Saturday - September 21, 2019
There is not a lot to report today. We left Moab around 7:00 AM this morning and had a short drive of about 260 miles or 4 1/2 hours to Ogden. The drive was pleasant, with the terrain changing from desert to more sub-tropical. Traffic was typical of what we have had for the past 2500 miles until we were just outside Salt Lake City. Traveling north on I-15 the traffic became quite congested and remained that way for 30 plus miles until we exited in Ogden. The traffic actually was as bad a what we experience in Atlanta. The difference was no slowdowns, we ran the gauntlet at 70 mph. It was still stressful after all the open road travel we have had over the past two weeks.
Along the way we stopped at a Walmart in Price, Utah. Here we picked up some supplies to get us through our five days in Yellowstone. Our cabin there is very basic, no refrigerator, no microwave and NO COFFEE POT. We acquired a small electric kettle, two coffee cups, some instant coffee, sweet rolls, string cheese, beef jerky and fresh fruit. Early on in our travels we acquired an inexpensive cooler and we have condiments and sandwich meats. We feel this will allow us to not waste too much time looking for a meal in the park. Normally with hiking high on our agenda, we pack a lunch and then have one good meal out a day.
We saw in the weather forecast for Ogden last evening that snow was a possibility. Sure enough, even in the early afternoon there was still fresh snow on the mountains.
Arriving too early to check-in to our Hotel (Best Western Plus Pines), we decided to find someplace for lunch. About a mile up the road, we discovered a Village Inn Restaurant. They are numerous out west, with a few in the east. Their specialty is breakfast, but also offer salads and dinner entrees.
The Rio Grande Skillet seemed to be calling my name. Here is the description:
Smoked pork carnitas with red peppers, onions, potatoes, pork green chili, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, sour cream, fresh pico de gallo and jalapeño slices.
What I didn't notice is that it came with two eggs and pancakes as well!
What a meal - it was delicious and I ate the whole thing...
Kay enjoyed a Southwest salad and she was very approving of that as well.
We returned to the Best Western, checked in and Kay did a load of laundry. We are hoping this will get us through the remainder of our trip except for washing a few things by hand. This is the 16th day of our adventure and we have 11 remaining. Time sure passes fast when you are having fun. To date, we have driven a little over 2500 miles and I estimate we have about another 1400 miles to go.
We are leaving early in the morning for Yellowstone. We decided to detour slightly to swing by the Grand Tetons and enter Yellowstone from the south. This will add about an hour to our driving and we will only have time to drive a scenic route around the base of the Tetons and have lunch, but hey, at least we will get to see them up close!
Thanks for reading this abbreviated post.