Agnes Takes a Road Trip : 2017

Monday, July 24, 2017

Epic Road Trip - Day 8: Steamboat Lake State Park to Rock Springs, Wyoming

Friday, June 16, 2017

During the school year, I am an early riser. That's not usually the case during the summer. I tend to sleep in. But throughout my trip, the moment the sun started to come up, I was wide awake and jumping out of bed. On my last day at Steamboat Lake State Park, I was out with my camera and coffee to watch my last sunrise over the lake.

By 7:28 a.m., I was packed up and already on the road.

I chose to drive the 29 miles south to Steamboat Springs instead of taking a rougher road to the north. As it always is when driving in the mountains, the 29 mile drive took at least 45 minutes. Once I reached Steamboat Springs, I turned west onto Highway 40.

Around 9:45 a.m., I was getting desperate for a bathroom. I was nearing the little town of Maybell, Colorado - population: 72. I stopped at the Maybell General Store and asked to use their bathroom. I couldn't help but wonder how a town with a population of only 72 people could survive way out here in northwest Colorado. But their general store was very quaint and I bought a postcard of the Sombrero Horse Drive by photographer, Patti Mosbey.

This is driving along Highway 318 northwest of Maybell, Colorado.

When planning my trip, I scheduled a few stops along the way where I would not be camping. This night would be spent in the Cody Motel in Rock Springs, Wyoming. I would follow Highway 318 until I reached County Road 10N.

As I was driving, I saw a sign for Vermillion Falls. Of course, I had to go check it out. When people ask me how long it takes to get some place, I rarely know for sure because I tend to get side-tracked when I am on a road trip. It's common for me to go down a road just to see what is there. This little stop was worth it because at the bottom of a short, but rough, road, were these falls.

Vermillion Falls

The landscape surrounding Vermillion Falls

The road to Vermillion Falls

After Vermillion Falls, I turned right onto County Road 10N. As I drove, I could see what looked like a mountain pass up ahead. I was trying to figure out if the road was going to eventually go through the mountains. Because there was no traffic around, I stopped in the middle of the road and took a photo. As soon as I took this photo, I looked behind me and there was a rancher in a pickup, pulling a cattle trailer. He didn't seem too amused that I was taking up the whole road just to get a photo. I felt really bad. I never even heard him drive up. I sometimes get a little lost in my own world when I'm out with my camera.

I continued driving and eventually came to a sign that let me know I was in Irish Canyon. I stopped and walked around for a bit. There are petroglyphs scattered around which give you a sense of the history of this area.

I continued on County Road 10N. The landscape was gorgeous, but desolate. There were mesas, very little water and hardly any trees. With each passing mile, the landscape changed.

I finally made the border of Colorado and Wyoming at 11:43 a.m.

At the Colorado/Wyoming border, the County Road 10N turned into Highway 430. If you look at this area on Google Maps, it's nothing but golds, browns, and tans. There is very little green to be seen. You rarely see a tree but the view is expansive. You can see for miles and miles. At times, I felt as if I were in an old Western, riding across the desert landscape. I can't imagine traveling this area on horseback not knowing where you might find water, no shade to escape the brutal sun beating down on you. Even though the speed limit was 80 mph, I found myself slowing down a bit due to the high winds that were constantly trying to force me off the highway. As stark and desolate as the landscape was, I found it to be breathtakingly beautiful. I took photos of the drive, but because the landscape stretched for miles, none of my photos captured the beauty.

I pulled into the Cody Motel in Rock Springs, Wyoming in the afternoon. I stole the photo above from their website. I have this thing for motels. Especially ones that have been around for a long time. They are usually cheaper and sometimes they just have a character to them that you can't find in a higher end chain hotel. The Cody Motel definitely had some character.

My bathroom sink reminded me of the one my great grandmother had in her bathroom. I think this thing is older than I am and I absolutely loved it! I went perfectly with the pink tile.

Pink tile with black trim.

A crank window that did not open sadly.

That evening I went to downtown Rock Springs for dinner. I had a fantastic burger at the Broadway Burger Station. The restaurant is very casual and has a retro feel to it. Apparently, it used to be a gas station. After dinner, I planned on going back to the motel and writing for a bit, organizing my photos and thoughts. Instead I took advantage of cable tv and chilled out for the night.

After spending several nights sleeping outside in the cold, mountain air, I found it very hard to go to sleep that night. Although the hotel was very clean, the air felt stale and warm after sleeping outside. My crank window did not open so I couldn't let in the fresh air. Finally, I dozed off thinking about my next destination - Jackson, Wyoming.

Day One: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-1-eleven-mile-state.html
Day Two: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-2-eleven-mile-state.html
Day Three: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-3-hornbek-homestead.html
Day Four: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-4-eleven-mile-canyon.html
Day Five: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-5-manitou-cliff.html
Day Six: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-6-steamboat-lake.html

Day Seven: http://agnestakesaroadtrip.blogspot.com/2017/07/epic-road-trip-day-7-steamboat-lake.html

Sunday, July 23, 2017

Epic Road Trip - Day 7: Steamboat Lake State Park

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Waking up each morning as the sun slowly crept up in the sky, air crisp and cold, was glorious. Each night as I camped, I slept deeply and soundly. When that first light began to nudge out the darkness, I bounded out of my cot. Not once did I pull my sleeping bag over my head wishing to stay in the warmth and sleep longer. No, each morning I bolted up, smiling, and was out of my tent ready to explore.

As my coffee brewed, I looked around my campground. As usual, I was the first one awake. The lake was still except for the occasional ripple from the fish below. The fog was hovering once again as the deep blue sky became tinged with violet, fiery orange, and red. The minute my coffee was brewed, I grabbed my camera, jumped in the 4-Runner and headed out. It was barely 5:00 a.m.

After taking these photos, I drove to Hahn's Peak Lake which is just north of Steamboat Lake. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make it all the way down to the lake because it was gated, but I did see a moose and her calf along the shore as I looked down from the road. They walked the shoreline for a bit before the mother moose swam across the lake, leaving her calf on the shore. I had seen numerous deer on my trip already. But deer are common back home, so seeing this moose and her calf was so exciting for me! This is NOT the kind of wildlife I would see in eastern Oklahoma.

Later in the morning, I decided to take a short hike on Tombstone Trail at Steamboat Lake. On the trail you will actually find a tombstone. It's an easy, 1.1 mile hike with beautiful views. It felt so good to get out and move. When I'm out exploring, I tend to explore from my vehicle a lot, especially when I travel alone. I'm cautious about hiking alone because if something happened, I might not be found for some time. I was in a part of Colorado that would frequently have bears in the area, but this was an easy hike, well-traveled, and well worth it.

This would be my last night at Steamboat Lake State Park and my last night in Colorado. The next day, I would make my way northwest to Rock Springs, Wyoming then on to Jackson, Wyoming. Although the campgrounds in Colorado were new to me as was the scenery, Colorado was very familiar to me. Over the years, I've spent a great deal of time traveling through the state. But this time, I had made some new memories of my own. Tomorrow I would start the most exciting leg of the journey - traveling to some of the most spectacular places in the United States. I could barely sleep I was so excited!

Epic Road Trip - Day 6: Steamboat Lake State Park

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

My first morning at Steamboat Lake State Park in northern Colorado, I woke up around 5:30 a.m. The temperature was 30 degrees and my tent and 4-Runner were covered in frost. Bundled up in my tent, I slept great the night before breathing in the cold, mountain air.

Morning frost

As I waited for my coffee to brew, I looked out over the lake. It was spectacular! A low fog nestled into the mountains and hovered over the lake. No one was up but me and the birds. There was a tranquility in the morning air that I can't find back home. A part of me never wanted to leave.

After taking some sunrise photos of Steamboat Lake, I decided to explore the area. I took CR 62 which circles around the west side of Steamboat Lake and brings you back to the little town of Clark, Colorado.

My 2003 4-Runner has been on many adventures with me.

"Fetcher Brothers"

Finally I circled around to the little town of Clark, Colorado. The night before I had stopped at the Clark Store to buy a roast beef sandwich for dinner. I also bought my first souvenir of the trip, a t-shirt that said, "This is my road trip shirt". I don't normally like things like that, but this one spoke to me. When I was in the store the night before, I noticed that they served breakfast so I stopped for a bite to eat. Oh my gosh! My breakfast was so delicious! Everything was seasoned and cooked perfectly. I couldn't even eat it all. While I ate, I watched as people came into the store. Everyone seemed to know each other. The Clark Post Office is located inside so several people were there to get their mail. It's a cute little general store where everyone is really friendly and you can find just about anything you need. I only took the one photo, but here is a link to their website:
http://www.clarkstore.com/

The rest of the day was spent exploring with my camera. I went up to Hahn's Peak Cemetery to look around for a bit.

Antique tools welded to the gate of the Hahn's Peak Cemetery

After Hahn's Peak Cemetery, I drove to Pearl Lake State Park. It's only a short drive from Steamboat Lake State Park.

Pearl Lake State Park

The following are some photos taken in the evening as the sun was lowering into the sky.

This was day six of my camping trip. I suddenly realized I hadn't made a campfire yet. For one, most nights I was already heading to bed as the sun went down. But the other reason was I had no desire to make a fire. Part of the joy of a campfire is having people join you around it to talk and laugh. There's something rather lonely about sitting at a campfire by yourself. I was having the time of my life, but I was finding it to be a lonely experience. When I had cell service I would post photos of my trip on Facebook. The comments and likes from my friends and family took some of that away. I found a way to share my trip with many people and for that I am grateful.