Tuesday, July 15 (continued)
After the brilliant blue of the reservoir, Highway 191 northward takes us away from Flaming Gorge Reservoir across a stark and drab landscape. The remnants of a forest fire can be seen in the lower half of the photo below.
I miss the turn to Antelope Flat Campground.
Soon we approach Antelope Flat Overlook. I park the PTV and get out to read the interpretive signs and to photograph the distant reservoir beyond the dismal plain.
Looking to the right from the vantage point of the kiosk . . . .
A road stretches about five miles out to the point of a peninsula. This is Route 319 (and can be seen in the Utah Benchmark atlas).
Having surveyed the landscape, I realize we missed the turn to the campground. We backtrack and take Route 145 west. It’s a gravel/dirt road, wide and in good condition.
The “flaming” rock appears!
The sun plays hide-and-seek behind a dense cloud.
When the sun appears from behind the cloud, the rock responds with a supernatural glow that is mesmerizing. I’m anxious to see the campground that resides in a perfect location for watching the light show on the rock.
The campsite shelters indicate this can be a very windy place.
Heck, yes! It’s windy today, but not annoyingly so.
At the entrance to the campground, I pause at the pay station to read the bulletin board.
A notice announces the fee for one of the 46 single campsites is $14 ($7 with Senior Pass) and $85 for one of the four group sites.
I drive past the camp host’s site and into the campground.
No one is here! Hmm . . . completely empty. Anarchy reigns.
“You’re in luck, guys. I’m letting you out without your leashes. Be good puppies!”
I carry two poop bags for the inevitable result of two nutcakes let loose after a long ride in the PTV. We stroll around one of the loops and stop to sit at (or under) one of the picnic tables. From the campground I see the peninsula I noticed previously from the overlook.
I analyze the landscape.
That looks like prime boondocking over there. (See photo below… Not the immediate spit of land, the peninsula in the background.) Finding a site with shade over there wouldn’t be easy. (Camping within 300 feet of the reservoir is prohibited and that’s where the trees are.)
We resume our stroll.
The campground is pleasant. The views can’t be beat. It has a dump station, restrooms, water, and trash bins. A few reservation tags for the upcoming weekend. It’s nice here . . . when it’s empty. With people and their generators and the leash rule, I’d much rather boondock.
Bridget and Spike begin to tire.
“This is enough walking. How ’bout a drink?” Refreshed, the crew stands in position for a toss into the PTV. I drive us over to the boat ramp, group sites, and day area.
It’s important to have the racing stripe on the boat match the truck. Well done, fella!
One of the group sites is occupied.
Several tents of different colors cluster around a large shelter with picnic tables. People roam about the site and on the narrow beach below. This doesn’t look like a family gathering. Maybe it’s a kayaking group or some club . . . . They’re having fun in the waves . . . .
In order to get down to the water’s edge, one takes several steps from the parking area. No soak for Spike. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. He’s probably half-asleep by now anyway . . . .
I watch the kayakers for a while and then sit at a picnic table to view the ever-changing light on the rock. The breeze sweeps across the water and and brushes my face.
I contemplate Antelope Flat.
The air temperature with this constant breeze is comfortable. However, it’s still morning. If the same pattern applies here as we experience back at our camp, the breeze will pick up throughout the afternoon. Then around four o’clock it will stop. At our forest camp the air is still comfortable when there isn’t breeze. Here at this lower elevation — in mid-July — it might be too hot without the cooling of the wind.
It’s lovely, but we won’t camp here on this trip.
On our next visit to Flaming Gorge at a cooler time of year, we’ll travel on this side of the reservoir and I’ll look for a wonderful boondock.
Now we see why John Wesley Powell named it Flaming Gorge!
rvsue
NOTE: In response to the recent bear episode, our engineer friend and technical advisor for this blog, Mick’nTN, came upon the idea of equipping the Best Little Trailer with dual air horns mounted outside and triggered from inside. Clever!
To read more about the development of the BLT’s “Dual Air Horn Bear Skeedaddle System,” click on Air Horn in the header. Please use that page for any discussion regarding this new feature for the BLT. Thanks.
AND, AS ALWAYS, THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON HERE!
Here are a few of recently purchased items:
Crocs Women’s Huarache Sandal
Camco Olympian Adjustable Sway Bar Control
COLLIER’S ENCYCLOPEDIA 1968 Yearbook covering the year 1967
Wilson Electronics 700-2700 MHz Wide Band Directional Antenna
PowerFilm 30 Watt FM15-1800 Foldable Solar Panel – Digital Camo
SABRE FRONTIERSMAN Bear Attack Deterrent with Hip Holster – 30 Foot Range
