Adventure 260: Hooley Farm/Filer, ID

Come thou Lord, be our guest..

True to the weatherman's prediction, we awoke to nearly four inches of heavy wet snow and a thirty degree temperature. Thankfully, the powerful front had mostly passed leaving just a strong whippet of wind in its wake. We took advantage of the wintery morning to casually go through our routine as we waited for the roads to dry and the morning commute to subside.. Sadly for me, Stumpy thumped me to win all the golden trumpets in Utah, but I'm hopeful the state of Idaho will treat me better. We drove into a twenty mile head wind the entire way to the Hooley farm. A headwind makes for easy driving because it doesn't effect handling at all. It does effect gas mileage, but I'd rather stop at the pump than be blown over sideways into the ditch, which happened to at least one semi-truck on I-80 yesterday. Salt Lake registered one gust at nearly 100 m.p.h. Our decision to hunker down in Brigham City proved to be wise. Loey (Lois Hooley) welcomed us when we arrived at the farm, even though it was an interruption to her steady work load. She even arranged for her sister, Pat and husband Tom, to take us swimming at their brother Lowell's place (This was great because it gave us a chance to spend time enjoying Tom and Pat, too). Lowell, brother to Pat and Loey has an artesian well on his property by the river that pours steaming hot water into a pool. He is a pilot who is off flying about and Tom and Pat take care of his place while he's away. What a joy, blessing, pleasure, good fortune, or whatever cookie you can think of it was to float around in his pool.  Being a hot springs/hot tub lover, I was nearly orgasmic. It was all I could do not to utter Whale whistles. After swimming, we enjoyed a splendid home made dinner (Thanks to Sarah Hooley) of vegetable beef soup, fresh made cheddar cheddar cheese, fresh baked biscuits, home made preserves, strawberry and rhubarb pie (Thanks to sister, Pat). It's always a pleasure to visit the Hooley's (Our fourth time) not just for great food, but also for gracious fellowship. They have welcoming spirits, and it feels good to have their generosity  wash over us. A special treat this time was to share the Hooley's with Michael, who grew up in the Yukon, Claire (His wife) and their four children. They are traveling back to Canada after spending the last nine months in Nothern California. Michael is Loey's sister's son. They added a richness to the evening sort of like gummy bears on an angel food cake already frosted with whip cream. For Judy and me, a stop in Filer always enriches our adventure portfolio. As the day closes, we are once again thankful for traveling mercies, once again grateful to share a moment of life with special people, and once again can say without reservation, "Life is good, especially today".


Our neighbor at the Golden Spike RV, Bobby Smith, getting ready to add a third level to his snowman.

Fric, Frac, and Papa under a cool white blanket.

Go West, young man!

As a native son, I'm always happy to see Idaho.

One of the proud peacocks lording over the Hooley farm.

Archie, living the good life as a farm dog. We should all be so lucky.

Loey showed us her green house. It's quite obvious my bunny is itching and twitching to get her hands in the dirt.

Art shot one of the day: Old but not forgotten.

Art shot two of the day: The river of life.

The hot pool (I'm still drooling).

Probably our best selfie.

Tom, our host, exiting from the pool (He's a fellow hot springs lover).

Sarah's vegetable beef soup, the main course for dinner.

One of Pat's pies; the other was strawberry covered with fresh made whip cream with cream from Sarah's cow, Molly.

Sarah, working her magic.

I must confess to eating more than one of these.

My favorite room in the Hooley home: an enclosed East facing sun porch.

Gary moving hay before dinner.

 A half round of cheddar that Sarah made fresh today.

Art shot three of the day: Warm hearts, warm souls.

Adventure 259: Golden Spike RV Park/Brigham City, UT/Post B

Home of the Largest Migratory Bird Refuge in America.

After enjoying southwest winds that built from twenty to forty knots throughout the day, we're now experiencing the beginning of the cold front which will pass through this area tonight. Thanks to our long drive yesterday, we find ourselves at the northwest edge of this event. Glad we are that we weren't driving today. Right now it's beginning to snow and the temperature, which was sixty-eight around noon, is now in the low forties (And dropping). The locals seem nonplussed by the weather, so when in Rome (Utah), we're less plussed than we normally would be. This morning, despite the steady thirty knot winds, we took Gregg Friesen's advice and drove out to view the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. The main thing we got from the visit is a promise to return when the weather is more favorable. It would be a fabulous place to spend the day on a tandem bicycle (Perhaps in September). The visitor center is quite well done, and while we did see quite a few birds, most of them were walking. After our run to the Refuge, we did what has become normal for us if we stay in an area for long. We drove around. Brigham City, a tidy little town with wide streets, has two spectacular church buildings, which face each other across the wide main boulevard just east of the downtown core. One is the historic Box Elder Tabernacle, which was finished about 1890. The public is allowed to tour this building May through September (We just missed it). The building across the street, a massive shiny white two spired structure with the golden angel atop blowing his horn, covers an entire Utah block (Double most city blocks). I don't believe non Mormons are allowed inside the building, but it captures the spirit of Man paying homage to our great God. We also did normal errand things while fighting both the wind and the blowing dust. As a finale to our outing for the day, we enjoyed a very nice lunch at the local bakery/sandwich/soup shop. The cheerful teen girl behind the counter made ordering fun, and the quality of the lunch could match any sandwich shop we've been in on this trip. Then we hunkered down. We read, watched the weather channel, listened to the wind howl, monitored the change in temperature, and even did a little trailer dancing (Nothing is nicer than wintling to the rhythm of a wind rocked Airstream).  And, of course, we played cards. The battle for all of the golden trumpets in Utah will be decided tomorrow morning. I narrowly won this morning, and this afternoon, the Cager hammered me like a true believer converting a misguided Papist (Catholic). I fully expect to see a covering of snow tomorrow morning, but Judy thinks the brunt of the storm will pass south of us. Regardless, we hope to push on to Filer, ID to see the Hooley clan tomorrow. If it's too treacherous, we'll simply hunker down in Frac. It's warm, fully stocked with edibles, and even if the weather outside is frightful, we're snuggled in here like a couple of hibernating hamsters. So, life is good, especially today.


 A concerted effort in the early 1920s built canal systems to manage thousands of acres of habitat. Once again, where would the natural wonders of America be without Teddy Roosevelt's influence?

 Art shot of the day.

 Except when winter freezes the marshes, a dazzling array of birds pass through this refuge.

 The haze is the dust being blown up by the winds.

 As temperatures rise from spring through summer, the marshes dry, which shrinks the food supply for the birds and degrades the water quality, which causes disease in the birds.

 That is why the management of the water level has been so instrumental in reviving the habitat.

Truly a remarkable place, another great view would be from the air. To see the Bear River flood into the Great Salt Lake from the air would simply stun the senses.

 While we did see quite a few birds battling the wind, this guy decided to walk.

 I did catch sight of the rare "Incognito Champion Zagster" (If not welcome in Utah, it's at least tolerated for its excellent breeding).

 An impressive example of man's reverence and awe.

 Let those who can--hear.

 Nothing much in the way of private homes captured the grandeur of the late eighteen hundreds, but this church building certainly does.

 Pastrami on fresh baked wheat. Vegetable beef soup.

 The bakery/cafe has an open, welcoming air about it.

 Grilled Turkey and Provolone on Sunflower Wheat. Chicken Noodle Soup. 

Brigham City is worth a stop just for lunch and a view of the churches.

Always be prepared for fickle female companionship (Mother Nature). The view out our bedroom window just before 6 P.M.

Adventure 258: Rock Springs, WY/OOPS/Brigham City, UT/Post A

Home Sweet Brigham City

We left the Ulmen/Pereda B&B about ten thirty with the intention of spending the night in Rock Springs, WY. Following Tim's suggestion, we enjoyed a pleasant cruise to Laramie on a really scenic backroad called the Happy Jack Highway. It runs through a recreation area named after the famous sportscaster, Curt Gowdy. Winds were light, our spirits were high, buoyed as we were by our visit in Cheyenne. Tim and Carissa are two of our most favorite humans. Still in no real hurry, we stopped in Rawlins, WY for lunch at a surprisingly good (Though a little pricey) Thai restaurant. We were in time for the lunch buffet and even Stumpy filled her plate twice (And I think one of her pockets). After lunch, we wandered around Rawlins for a bit only because about twenty seven years ago we had spent a night somewhere in the town. It was a flea bag then (my back still aches from the soft and creaky bed). Most likely it's been replaced with a refinery or something. Anyway, we couldn't find it. Rawlins has done a fair job of renewing and embracing the Western heritage of its downtown, although it suffers with a vacancy problem similar to many cities these days (Even Spokane). Still in no hurry, we headed back out to I-80 to play with the big dogs.  We arrived in Rock Springs, set up at the fairgrounds, which is nothing special: an uneven gravel space with water, sewer and power. We need little more than that to live in complete luxury. As I was finishing hooking up, the caretaker casually mentioned that tomorrow would bring high winds. Stumpy started working her phone, and low and behold a very strong winter storm is about to slam most of Southern Utah (Especially the mountains) and much of  the plains between Rock Springs and the Utah border. We made the decision at 5 P.M. to pull up stakes and hot foot it as far as we could before dark. We arrived just after at a well appointed RV park in Brigham City (Over the mountains as it were). Of course this makes today a memorable one. We managed two traveling records. First, we drove 466 miles (Twice as much as we usually enjoy). Second, we set up in the dark, which we've never done before. Our plan is to hunker down tomorrow here in Brigham City, and ride out the storm, which appears to be in the path of the predicted storm. They predict a sudden drop of temperature, a sudden increase of wind (Gusts over 75 expected in places), rain, snow, and other unusual cosmic events. I, for one, would much rather experience this kind of cosmological wonder when I'm not moving in, out, behind, beside or among the big dogs. We'll see what happens, but the decision was made, executed, and now, as usual, we will live with the consequences, and so far the consequences have meant that life is good, especially today.


 Happy Jack Highway. Much nicer than I-80.

 The rumor is that as soon as you see mountains, you're about to leave Wyoming.

 I think this was Stumpy' second plate.

 Who would have thought that Anong's is the number two restaurant in Rawlins, WY.

 Art shot one of the day.

 Art shot two.

 Art shot three.

 Frac wasn't interested in visiting the historic prison.

 We almost bought the Ferris Mansion, but....

 A normal breeze in Rock Springs. Nothing to worry about.

 These young cowgirls weren't worried. They didn't even know we donated our overnight fee to the Sweet Water Fairgrounds. 

 We worried though, and the evening drive was quite lovely.

 Welcome to Utah, home of the amazing rocks.

 More rocks.

 And great evening light.

Safe, sound, and happy. Good night, Stumpy. Good night, Lumpy.