Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 19 we broke
camp early because we had a big travel day ahead. First we made our way
north to Colter Bay Village in the Tetons so the kids could finish their
Jr. Ranger badges and Daniel could chase WiFi for work. After lunch we
pressed on, driving diagonally across Wyoming from the NW to the SE
corner of the state. Our original goal was to drive home through Rocky
Mountain National Park in Colorado. Cold temps and high elevations have
us reevaluating this option. We feel like we have pressed our luck with
cold temps the last couple of nights and are not confident the camper
could withstand colder temps. We stopped in Rawlins, WY for dinner and
WiFi and decided to call it a night. We will decide in the morning how
we shall proceed. Wyoming’s landscape has really surprised me. We
started in mountains and meadows then drove through red canyons and
deserts reminiscent of Utah’s landscape. We drove across the Wind River
Reservation next to a river with the most oxbows I have ever seen. We
have seen tons of horses, cows, and antelope. Mostly it is desolate with
the occasional mountain or canyon. I keep thinking about the song “O
give me a home where the Buffalo roam. And the deer and the antelope
play...” The wind is something else tonight. I hope we don’t blow away!
Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 20 was a long
travel day for us that had a late start. We had made it the night before
to Rawlins, WY and the temps dipped to 26F with 20-30mph wind gusts
that made it feel 10 degrees colder. I put the kids to bed while Daniel
ran clothes to the on-site laundry mat, flushed our black and gray water
tanks then proceeded to drain all of our water tanks after we all had
showers. It was a late, cold night so a slow start was appropriate. We
were on the road just before noon and made the decision to try to see
the high point in Kansas. Mount Sunflower is at the Colorado/Kansas
border. It is the highest hill (barely discernible) in Kansas and
possibly the lowest spot in Colorado. As we drove south toward Denver
with the Rocky Mountains to our west, we felt like we had made the right
decision to skip Rocky Mtn National Park. Smoke from current forest
fires made the mountain range look more like the Smokies than the
Rockies. At dinner we decided to stop at a Rest Area to let everyone run
around. The kids kicked the soccer ball while I cooked supper. After we
ate we decided to press on as far as I felt like driving. Kansas is
flat with straight roads. I think we will be on I-70 indefinitely. We
made it to the Walmart in Hays, KS just before midnight. We skipped on
stopping at Mount Sunflower — we would have had to drive on a private
ranch and didn’t want to haul the camper or have to park it somewhere.
We did look out into the darkness and acknowledge that we were passing
the spot though. Boondocking at the Hays WM is the place to be. We were
the 7th camper to set up for the night.
Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 21, we are
inching our way closer to Tennessee and my cousin’s wedding this
weekend. We have now driven over 4,400 miles. It should be right around
5,000 when we finally arrive home! We boondocked at a Walmart in Hays,
KS last night before pressing on across the state and into Missouri.
Tonight’s campground is a little off the beaten path just outside of
Columbia, MO. We have now been to 12 states during this trip. Daniel
joked that even though it’s rural, it’s the best internet speed we’ve
had in weeks! I guess that is what happens when you aren’t constantly
surrounded by mountains, canyons and deserts. We tried to have a
campfire tonight, but the wood we purchased was too damp. So we made
popcorn instead. Looking forward to seeing some of my extended fam
tomorrow. On a side note, it’s been flooding where we live, which is
kind of weird to read about online because we have only seen rain once
in the last three weeks.
Utah Road Trip Diaries: Day 22 finds us
back in Tennessee. We have now driven over 5,000 miles across 14 states.
With kids, we find slow starts to be the norm. Last night we camped
next to a military family with boys the same age as our boys. They are
making their way to Washington state while we were heading east. The
boys had a blast playing together all morning, even though that meant a
later start for us. We rolled into my aunts house about 8pm tonight and
the boys were thrilled to see their cousins. We enjoyed visiting, a
campfire, and Isaac even helped my cousin Andrew make bon bons for his
wedding on Saturday. Isaac wanted to know if he could have a bon bon and
I said he had to wait until the day Andrew got married. Isaac promptly
said that he didn’t want to get married, and left. We are looking
forward to spending the weekend with our extended family before heading
on home and completing our trip on Sunday.
Trip Stats
Camping Locations:
Wallydocking in Guymon, OK (FREE)
Western Hills Campground and RV Park in Rawlins, WY
Wallydocking in Hays, KS (FREE)
Moochdocking in my Aunt and Uncle's front yard (FREE), Ashland City, TN
States Covered:
TN
> GA > AL > MS > TN > MS > TN
> AR > OK > NM > CO > UT > WY > CO > KS > MO > TN
Significant Stops:
Wilson Arch in UT
Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument in UT
Bryce Canyon National Park in UT
Hyrum Lake State Park in UT
Ogden Dinosaur Park in UT
Logan Canyon in UT
Canyon Trail in Logan, UT
Bear Lake State Park, UT
Grand Tetons, WY
Yellowstone National Park, WY (The Grand Loop including Old Faithful,
Hayden Valley, Grand Prismatic Springs and Artist Point in the Grand
Canyon of Yellowstone)
Rendezvous Mountain, Jackson Hole, WY
Jenny Lake, Grand Tetons National Park, WY
Daily Miles Traveled:
227 miles ⎮ 445 miles ⎮ 403 miles ⎮ 325 miles ⎮ 191 miles ⎮ 125 miles ⎮ 14 miles ⎮ 106 miles ⎮ 88 miles ⎮ 101 miles ⎮ 345 miles ⎮ 50 miles ⎮ 160 miles ⎮ 142 miles ⎮ 283 miles ⎮ 556 miles ⎮ 390 miles ⎮ 415 miles
TOTAL Miles Traveled: 4,366 miles (I have missed mileage somewhere since it doesn't coincide with my notes above of 5,000+)
Days on the Road: 22
Previous Trip Posts:
Utah or Bust: Mesa Verde
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 1 (Sand Flats Recreation Area and Mountain Biking the West Rim of the Porcupine Trail)
Utah or Bust: Moab Part 2 (Arches National Park)
Utah or Bust: Goblin Valley
Utah or Bust: Capitol Reef
Utah or Bust: Grand Staircase and Bryce Canyon
Utah or Bust: Hyrum Lake near Logan, Utah
Utah or Bust: Chilling at Hyrum Lake
Utah or Bust: Ogden Dinosaur Park
Utah or Bust: Last Days in Logan
Utah or Bust: Bear Lake to Grand Tetons
Utah or Bust: Rendezvous Mountain and Jenny Lake
