Day 1 – 3: Flaming Gorge, Utah
The Indigo Girls’ “Get Out the Map” was the first song to play on the 7.5 hour custom curated playlist from one of our best friends. Finessa is very specific about her playlists: the songs are thoughtfully aggregated and ordered to convey specific emotions or a story line. She says this is the first playlist she’s ever tried to tell a story with, and it most definitely hit all the feels as we left town.
Our first stop on the Meander was Lodgepole Campground just south of Flaming Gorge Recreation Area near Vernal, Utah. This destination violated our rule of no more than 4-5 hours of driving per day (that will be violated a few more times this summer, but should be an exception rather than a rule), but we wanted to start off in a different state. Our neighbor Helen told us about the great time she and Michelle had out on paddle boards there last summer and it seemed as good a starting point as any.
Describing our car as “overpacked” is an understatement. We packed for 4 different things at the same time: a 10 week road trip that included camping, visiting with loved ones in various places across North America, three and half months in Europe, and whatever was left went into storage. To be clear, we didn’t bring all four of those things with us……we put most into storage and sent some clothes to Erin’s parents in VA, but there is a LOT of stuff in our car right now. Bike stuff ~ air pump, chain lube, extra tubes, locks; laundry stuff ~ detergent, stain fighters, dryer sheets, etc; food ~ we cleaned out our pantry, so you name it we’ve probably got it; camping gear ~ tent, air mattress, duvet (because bedding is important), cooking utensils, etc, etc, etc….; shoes ~ three pairs each…..you get the idea. Fully loaded we cannot see out any windows but our own and the front windshield.
Lodgepole Campground was low on amenities, but high on ambiance. Located in the lush alpine forest of Ashley National Forest, our particular site was in the middle of an aspen grove. The temperatures hit the low 80s during the day and went down to the low 50s at night: perfect for camping, hiking, and most important, campfires. This campground was not IN Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area and that was good for us ~ it avoided all the partying loud music and craziness that comes with power boats in general. #getoffmylawn! (We’re looking at you, Nancy). All in all it was a very pleasant place to stay for the camping shakedown.
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