Off to a Rocky Start

 Literally, after two days of travel we had only made it 451 miles to Rock Springs Wyoming. While we missed much of the snow that was going across the country, we did not miss the wind and that is what did us in. 

Day 1 of our travels found us leaving our house a little after 10am. Destination Rawlins, Wyoming. But not before stopping at our absolute favorite Chinese Restaurant in Casper where we picked up three entrees and a couple of sides. From there it was only two hours to Rawlins. Normally we would just find a place to boondock, but we opted for a campsite with electric. Why you ask? The cold. While we have a furnace in the camper, it really draws on the camper batteries, so we needed to be plugged in. 

The next morning, we loaded up and continued west. All was going well until about 11am and we passed a wayside rest which was full to the brim with semi-trucks. Something seemed off, there is no reason the truck stop should have been full that time of day. I asked Barb to look at the road conditions ahead of us. Sure enough, the roads were closed to high profile vehicles under 45,000lbs due to high wind conditions. We are less than 10,000 and definitely high profile. By the time we figured that out, we were well into the restricted area, so I just tucked in behind a semi and hid from the wind until we got to the next big town, Rock Springs. 

Once in Rock Springs, we found a local watering hole and watched the first half of the Denver/Patriots game hoping the roads would reopen to high profile vehicles. It did not. So Barb made reservations at the KOA in Rock Springs for the night hoping the next morning would bring calmer winds. 

We have learned two things so far on this trip. Both of them involving Dakota. She can no longer jump into the truck without assistance. She tries, but one of us needs to be there for that extra push as she goes up. The other is the flooring in the camper. Since Barb replaced the floor with the LVP, it has become lava to Dakota. We have a couple of rugs in the main part of the camper so that is not a problem, but the stairs are made of the same material and she needs assistance getting in and out.  

The next morning we were up at 5am and hit the road well before the sun rose and the winds picked up. By the time the sun came up we were going through Park City Utah where there was very little snow on the ski slopes. 

That night we spent the night in Hildale Utah at a Harvest Host named Zion Cliff Lodge. We spent an hour talking to the owners, a very nice couple. Boy, do they have some nice views!

The scenery between Hildale and the Grand Canyon was incredible. We stopped several times to take pictures and/or walk the dogs. 

There was one wayside rest along the Colorado River that was very cool. The bridge was almost 500' over the river. Even though we knew we were safe, I still held onto the rail as we looked over the edge. 

From there it was to the Grand Canyon! Get ready for picture overload, but one cannot help but take picture after picture of the scenic vistas there. I cannot believe it took us 12 years to finally get here!

The hiking trails were too ice covered to do any serious hiking, so we just walked the overlooks and rim trails. What an incredible place!

That night we spend in the National Forest outside the town of Tusayan, AZ. We were still "cold camping", meaning we the camper was still winterized and we had no water other than bottled water. The temps were still down in the teens at night so we did not dare fill the camper with water yet. 

Then it was back to the canyon for more walks along the rim just taking in the views. 

That afternoon we drove down to Williams AZ where we stayed at the KOA where we could get the batteries recharged, shower and do some laundry.  That stay marked the end of this sightseeing phase of our adventure. Next up we get to visit with fellow RV'ers and bloggers!