8 Day Road Trip Out Of Salt Lake City, June 2016

All photos and videos were taken on an iPhone6 or 6s

Day 1. Sunday June 19

Salt Lake City through Ogden and Logan UT, Bear Lake UT, into Idaho, and on into Thayne WY

Highlights:

Numerous small towns with immaculate yards and roads. Spectacular vertical mountains rising straight up from the Salt Lake Basin, and seemingly right out of downtown Ogden UT. Logan Canyon was ruggedly beautiful as was the exit from the canyon looking out on the vast Bear Lake from 3500 ft. Wonderful ranches in Idaho and Wyoming. One lush valley after another, each rimmed with snow capped peaks. The cabin in Thayne WY was very welcomed as we had Star Valley ranches all around us and the brisk flowing Salt River just a few feet from the bedroom windows. Twinkling aspens stood outside the cabin door, and a lush manicured lawn stretched around the cabin and right up to the river. The cabin’s front porch provided comfortable chairs to take in the rural Wyoming evening.

Day 2. Monday June 20

Thayne WY through Alpine WY onto Jackson WY then over the Teton Pass Road into Idaho. North through the Teton Valley, up into the mountains via the Mesa Parkway and down into Island Park ID.

Highlights:

After another great meal at a supremely patriotic diner in Alpine WY we followed the Snake River for 45 miles, emerging at the southern end of the Great Teton Valley. The 10% grade up and over Teton Pass Road and into Idaho was really steep. The rolling landscape in the Teton Valley (western side of the Teton Range) with the razor-sharp snow capped Teton mountains just to our right was magical. A side trip off into the foothills yielded an excellent opportunity to see how life can be lead far off the grid. Mesa Falls were spectacular. Upper Mesa Falls shape and geology is very similar to Niagara Falls, set in an alpine forest above 7000’. Our accommodations in Island Park was a small cabin in the woods on a large ranch far off the main road. We were 50 yards from a ridge overlooking perhaps 300 acres of the ranch. That view included numerous ponds, high plains sage, painted ponies, and a stream flowing into the snake river visible off in the distance.

Day 4-5. Wednesday & Thursday June 22-23

Cody WY due east. Up and over the Big Horn Mountains and south into Story WY.

Highlights

Drove east out of Cody WY directly onto the high plains country and through the Badlands of Wyoming. At times the prairie would give way to large swaths of irrigated farm land. The verdant bright greens of the cultivated land was in high contrast to the multiple shades of brown and dirty greens of the prairie scrub. In Greybull we took the time to drive through a few neighborhoods to get a feel for how the locals live. It was nice to get a sense of life in a small Wyoming prairie town. As we entered the brief foothills of the Big Horn Mountains we passed through Shell WY where all the side streets in town are dirt roads. The road through the Big Horns was dramatic right from the start, weaving through a tight steep canyon with a rushing river along the road. Shell WY is at 4200’ elevation and by the time we crested the Big Horns we were at 9200’. The high country featured peaks considerably higher than 9200’ and high meadows that went on for many miles. Dropping out of the Big Horns on the east side was just that, a drop. The road out of the mountains was immediate and very steep with unobstructed views of the flatland beyond. Once we exited the mountains which looked like a vertical wall in our rear view mirror we headed south out of Dayton WY for 30 miles on a very desolate dirt road with signs indicating the road was not maintained and only usable in dry weather. The ranches and homes on this road were few and far between. But it was sure pretty country with constant views of the snow-capped Big Horns. This road took us to Sheridan WY, a classic western looking town that is clearly growing, witnessed by much new construction that stood in stark contrast to the older more classic parts of town. South of Sheridan we passed through Banner and Story WY and arrived at the Little Piney Ranch in the Piney Creek Valley where we settled into their “Bunkhouse” for 2 nights. The accommodation was a good size two-bedroom cabin on a working horse and cattle ranch that is large and quite isolated. The alfalfa had yet to be harvested allowing for views of 3’ tall grass as far as the eye could see up and over the rolling hills all the way to the Big Horn Mountains at the ranch's border. Two dogs kept us company. One in particular (Huey - an excellent companion) no longer worked and was able to spend most of his time with us. He accompanied us on long hikes out into the rolling hills, sometimes following, sometimes taking lead, and sometimes meandering off on his own. Early mornings were spent walking past the barns and corrals seeing how the ranch comes to life. Walks were also taken at dusk to see the ranch and stock put to sleep at night. Huey stayed at the cabin well past nightfall. And arrived early in the morning.

Day 6. Friday June 24

Left the Piney Creek Valley and briefly drove south before heading west on a different route back over the Big Horn Mountains, and on up to the Teton Mountain foothills.

Highlights

As it was 2 days earlier the Big Horn Mountains were spectacular. Straight up through dramatic rock buttes and enormous vertical rock walls. After clearing 9000’ we pulled over and played in the snow. Previous visitors to this snow patch had left a foot-tall snowman complete with arms and a face. We took target practice with snowballs and had much success pummeling the car. After exiting the Big Horns we found ourselves once again out on the Wyoming high plains. The mountains we would end up in this night looked impossibly far away. Yet some 5 hours later we arrived in Dubois WY, elevation 7000’. The welcome sign said “Valley of the Warm Winds”. Butch Cassidy once owned and operated a ranch here. We had driven through the Wind River Reservation, and we stayed in a cabin on the Wind River. And it was windy. Wind gusts this afternoon reached 35mph. The wind made us think “who would want to live here?” Had a great dinner in town, and learned the school is K-12, housed in a single building, with an enrollment of 146 students.

Day 7. Saturday June 25

Dubois WY through Teton National Park, Jackson WY, Bondurant WY, and on to Kemmerer/Diamondville WY.

Highlights

Within 30 minutes of leaving Dubois we crested the mountains at 9400’. Beautiful alpine environment which quickly dropped us out on a high meadow with the Grand Teton Mountains seemingly close enough to touch. For the entire time we were in Grand Teton National Park the weather was clear, sunny, almost no breeze, and in the low 60’s. We always had the snow capped mountains in clear view, sometimes very close up. The mountains left us speechless. They are remarkable for their sheer size, cragginess, the way they rise straight up from the valley floor, and for how close people can easily get to them. A huge bonus was the very low number of people sharing the park with us. We had no line to get in, and in some parking lots situated for optimal viewing we were the only vehicle. Traffic, bikes, and pedestrians remained light all the way through the park. After leaving the park at the Moose Gate we drove south into Jackson. WHOA! Stop-and-go traffic, upscale shops, and a ski resort rising straight out of downtown. We had not experienced this anywhere else on the trip. It reminded us of South Lake Tahoe with a bit more traffic and no view of a lake. South of Jackson we headed east into Hoback Junction and on to the Hoback Basin following alongside the South Fork of the Hoback River. We all agreed that this was the most beautiful and desirable valley we’d seen all trip. The highlight of the ride through the 7000’ Hoback Basin was passing through Bondurant WY, population 100. The town has one school ( an elementary school with 2 students), a perfect summer climate, snow all winter, and mountains on both side that you cannot take your eyes off. Had a great lunch and met some great people at the Branding Iron Café on the south side of Bondurant. Continuing southeast took us once again out of the mountains and out on to the high plains of Wyoming. The drive into Kemmerer and Diamondville featured the longest straightaways yet. After quickly checking into the hotel we headed east for 30 miles into another empty landscape just to discover that my directions to Fossil Butte National Monument were wrong. We should have driven 15 minutes from the hotel in the opposite direction. After almost 300 miles of driving that day…..this was not a good mistake to make. So we drove back past the hotel and visited Fossil Butte. The visitor center was in the middle of nowhere but well worth the trip(s).

Day 8. Sunday June 26

South out of Diamondville WY to hyw 80 west, through Park City UT, up and over the mountains to Salt Lake City

Highlights

Drove out of Diamondville and saw one car as we covered 40 miles to hwy 80. We exited hwy 80 outside Park City and drove along the west side of the Wasatch Mountains through Park City and Deer Valley. Quite the image were the 120 & 90 meter ski jump ramps and landing zones from the Park City Olympics. In Deer Valley we headed west up a very narrow road and after cresting the Deer Valley summit we dropped into Brighton UT. After passing though Brighton and their ski resort we again gained elevation in Big Cottonwood Canyon before dropping into Salt Lake City. The roads and views through the Wasatch Mountains were dramatic, full of mountain bikers, road bikers, and hikers. Once in Salt Lake City we headed due West on hwy 80 for the most unusual and indescribable journey/destination of the trip: 230 mile round trip to the Bonneville Salt Flats. Of the 115 miles each way, 65 are without a single turn or even a slight deviation from a straight line. Mirages dominate the trip indicating shimmering water covering the road just ahead. Arriving means first pulling over at a rest stop dedicated to the salt flats, which we had been driving along side for the last 20 miles. From the parking lot of the rest stop one can step directly onto the salt flats. They are bizarre. A solid bright-white crunchy carpet stretching for miles in a desolate valley rimmed with mountains that look just like the scenes probes have sent back from Mars. One exit west (just before Wendover UT) exit 4 grants access to a four mile long dead end provided by the BLM for those who want to get out onto the salt flats. The dead end is also the entrance to the Bonneville Speedway. The salt flats do not typically fully dry until August. Although most of what we saw, and walked on, was only slightly moist below the surface, the end of the road had a huge area still wet on the surface (2-3” of super clear warm water sitting on top of the salt flats), really weird. We shifted into 4-Wheel Drive and scooted over the salt flats proper on the way back to the highway. 115 miles later averaging 90mph on a highway with an 80mph speed limit we arrived back in Salt Lake City for the night.

Day 9. Monday June 27

Flew from SLC to OAK, and headed home.

The End