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

 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