Summer was good, but Fall has been even better... Two local trips this month have been highlights of our year so far. The first trip was to the scenic & remote Green River Lake, tucked up high in the Wind River Mountains of NW Wyoming.
Several things made this one special, but the biggest factor and most memorable was finding an old high school friend from NC, who I hadn't seen in 20+ years, sitting on the little beach of the lake, playing with his dogs. He was visiting friends in nearby Jackson, and decided to come out here for a night of solitude & camping. To say we were both shocked to see each other would be an extreme understatement... It was an amazing evening, renewing a friendship and catching up over dinner, a campfire and an impressive sunset that lit up the range above us.
We ran out of firewood before we ran out of things to talk about. In the morning we shared another meal and sat on the lake, throwing sticks in the water for his dogs to retrieve until our arms and the dogs were all exhausted.
We exchanged contact info and promised to stay in touch. I'll have no problem keeping the promise I made on that lake. It was unfortunate that we had to leave so soon, but we both had prior plans that we had to keep. So we packed up and said farewell to the lake. Perhaps we will come back here to meet up and do it again next year.
With that special trip and memory savored, we chose to visit another lake in the area this past weekend. Boysen Reservoir sits at the base of the Owl Creek Mountains and the Copper Mountians. We come here often, taking the kids on picnics to our "secret beach", and just to enjoy the views and the water. As long as the wind isn't howling (a rarity...) it's always a good time. For some reason though, we never camp here... Maybe it's the general windy nature of the area, maybe it's because it's fairly close to home or maybe because I can't take the 'boat-envy' I get whenever we come here and see the fisherman and water-skiers playing on the lake. This time we chose to stay for the night. And what a night it was...
Guaranteed to see some cowboys, real working cowboys, nearby -
Miles of shoreline to explore, just watch out for the soft stuff close to the waters edge -
When you find a spot you like, stop -
Take a walk down the beach -
Get a fire going and enjoy the view -
Pop the top and make yourself at home -
Maybe the moon will pop up too -
Speaking of 'popping', she found Jiffy-Pop at the store. Buy some & bring it with you. Makes a great late night treat -
The 6am call of nature never fails... As long as you're going outside, take your camera with you. No telling what you might see -
When your hands go numb from the cold, go make coffee and come back outside later. There is always more to see -
And when you've had all you can stand, and your eyes & mind can't absorb anymore, go home. At least that's what we did last weekend. Then we immediately began planning our next trip... Kudos to Fall, kudos to wonderful Wyoming, and kudos to our little Four Wheel Camper.
:campfire:
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