Sunday, July 6
Ashley National Forest, Utah
Another beautiful morning in the forest!
Spike signals the start of day by stumbling over my ankles to jump off the bed. I throw back the quilt, put my feet on the floor, and take a few steps to open the door of the Best Little Trailer for him. He stands in the open doorway surveying the front yard through cloudy eyes. His sensitive nose twitches. Out he goes to patrol the perimeter of our camp. The only sign of life from Bridget is the brief opening of her eyes.
Lodgepole Pine
A pot half-full of coffee that I brewed yesterday awaits on the burner.
I strike a match, hold it to the burner, and turn the knob. Nothing. I turn and look at the panel on the refrigerator. Oh, the fridge is off. The propane has run out.
I step outside, open the cover to the dual tanks, close the old tank and open the new. I remember to turn the lever toward the tank in use to prevent me from mixing up which is the empty tank.
Larkspur
Successful boondocking combined with travel requires good timing.
After a check of the blog and breakfast, Spike, Bridget, and I wander around the campsite. I sip coffee and take stock of our situation.
Yellow Salsify
Our next move will take us closer to Flaming Gorge. From that camp we’ll go to Dutch John and see the dam. After that, we’ll follow Routes 44, 43, and 530 along the southern and western sides of the gorge, taking in the views. Damn switchbacks and steep grades!
Oh well . . . .
I’ve studied my Utah and Wyoming Benchmark atlases very thoroughly.
I visualize what lies ahead.
Gee, our next town of any size will be Green River in Wyoming. We’ll go through the town of Manila before then, but it doesn’t look like it’s very big.
I’ll need to replenish the crew’s supply of meat and stock up on perishables soon. Prices are surely high in the area around the southern end of the Gorge, and small groceries don’t have the selection I want.
Tanks are no problem. Dump stations and water spigots are available at Dutch John and some of the campgrounds. Penstemon
One tank of propane will probably last us until Green River, since we aren’t using the heater.
Then again, if we find a super camp or two and want to stay a long time . . .
Field Chickweed
Oh, man, I need to do laundry . . . .
Buckwheat
All the way to Green River. Hmm . . . . There’s a lot between here and there. I don’t want to have a great camp shortened because of the need for supplies. I can see me being forced to buy meat for the crew at $4.98 a pound or more at a little grocery. Don’t want to do that, if I can avoid it.
Heck! Why don’t I go back to Vernal!
Common Juniper
It’s only about twenty miles down the mountain. I could go to Wal-Mart on the west side of town, stock up, find a laundromat, maybe get some propane for the empty tank . . . .
Gee, it’s gonna’ be hot down there, but it sure would be nice to have all these things taken care of. Then I can concentrate on finding new camps, exploring the forest, and viewing the Gorge.
I love figuring out our basic needs as we travel this gorgeous land!
Yarrow
Well, well, well . . . .
Looks like some of our neighbors are leaving. Off they go to start another work week tomorrow. Poor saps. Fun time is over. Bye-bye!
Monday, July 7
Light through the window. Spike jumps over me. Let him out. He patrols. Bridget finally gets herself out of bed. Coffee. Greet the morning. Check the blog. Read the “news.” Wash up. Breakfast.
Silvery Lupine
“Hey, nutcakes! You get your favorite breakfast this morning. Calf liver, seared on both sides and chopped into tasty, bite-sized morsels, served with a side of scrumptious raw turkey. Yaaaayyyy!”
I arrange their individual paper plates and set them on the floor. Wow! Look at ’em go! It takes about five seconds for the crew to make that meat disappear.
Hint to caretakers of canines:
Liver is cheap. You can get several slices of liver for under $2.00 and that’s enough to fill up a large fry pan.
Brown both sides and store in a zip-lock baggie in the fridge. Much better than high-priced, liver-flavored treats from China with Lord-only-knows-what in them.
The packages are flat and don’t take up much space in the freezer, an important consideration if you only have 4.0 cubic feet of space like I have or less.
Stonecrop before blooming
After I finish this blog post . . .
I’ll load up the Perfect Tow Vehicle with laundry and the empty propane tank, settle the crew inside, and we’ll take off for town!
“Sound like a good idea, guys?”
“YEAH! LET’S GO!”
rvsue
NOTE: All of the photos in this post were taken within a 50-yard radius of our campsite.
THANK YOU FOR SHOPPING AMAZON FROM MY BLOG!
I appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Western Groundsel
