It got a little chillier than expected last night, down to 33 degrees. I didn’t have the furnace set to turn on so it was 47 in the RV when I got up. We used a fair amount of our dwindling propane supply to make it comfortable. When things were warmed up and the dishes were washed, the propane gauge read 3%. Probably ought to get some fairly soon.
There’s an abundance of trails around here. Lots to do if you hike, bike, kayak fish, and probably some other activities. The Fourth of July trail was recommended by the Forest Service person and it appears to be a popular hike. Internet research indicated that early arrival is recommended to procure a parking space.
The one hitch about this trail: it’s 10 miles down a dirt Forest Service road.
We drove that Forest Service road. Average speed: 10 miles per hour. It took us an hour to navigate that stretch. But in that 10 miles, there was a nearly 2000-foot elevation gain. I noticed that especially coming out as I had to use the brakes nearly constantly. We got a few strange looks from people we passed by. They probably don’t see a motorhome on this washboard dirt road very often.
Despite the bumps and the swaying of the RV, it was a beautiful road. The Fall colors around here are at their peak and the Aspen trees are aflame with color. Very enjoyable watching this, in spite of dodging potholes and large stones.
We also saw another area that set the trees aflame: fire-damaged sections. Even some of these were pretty in their own way as the Aspen trees had sprung up amongst the sticks and snags that were still standing and lent their color to the burned-out landscape.
We did find a place to park the RV in the almost-full lot and set out on the Fourth of July trail. Destination: Washington Lake, nearly six miles round trip. A gradual and steady uphill climb, nearly 1000-foot gain. But we were treated to two lakes nestled among the peaks, and spent some time enjoying and having something to eat at both of them.
It took us almost four hours to do the 5.8-mile distance, including resting and eating at Washington Lake. It took us another hour to drive the 10-mile dirt road back to Highway 75. We drove back into Stanley to load up on propane, diesel fuel and groceries. I paid 80 cents per gallon more than usual for diesel fuel, but this is the only game in town and they can set the price where they want. It turns out that a communication problem between the propane guy and the cashier resulted in an undercharge of roughly the extra amount I paid for the diesel. I figured this out after we had already left.
We headed out of Stanley on Highway 21 towards Lowman, hoping to find a camping spot between here and there. Just a few miles out of town the forest became a moonscape of blackened sticks, and smoke could still be seen in the distance from several areas. This is the still-active Wapiti fire, which has burned over 125,000 acres so far. We stopped at a roadside picnic area to make dinner and to consider our options. Lowman has a few fires nearby, and some of the other areas we would like to visit in the Sawtooth mountains also have active fires. So we’re not sure what we’re going to do.
We moved on towards Lowman, as the fire maps indicated an area of the forest unaffected by fire between here and there. All of the side roads and campgrounds were closed for a while, until we emerged from the fire-blackened areas. We stopped at the Bench Creek Campground, figuring that we may not find anything further up the road. So we’re camped here for the night. Who knows what tomorrow may bring.
Propane: When I used to go Remembrance ACE hardware store for propane, I was paying around $4.50 per GALLON. Often the new clerks at the counter would ring up a 10 Gallon sale for 10 lbs, which was about 1/4 the true cost. I always had to point out the proper scan code in their 3-pin binder.
ReplyDeleteThis year I signed up for a "fleet account" at VanManen Propane, just 1000 ft down the road from Dave's RVs.
My current price: $2.89 / gallon. At that rate, it's Burn Baby Burn!