The Right Place and the Right Time for the Right Reason

When I left Rock Springs, Wyoming this morning I was 2281 miles into my Burning Woman Journey. Since I don't have an exact route planned, I don't know what that means, but for being on the road 9.5 days, I am not averaging a lot of miles per day. I am okay with that since my average speed is about 50 and I am staying off the interstate as much as I can. I am also stopping fairly early each night - generally between 4 and 5pm. That gives me time to unwind, visit sites in the city I am staying and take the time to update all of you on my progress.

One thing I noticed this morning was that I am really a good hotel guest. I am so conscientious about being green, that I use my own face products, shampoos etc. I put all of my trash in one basket so they only have to empty one, I turn the heat off and make sure the lights are out before i leave and then I leave my book for the next guest.

My trip to Jackson, Wyoming took me through lots of small towns and rather non spectacular scenery. There were continuous signs on the road to look out for deer, and I did see lots of them. At least that's what I think they were. The deer in the midwest that I have seen tend to be mostly brown except for their white tail area. The ones here were lighter and had lots of white on them.

The small towns were really small. Even by what we thing of small - Hopkins, Warsaw, Pierceton, Marne, etc. The first town of Eden had 220 people. Of course it had a Eden Elk Bar and 2 churches. Next came Farson that had 325 people - not a lot of houses visible, but a row of mail boxes in a parking lot. And then came Boulder, WY which listed 75 people. I wonder if these are recent numbers or old and if the 2010 census will cause them to have to put up new signs.

One town that I did come to between Rock Springs and Jackson on route 191 was Pinedale. I expected another small town, but it was actually a decent size. I saw an Outdoor Shop and knew I was not prepared for the elements to hike in Yellowstone or Glacier so I stopped. What a pleasant (and a bit pricey) stop. Fred Pflughoft - a professional photographer was working there. He has several books that capture sights in most of the National Parks. I was curious why he was working in the store and he indicated that people aren't buying lots of photography with the economy. He works here part time and enjoys sharing his tips on hiking, where to hike etc. For me - he sold me a pair of hiking shoes, two pairs of socks, gloves and bear spray. He told me I should not go into the park alone without it and showed me how to use it. His best pointers on that were to Not use it downwind and don't use it on a bear that is going the other way. Made sense, but I wonder why he felt compelled to tell me that.

Once in Jackson, I was glad to see another ski town, but it was very touristy. I guess I wasn't in the mood for that, after walking around the downtown shops, seeing things I could see in most any town - except the theme was definitely outdoorsy, elky, bears, etc.

As I have noticed my entire trip - I am led to where I need to go. When I stopped by the visitor center, I was told the entrance to Yellowstone from the south was closed. That meant I had to go back south and east before heading north, or go west into Idaho. Needless to say, since Idaho was on my list of states, I opted for that alternative. What a treat.....

I took the Teton Pass and was once again enthralled by the beauty and views. What was neat was seeing these pristine snow and then seeing a hill where you could tell snowboarders used. How they got up there is beyond me.

I then took the Pine Creek Pass which took me to a meandering road to Idaho Falls. During that entire drive I forgot about my back hurting and just enjoyed the scenery.

I found a really nice hotel, LeRitz, at a decent price and was thrilled. I was given a room that overlooked the canal, the river and the greenway. I had geese right outside my window. I was enjoying them and went to take a picture and all of a sudden they all had their wings out and were scattering. Along came the owner of the hotel with a dog on a leash. I wasn't sure what kind it was, but it kind of looked like a lab, was grayish with weirdish eyes and I knew it was a hunting dog. I did ask the owner what it was and he said a Weimerainer. It was still a pup (but big) and he hadn't trained him for hunting yet.

The beautiful but windy day got me moving outside. I took a long walk down the greenway and once I got used to avoiding goose poop everywhere, I enjoyed the canal and the falls that were in the river. On the walk I saw a brewery restaurant and decided that was the best place to eat.

Again, the right thing happens to me at the right time for the right reason. I sat at the bar, sampled the beers and had vegetable soup and a salad with low fat huckleberry vinaigrette. (they should bottle and sell that). Anyway, a young guy sat down next to me and when I told him I was going to yellowstone, he told me that was good, but the most beautiful part of Idaho is a north and west. The state is known for it's lakes, rivers, streams. He was so enthusiastic I asked him if he hunted and fished, and he said he did. I asked what he did for a living - and while he is an engineer by training, his name is Darin Cooper and he writes articles and is an editor for a bow hunting magazine and produces hunting videos. I told him I knew people that would be impressed by that. I was impressed, but I would probably not enjoy watching them as much as my boys, nephews and brother-in-laws would.

What a nice way to have dinner, but I was still hurting a bit. I went back to the hotel and went down to the hot tub and pool for about 45 minutes. I would get overheated and then get in the pool and try and exercise and loosen up this aching body.

I am tempted to stay an extra day to just enjoy the hotel - but I promise myself to treat me very well again in a few days.