July 27th Limon Colorado to Rock Spring Wyoming

Incredible day!!!!!  Up and out by 8:30.  Destination unknown but still, we move ever forward.  We head West across the flat plains until 30 miles East of Denver, the Rockies make their debut on the horizon.  K is blown away by the beauty.  Snow capped jagged peaks rise from the plains across the entire horizon.  Before we hit Denver, we head North on I - 25  to Cheyenne Wyoming where we meet I - 80 heading West into the mountains.

The Rockies in the distance  outside of Denver

The Wyoming flag

We stop in Laramie for lunch and go to the old, historic part of the city.  We ate in one of the oldest (1834) buildings still standing.  Great green chili that made my nose drip and eyes water.  And a sign in the men's restroom that gave me a smile.  We did a bit of sightseeing and didn't get out of town till 3:30.

Fair Warning

Jeff makes a new friend in Laramie

  Our goal was to camp at the Flaming Gorge. As much as you plan, reality can become a problem and forced me to do something I swore I would never do.  Getting bone tired and ill from the change in altitude, we pulled over and camped at the KOA in Rock Springs.

KOA's are really not camping - not when you have wi fi and cable TV hook ups, not when they insist on spelling camping kamping but....being stupid has it's advantages.  K got their registration envelope and said that we just need to pick out a site and then drop off the paperwork.  I am driving through this city of campers, every shape, size and color.  Kids rushing to and fro in various modes of mood from laughing to shrieking to crying.  I am thinking, gee whiz, I must be crazy.  Then, as if the heavens parted and the angels took pity on my burned out hide, we see space L - 80, Hallelujah and rejoice.  The space is on the perimeter, removed from the noise where our eyes are filled with the beauty of Wyoming's high desert.  We set up camp and I walk over to drop off the paperwork while K cooks dinner.

That's when dumb works out.  Chuck and Jenn from Alabama run the camp and continue to say how   L - 80 is reserved for monthly campers and we need to move to L - 22, a nice site that looks out on Oil Storage tank # 14 and has Winnebago's and Fleetwoods on either side.  Now as tempting as that may sound, I played my disabled card, please, please dear God don't make us move.  Chuck took pity on this husk of a man and relented breaking rule 57a on page 36 of the KOA camper's handbook and guide.

We ate dinner in our home, enjoying the quiet and serenity.  We let the dishes soak and went out to sit and watch the sunset.  The mountain in front of us was highlighted by the sun.  With each passing moment, incredible was replaced with fabulous, then spectacular then off the charts.  K must have taken 40 pictures but none will ever be able to reproduce the negative stored on the soft emulsion of my mind.  The peace, fulfillment and joy is just another page in my mental slideshow of wondrous days we have spent together.  Sorry for the mush but I guess you would just need to have been here.

Sunset at the KOA

The perfect end to the day.