Rock Springs, Wyoming

It has certainly been an "exciting" couple of days. On Thursday we left Ashland and headed to Sydney, Nebraska (I-80 west). Upon arrival we learned that we were under a tornado watch. Pat didn't need to be told; it had been a long day of driving with continual rain and some very strong winds. Thankfully the wind came primarily out of the east so with a direct tail-wind there was not too much difficulty controlling the rig. All evening there was threatening weather but, fortunately, nothing near us. We stayed tuned to the weather radio and learned that it was only a little over 100 miles away, in Weld County, Colorado, where they experienced a deadly tornado. We had a rather tense night but had no significant problems. We left early Friday as we heard there was more serious weather due and we wanted to try and stay ahead of it. We drove from Sydney to Rock Springs, Wyoming and the driving was not too bad EXCEPT for the last 70 miles when the wind shifted to come from the south and we were buffeted with a rather strong crosswind. It is a real challenge when 56 feet of motorhome and towed car are being hit broadside by winds that are gusting to almost 50 mph! Continuing to monitor the weather, we heard that we were fortunately staying just ahead of the tornadic activity. When we arrived in Rock Springs we learned that there had been serious problems in Sydney, Nebraska and Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyoming; all areas we had either just stayed or just passed through! We were VERY fortunate.

Upon arrival here in Rock Springs the weather has been fine, just cool (or COLD as Judy refers to it). Last night it got down into the 40s. Rock Springs is an industrial town that has it's livelihood tied to oil and natural gas drilling and mineral mining. It's a little rough-and-tumble but certainly "true Wyoming".

Today we went to Flaming Gorge and drove the 105 mile Scenic Byway. In the course of four hours we experienced warm sunshine, cool winds, sleet and snow. At one point the temperature dropped to 36 degrees. Old Mother Nature can certainly be fickle when she wants to!

Flaming Gorge was pretty. It was cut by the Green River and in the 1950s the US Bureau of Land Reclamation placed a dam on the river and created a beautiful lake/reservoir. Below is a link to a couple pictures we took today.

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/pictures?a=67b0de21b3467d6aa497&sid=0Sbs27hoxZOeA

Today was Alice's birthday, and Sally and Freddie hosted the celebration dinner at their coach. A delicious meal with a GREAT dessert. Two birthdays in three days. We REALLY have to do some extra hiking!

Tomorrow we continue west out of Wyoming, through the corner of Utah and into Idaho (I-80, I-15 and I-84), staying the evening in Delco. The severe weather is behind us and we are looking forward to a, hopefully, uneventful day.

Love to all.

Soon,

P&J