May 31

                                                                                                                                             Pocatello, ID

Miles:   355                                                                                                                               elev: 4462

Batise Springs RV Park                                                                                                          pop: 45,255

 Sunrise Batise Springs

7:00 a.m.  So beautiful here with the birds calling and a soft (hurray!) breeze blowing through the trees... oh, look, look -- a great blue heron!  Sorry, no picture.  Not awake en

8:30 a.m. on the road again.  Not so many mountains this morning, as we will be in the big, broad valley of southern Idaho.  We talked about trying to stay again at Farewell Bend State Park on the Snake River, but we didn't make advance reservations.Tonight is also the beginning of the weekend; there will likely be many more people wanting to camp.  We had stayed here before in September 2009 and it was beautiful.  We were one of eight RVs there.  The camp host also spaced us out so we each had a large semi-private area.  Will look for something between Boise and Pendleton, OR.  Another 10/10 star review for a place just south of La Grande, OR.  I'm beginning to wonder if I'm just lucky or someone is paying for good reviews ...

4:10 p.m. PDT  ... I guess I'm just lucky.  This spot is lovely.  The closest neighbors are cows.  As Mike has to install something at Pella on Sunday (no rest for the IT guys), and the Verizon 4G is strong, I guess we will stay here several days.  There is a pool and spa heated with the addition of water from the Hot Spring.  One wouldn't want to have it straight from the spring at 186 degrees.  Needing to works some kinks out, we walked along a stretch of the actual Oregon Trail next to a natural spring.  Further down there is a sulphur spring, and they pump some up to help heat the pool and spa.  They filter it so there is minimal sulfur smell.  The spring on our end is not smelly at all.  We are tucked up under a large hill and far enough from highways that it is very quiet.  The nearest neighbors are cattle on the one side and the Hot Lake Resort on the other end of the lake.  

May 30

                                                                                                                                               Rawlins, WY

Miles:  373                                                                                                                              elev:  6834 ft RV World                                                                                                                                 pop: 9, 260

8:30 a.m.Another windy day, but sunny.  On advice of camp host decided to take Hwy 30 (The old Lincoln Highway) instead of dipping down into Utah to catch I-84.  Still extremely windy.  The older highway is through more interesting countryside, but when we are on a northern leg the winds hit us cross-wise.  Worse by far than headwinds, as the gusts are nearly enough to force us off the road.

12:30 p.m. Stopped at Kemmerer for a lunch of left-over tuna salad.  The claim to fame for this town is that it is the original J.C. Penney store.  Both the county seat and largest city in Lincoln County, it boasts a population of 2600.  No parking for anything over about twenty feet in length in town, so parked in the lot of defunct store between a Pizza Hut and an Alco Store in the "suburb" of Diamondville.   Ninety minutes for lunch to accommodate Mike's conference call this afternoon. Verizon 4G service.

6:20 p.m. Overnight Batise Springs RV Park in Pocatello, ID.  This place got a good review (10/10 stars) in rvparkreviews.com.  On the map it shows across the river from sewage treatment plant.  As we drove in there was a cement plant on the other side of the highway from the park.  Had to wend our way through construction zone and around a huge RV and boat storage building.  Once we were nestled into our spot, however, it was quite peaceful.  The spaces are laid out so that your "front door" faces the river.  It felt good to go for a walk between the Batise Springs and Pontneuf River before dinner.  When the terrain began to be too overgrown and the caddisflies too plentiful, returned to dine and bed.   The owners were truly happy to have us there.  The only other unit was an old travel trailer.  I thought it might be a weekend fisherman's rig.  Mike thought it was more likely a construction worker.  (He won.)

Batise Springs

Sunset Pocatello, ID

May 28

 Finally leaving!                               Pella, IA                   pop: 10,352                     elev:  886 ft
                                                                                                                                             
9:30 a.m. (CDT)  Spent yesterday packing the rest of our stuff.  It always feels like too much; we have to keep reminding ourselves that we are not going on vacation, but moving 'house' for five months!  Still a bit rainy this morning, but not the big storms like overnight.  Will be so happy to get out of this weather.

Stopped for lunch 12:40 - 1:15.  I had diced pickles, celery, onion, and cooked some eggs yesterday, so made quick assembly of tuna salad.  Rain is over, hope for sunny skies from now on.

6:50 p.m.  Stop for night Holiday Travel Park in North Platte, Nebraska (our third or fourth stay over the years). Less humid here.  Had dinner next door at Penny's Diner, a really old-fashioned diner, where the grill is so close, the cook turned and handed us our plates!  Signs said "Biker Friendly" and "Trucker Friendly" but saw no evidence of either.  They greeted everyone with "How are you guys tonight?"  Ice cream for dessert bought at the Park Office.