Vernal, UT is a nice looking small town that is a shining example of the way humans and dinosaurs could co-exist if we didn’t harvest their bodies for fuel. (They have lots of dino statues)
The drive through Flaming Gorge was absolutely gorgeous (ha, pun!). I finally understand why National Recreation Areas exist – I always thought of it as annoying people with too much beer and a motorboat, but I can see why people come there. It would be fantastic to kayak in the main lake, fish, and do lots of hiking.
On the way out – stop by the Sinclair at US-191 & I-80. The gas is a bit pricey there, but the burritos… BEST.DAMN.GREEN.CHILI.BURRITO.EVER. Pork+green chili=de•licious!
Wyoming driving is mostly boring and roadkill…until you reach Grand Teton. The National Forests are scenic by themselves, but they have an awe inspiring backdrop of the Rockies and the Teton Range. (FWIW – Jackson, WY has the snazziest Albertson’s I’ve ever seen).
The Tetons can’t really be described in any way that does them justice. They are massive, beautiful peaks, with picturesque lakes below that just pop out of the plains – there’s no lead-up or foothills, just imposing mountain peaks.
Coming on Labor Day meant most everyone was leaving. Yesterday, the Jenny Lake campground was full by 10:21AM; we got a site at 5:30PM today. Other places have warned about bears before, but it seems like they really are active here. We decided to buy some bear spray – the nice lady that taught us how to use it relayed a story of a lady that was downwind of the spray a couple of weeks ago – so they are very active here.
Finally – Packing/planning are important. We didn’t take the time to pack well, so it was annoying to get anything out. This caused me to get annoyed and for Lara to repack the car, making her annoyed. Bad times were had.
Tomorrow – Garnet Trail. Man, there’s so much hiking here and too little time.
Trip stats: 2 days, 2 National Parks, 2 National Recreation Areas, 3 States.