SNOW!!

Saturday, Sept 16…

As I wake up, I still hear raindrops hitting the roof. It’s a good sound (snow is silent). But, when Greg gets up he’s quick to point out the flakes falling outside. Forecast: mixed snow & rain. We decide to move on to Casper. BUT… we definitely want to revisit the Tetons sometime, even if we have to sleep in a cabin. Greg secures our (full) refund, we take care of some housekeeping/maintenance tasks, and we’re on the road again. At Moran Junction we turn left onto WY26/287 and climb Togwotee Pass to 9485’ at the Continental Divide. The snow does get heavier, but never heavy – and never a problem. Photos tell the story...

Mixed rain and snow.

Exiting campground...

Climbing the pass...

Entering highway...

At the top!

Heading down: no snow anywhere, but we've still got
compacted ice between the 2 wipers.

Once we’re over the pass, we enter the Wind River Valley and empty no longer describes Wyoming.  It’s open, yes, but a softer landscape that’s welcoming. Our route doesn’t include Wind River Canyon (had I looked at the map rather than let Greg leave routing entirely up to Magellan & Garmin, it probably would have), but there’s still plenty to enjoy. (Wyoming has 23 official byways.)

Definitely Peaceful, and more of those nestled trees.

Impressive cliffs.

And a river. 

Seasoned lamb patties, spinach w/ feta &
tomatoes, and rice. 

An hour or so short of Casper (WY) we pull over for a quick sandwich, and Greg asks if I’d like to drive. I recall the hour I drove in FL – the road was straight as a yardstick. Do I want to drive? Sure. And not only does this highway have curves, I also get to make real turns onto other roads… and navigate the suburbs of Casper until I pull in to a Walmart parking lot. No scrapes. No injuries. An hour later I'm catching up on laundry at the Fort Caspar [correct] Campground. Greg prepares another tasty dinner and then maintains a steady lead throughout our Scrabble game. 

PartingShots...  I captured these during a short after-dinner walk. (There were actually 7 deer grazing near the museum, but I was slow realizing it was a photo op.)