We got away from home about 9 am and made it six blocks before we had to stop and fix the air conditioner. The inside part of the unit was jiggling off the ceiling! Fifteen minutes later, tools put away, we were on our way again. There was little traffic and the sky was clear as we headed north to Wyoming.
After a lunch stop we had to work on the A/C again – the screws had worked loose again! Hopefully, they are okay now. We continued on and north of Rawlins stopped at Split Rock. Originally called the Emigrant Trail, the Oregon Trail was the main route for westward expansion between 1812 and 1869. It is estimated that over 500,000 pioneers passed along this route! Because of its unique shape, Split Rock was a well-known landmark and navigation aid. Emigrants along the Oregon and Mormon Trail often camped in the valley between the two hills along the Sweetwater River.
Just west of here ruts cut into the rocks by the wagon wheels were still visible. As we climbed back into the RV, I realized I had forgotten to bring extra camera batteries and the charger. We were already five hours from home so turning back was not an option. Tobey searched our electronics box and found a USB cable that would work to charge the battery in the camera so hopefully we will be able to make it work for the rest of the trip.
About eight miles south of Lander, Wyoming, we turned south on Hwy 131 and visited Sinks Canyon State Park. The canyon is a natural pathway in and through the Wind River Mountains. As we arrived the weather started clouding up and we had a few sprinkles.
We parked and took the 1/2 mile round trip walk between The Sinks and The Rise. This is an amazing phenomenon in which the Popo Agie River drops into a cave and disappears underground for 1/4 of a mile before “rising” back up through an underground spring and a few small waterfalls along the pool. Another amazing thing about The Sinks and The Rise is it takes TWO HOURS for the water to travel that distance!
Where The Rise pool appears again the water is very calm and filled with trout. We were standing on a platform over 20 feet above the pool and the fish were huge! One of the signs said they were between 8 and 10 pounds – quite large for trout!
With rain threatening, we decided not to take the 1.5 mile (1000’ elevation gain) hike to Slide Rock and instead headed into Lander to camp for the night. There is a wonderful city park with free parking for RVs and tents right next to the Popo River. Very pleasant! We took a nice walk around the park and into town and back before dinner. We were both impressed with the fun “Old West” playground set in the park.
From what we saw on our mile walk, we were both impressed how neat and clean Lander is. We plan to settle in for the night and get an early start tomorrow.
Just west of here ruts cut into the rocks by the wagon wheels were still visible. As we climbed back into the RV, I realized I had forgotten to bring extra camera batteries and the charger. We were already five hours from home so turning back was not an option. Tobey searched our electronics box and found a USB cable that would work to charge the battery in the camera so hopefully we will be able to make it work for the rest of the trip.
About eight miles south of Lander, Wyoming, we turned south on Hwy 131 and visited Sinks Canyon State Park. The canyon is a natural pathway in and through the Wind River Mountains. As we arrived the weather started clouding up and we had a few sprinkles.
We parked and took the 1/2 mile round trip walk between The Sinks and The Rise. This is an amazing phenomenon in which the Popo Agie River drops into a cave and disappears underground for 1/4 of a mile before “rising” back up through an underground spring and a few small waterfalls along the pool. Another amazing thing about The Sinks and The Rise is it takes TWO HOURS for the water to travel that distance!
Where The Rise pool appears again the water is very calm and filled with trout. We were standing on a platform over 20 feet above the pool and the fish were huge! One of the signs said they were between 8 and 10 pounds – quite large for trout!
With rain threatening, we decided not to take the 1.5 mile (1000’ elevation gain) hike to Slide Rock and instead headed into Lander to camp for the night. There is a wonderful city park with free parking for RVs and tents right next to the Popo River. Very pleasant! We took a nice walk around the park and into town and back before dinner. We were both impressed with the fun “Old West” playground set in the park.
From what we saw on our mile walk, we were both impressed how neat and clean Lander is. We plan to settle in for the night and get an early start tomorrow.
2 comments:
As usual, your pictures are awesome and I appreciate you sharing your travels. Re the A/C screws: I remember my grandfather and dad (and eventually me) putting a toothpick next to a screw and re-screwing it until it could be taking care of properly.
SharonG/FL
Sharon, Thanks for the tip. Whatever Tobey did, it seems to have fixed it. He laughed and said he didn't think the roads in Ft. Collins were as bad as Mexico, but you could never be too sure!
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