First and foremost, Rick is much improved today. Amazing what a visit with family and a great night’s sleep will do for you!
I did love being back at that campground in Salt Lake City. While in a strange area on the outskirts of town and near the airport, it really is quite lovely. We had grass, shade and this time we even had a little patio area to make our visit that much more enjoyable. There are literally all walks of life within the campground, all packed into this kind of urban space, which is different than what we normally do. Because they have a pool, hot tub and game room, there are lots of kids running around. But that is kind of fun (for one night). And this time there was this massive group of French travelers in rented RVs, who were clearly having fun. Walking the dog in such a community, and having others out doing the same, was really quite fun. I do hope we are back there later this year, as planned.
Speaking of planning, we spent some time on today’s drive being reflective on all that has happened and considering whether it should change our approach going forward. This type of conversation normally takes place on longer driving days like today. The primary answer is no, we won’t change anything. We will reinforce some of the principles that we are already living by, including being cautious of overexertion and heat exhaustion, being kind to our bodies during altitude changes, hydration (of the non-alcoholic variety), and a devotion to rest days. As Rick plans our trips so far out, he incorporates learning into each trip. And the next trip already has more rest days built into it than this one, so we should be good to go! Similar to this trip, we will likely be dodging freezing temps as much as the warmth, so we will just have to be mindful of the weather. I’m glad we’re aligned on the thought that things happen, keep living your life and enjoy every day! After all, life is not a dress rehearsal ??
The drive today was Eastbound, which is a good feeling to be heading towards home. We aren’t in a hurry to get there if things continue to go well, but it does bring some peace of mind. It was also familiar, since we drove it last year. We loved the lush green mountains outside of Salt Lake City; we even saw a blue lake! It has been weeks since we have seen anything like that. The landscape changed again as we drove for hours in the high plains of Wyoming. There were some nostalgic moments as we passed the cutoff for Yellowstone/Grand Tetons. Oh how we loved it there. For the last hour or so of our drive, there was a serious high wind warning; it technically said that a vehicle like ours should get off of the road… but technically there was no other place to go, and there were plenty of vehicles like ours continuing to drive in each direction. Honestly, I appreciate the high wind warning but am happy to say that by comparison, we have driven in much worse. It was my call to keep going since I was the driver, but I did call Rick up from resting in the back just to check me on my decision. We just wanted to get here and relax.
And by here, we mean Laramie, WY. We’ve stayed here before. We really think it is one of the worst campgrounds we have ever stayed at. Uneven road, no amenities, and just kind of sad looking. But the location is outstanding, just off of 80. We agreed that we needed to get this far today because it was closer to medical care if we find that we need it. Now we will have a shorter drive tomorrow and then almost a full week in one of our favorite areas!
Our priorities this evening are REST, a great dinner, REST, posting and REST. It is still quite windy but the breeze through the windows is refreshing enough for us today.
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