I don' really like traveling on my birthday but a strong low was approaching from the southwest and so we left Star Valley for far distant Florida. Of course this was just the first leg, to Lander, Wyoming, where we would hunt for the mythical jade as we waited for my cardiologist appointment.
So the plan was to leave on the eighteenth, but a strong storm threatened from the southwest. and so we left a day early. Hoping to leave in the early morning we were forced to wait as a storm with hard rain and cloud to ground lightening shook our fifth wheel. Finally hooking up and pulling out we headed up the valley and as we rose in elevation the aspen started to show their gold colors. It was definitely time to head south.
Stopping at the top of Salt Pass, to check our brakes, we looked east and west,savoring the colors and remembering the summers memories of friends and fish, and rock. Descending the pass the trucks engine and transmission handled the easy pass and so we sped by to Cokeville and then to Kemmerer.
Turning east for Farson and South Pass, we passed the quarry where we had dug for fish fossils. further on a large herd of wild hoses grazed in the barren landscape and seemed to be oblivious to our presence. The BLM is currently conducting a roundup and removal of eight hundred wild horses from the Red Desert and who knows how much longer this group will roam the sand and rock and sagebrush of their home.
Eastward we crossed the Green River and our thoughts turned to past rock hounding, Blue Forest petrified wood, Big Sandy plant fossils, the Farson Fish Fossil Beds, and Farson petrified wood all enticed us with their siren call, but while we wished to stop we answered not this year.
We still had one more pass and the truck heated up a little as we climbed and so I slowed and of course cars caught up to us. The pass is pretty easy so they were able to pass us as we drove by the abandoned US Steel open pit mine, (I had toured it while it was in operation during my summer Geology Field Camp in 1973 and it closed soon after).
Luckily the wind sock was limp as we headed down the steep east face of the Wind River Mountains. Stopping several times, to let the transmission cool, we made it safely and quickly drove the rest of the way into Lander. Tomorrow, friends will arrive to join us in our search for jade and Sweet Water moss agate. and what could be better than prospecting with friends in the wild Granite Mountains. Clear skies.
Nice post, great pics, travel safe.
ReplyDeleteAspen looked good when we over the Salt Pass, but not nearly as bright then, as your pictures show now. Glad you didn't have any truck problems going over the passes. As you probably read, my personal rear end will never be the same as we became a turtle going over the last pass and down into Denver. The road construction allowed for only one lane ascending and with the big rigs going so slow, I had to slow down and then though we might not make it, but....we did!
ReplyDelete