Beauty and the Beast

Saturday, August 25, 2007
Rock Springs, Wyoming

Not Green River, Wyoming

NOT Buckboard Crossing,
whatever state it was

A night cut way too short by a yelping dog behind the KOA. Then the trucks started roaring by the campground. Sleep was impossible after about 4:30am. Lousy start to the day. I remembered to fill up with propane--I was on empty. Headed out to Flaming Gorge.

What a gorgeous drive and beautiful place!! I stopped at a state park--can’t remember which one--to take photos of a reservoir and the most amazing rock formations.

They looked all wavy and oozy. The water was a pure blue/green. The hills had red dirt and big pines. Byrdie saw the stag that jumped across the road in front of us. She ran to the back of the RV thinking she could chase it!

The scenery all the way to Dutch John was spectacular. I loved the pink reflections of the red rock cliffs in the deep blue water below.

At the Visitors’ Center I pulled in and let Byrdie go down to the water. She was ecstatic!

Every time I’d throw a rock off she’d go thinking it was the ball. She swam and swam. There were also several other big dogs in the water. It was wonderful just watching the joy in her entire dog being--her delight in playing in the water.

I left Flaming Gorge to head for what I had been told was a tucked away in

the trees campground at Buckboard

Crossing. I drove and I drove and I drove.

I saw a road to a marina after Manila, Utah but passed it by. The NavSys didn’t say to turn. I missed the turn and ended up driving miles before finally being able to turn around.

I should mention that at this point the landscape was as ugly as Bakersfield--flat, dry, no color, scrub brush, not a tree in sight but water out on the horizon. I finally made my way back to the road Miss Julia said to take and once again, I ignored the STUPID light when it went on.

It was a dirt road. And then the washboard effect began!!!! I thought the entire Minnie was going to literally shake apart before I got the speed down to what it could tolerate--which was all of 2-3 miles an hour.

THAT DAMN ROAD WENT FOR 3 FULL MILES!!!

There was nowhere to turn around. I was a cussin’ and a gripin’. Finally, I made a slight right turn and pulled up onto a paved road--the very one that had come from the main highway. It was only one mile from the main road! But there was nothing there!!!!

Not a single tree--no cove, no shade and it was hotter than hell--looked like hell too. No campers or Rvs--just guys in pick-up trucks and toy/boat haulers. I went into the Ranger Station and the nicest man was there. I told him about my reservation--he was expecting me. I told him that this was not at all what I was expecting and where was the nearest other campground. He figured Green River, Wyoming was it. He drew a good map for me and I only got mixed up once. I made it to Tex’s RV and Trailer Park. What a story that could have made. They also were very nice but all filled up for the night. So I did a “Mary and Joseph” and booked it east on I-80 to the KOA in Rock Springs.

I got the last site with full hook-ups. I am totally exhausted. As usual, the KOA says they have wifi but I can’t get a connection. When I told them at the office she said, “Funny--lots of people are saying that!”
Now if everyone had been complaining that they could get internet everyplace but HERE wouldn’t the obvious reaction be to think that perhaps the problem might be at the office end? No! The blame is immediately shifted back onto the Rvers who brought the problem to the attention of management! What a crazy world.
Clueless as to what to do. I am so grateful for a place to stay that I just took a hot shower and am getting ready to hit the hay early. I wanted to blog but exhaustion is trumping everything. Crazy, mixed-up day. Wyoming is not so pretty here. Once again I’m struck how the states change so dramatically within mere miles of state boundaries. Utah was fantastic. This is lonesome and depressing. The wind is howling--the RV is rocking--and I’m remembering how easily I get seasick without the levelers down. But tonight I am too tired to do one more thing. I can’t even muster the energy to edit my pics.

9:30PM

2 vans full of inconsiderate yahoos just showed up in the tenting area directly across from the Minnie. The bass was thumping through the sides of the Minnie. Some ugly gutteral texts were booming out as well. Ugly has arrived. Why have I never heard someone show up in a quiet place with Mozart blaring? Why the fascination with ugly? Body piercing, tattooes, deliberately offensive clothing--is the message “Ugly has arrived and I’m the forerunner!”? Now I agree that John the Baptist wasn’t the most compelling of heralds for Jesus but his diet was his own business. In an era where one didn’t have to do much to stand out, I suppose his skins looked peculiar. But I don’t imagine he came into town, a whopping’ and a stompin’ just looking to tick off folks. When he opened his mouth to speak that didn’t win popularity contests but these idjits come in deliberately to annoy. And at least John the B.’s message was one of beauty to come. The message from these modern-day hooligans is Here Comes Ugly. The saddest thing is that while if someone asked J the B what his raison d’etre was, he could tell his story without stuttering. But I am nearly 100% sure that these bums would have nothing of interest to say and be shocked if asked to construct a complete English sentence--or a complete sentence in any language.