Dubois, Wyoming July 13 -16, 2009

Monday, July 13 – Thursday, July 16, 2009
Four days of cross country road trip: Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and finally to DuBois, WY. Thank goodness for a non eventful trip.

Friday, July 17- Mon. July 19
We took a ride in truck along some of the dirt logging roads surrounding the near mountainsides. A couple of miles from our campsite we watched 2 fairly large bears run across the road in front of us. I was not fast enough with finding the camera to get a picture. I am glad that I insist on carrying the bear spray.

We continued onward and upward into the mountains. Some of these roads had major ruts slicing the roadway. When we reached near the top, Shep decided that he should ride his bike back, which in turns means that I must drive back down. Actually it is easier to drive than to be a passenger because you have the steering wheel to hold on to rather than simply being bounced around inside the truck. It was an enjoyable adventure.
We met a couple from MN. Who camped next to us for 2 days. She was a nurse; he was an Emotional Support teacher and mandolin player in a folk band which played a lot of political renditions. We shared campfires and stories. It is always interesting to meet new people and discover all the things you have in common, and enjoy the different life experiences.
Shep has done a couple of bike rides from the camp ground and a couple of hikes to the surrounding hilltops. I have been working a several new pieces of jewelry trying to get enough variety ready for the PCA gift shop display in Sept.

Mon. July 20 - Wed. July 22, 2009
We spent the day “in town”. It is a small town with one over priced grocery store, half a dozen bars and restaurants, a nice butcher shop, a sporting gear store, hardware, a couple small privately owned motels, PO, gas station, a few gift shops, one art gallery, several closed or abandoned businesses, and a very nice bead shop. Any guesses where we spent the most time? We attempted to take Maggie to the local vet because she has been so lethargic. When we arrived the clinic had a couple of cowboys milling around inside an otherwise empty building. One of them told me the female vet was off somewhere attempting to save colic horse that was down and being threatened by a grizzly bear. Never a dull moment in WY.
The fishing has been very slow in Horse Creek from the campground. We drove the 17 miles up more dirt roads, although these were in much better shape, to Double Cabin area to try our fly fishing skills. The view is always spectacular with 360 degrees of mountain range surrounding a wide flat valley with a large river meandering through it. It is fun to wade from one section of the river to another, ranging from a fairly strong current over good size rocks to slow moving pools.

Needless to say the fishing was not much better in this magnificent setting but was a good day anyhow.
Wed. was spent on horseback in the Dunoir Valley area. The ride through the forest was cool and enjoyable except for the realization that much of it is being killed off by the pine beetle causing it to be a devastating wildfire waiting to happen.

We passed this abandon car on the trail. Any guesses as to the year?

Lunch was enjoyed at an abandoned Forest Service Ranger Station. The wildflowers are amazing everywhere this year because of the wet winter and spring they have enjoyed here. Maybe the drought is going to end. We traveled several miles by horse up to a wide mountain valley where our outfitter had a pack trip camped for 5 days.

We had a pack mule with us to deliver the necessities: coffee creamer, hot chocolate, crackers, cheese, and salami. Shep fished in a small pond at the far end of the valley. I tried to offer moral support but the mosquitoes were attempting to drain my blood supply much faster than I could kill them. They obviously enjoyed the bug spray condiment that we were offering.

This forced me to turn tail back to the pack site. After the obligatory one fish catch, Shep followed. We rode back to the trailhead without any major incidents or bear sightings. On the long ride back to town a large moose cow ran down the road in front of the truck and horse trailer long enough for us to slow down to allow her to cross without collision. It was a great day in the wilds of Wyoming.