarge and Big Piney along the Green River the leaves had come out - we don't have leaves at our house yet, but they will pop out any day. I always hate to be gone when its time for the leaves to turn green. Kind of my favorite time of year, along with when they turn yellow in the fall.
Fontanelle Reservoir is nearly empty. I've never seen it so low. I took the alternate road to Kemmerer through Opal, because I've seldom gone that way. There were several of some kind of "refinery plants" that looked brand new out there, so that was interesting to see. Closer to Evanston there were herds of sheep with their just born tiny lambs. Stopped at the Bear River State Park to eat my turkey sandwich and watched the buffalo there. Then through Echo Canyon and gassed up at Silver Summit, first I've paid over $4 a gallon.
I always love the drive through there past Deer Creek and down through Provo Canyon. The only bad traffic was for about 40 miles just coming on to I-15 at Provo. After that the freeway was amazingly empty. I saw where one of last year's terrible fires had burned miles and miles of cedar and pinon trees plus another smaller one further south. They were knocking down the trees and in places had shredded the dead trees and left the mulch on the ground. I've never seen that and wondered about the reasons for what they were doing.
It was late afternoon and I got junk food at Wendy's for dinner. I got to Beaver before I decided to quit driving for the night. Got a fairly nice motel for $68 + $3 for the wireless Internet. (I.E. clean roomy, nice furniture linens, etc.) Sign for senior rate, when I asked, she said it was figured in, I said is that yes or no? She said, no. I said hmmmm maybe you should take that sign down. She said she had been going to do that. Sign for HBO, But those channels are temporarily unavailable and they will have them back ASAP. etc I think I wouldn't have had to pay the $3 since when I plugged laptop in and got going, it never asked for the password. I was glad to get an economical room which helped balance out the gas prices.
The motel phones wouldn't let me call long distance, but I finally got the motel person to say I could dial 9 and use my phone card that's the way I got Joe. Then it wouldn't go through anymore and I got sick of trying to dial menny menny times - this was more Centurytel than the motel. I was not going out around town trying to find a phone to call Betty and Bev so emailed them to say I got here!
Did fine today - felt o.k. My eyes were really bothering me (ongoing) and very runny nose, allergies? Guess the pill Dr. Meno gave me so I didn't have the chemo sedation while driving worked fine. When I got going, I was so glad I'd decided to drive instead of fly. It was such a joyous feeling to be taking a trip again, even one going down I-15. The flying would have been an awful experience. This is likely the last time I drive down here by myself though.
