Wyoming

9AM Mountain time. We're back! Last Thursday while driving south to Lusk, Wyoming (population 1,500) the transmission on the RV went out. We were literally in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone service! Fortunately, men were working on some fencing down the road and Jim was able to hail them and one of them came to our assistance. This man drove Jim 40 miles round trip to nearest town where oil and phone service were available and all Jim could do for him was buy him a soda. This man is an example of the type of person we have encountered as we travel accross this country.

Jim put four quarts of transmission fluid into the engine, it started and Jim said to me "Take your seat we're moving!" We drove on the 40 miles to Lusk where we planned to camp for the night and were 30 feet from the camp site when the RV wouldn't move. Again, fortunate for us the man who owns the campground is a mechanic and after pouring more oil into the RV then he towed us into the site where we sat until yesterday afternoon when we were towed to Torrington, Wyoming (population 4,500) for repairs. The name of the campground is BJ's in Lusk and we would recommend that place of everyone. They even gave us a ride to the grocery, loaned us a heater for our water pump and loaned us DVD's. Jim and I are now staying in a Holiday Inn in town and hope to be on our way West to Boise to spend a few days with Ann McClanahan.

Torrington and the surrounding area is very historic as it was part of the Oregon Trail. We plan to rent a car today and tour the area. We are right next to a truck-stop facility where there is a restaurant which provides good home cooked meals cheap. We've learned that truck plaza's (as their called) are very nice with food of all kinds, showers, supplies, place for RV's to park and overnight if needed--and they're safe. Jim mentioned to me that next to the truck service facility is an art gallery--quite a juxaposition! I'll let you know our impression.

We plan to take the scenic route to Boise hopping over to the interstate if weather is bad.

Mount Rushmore---This national monument is impressive. Imagine hanging hundreds of feet in the air over rock and creating such a masterpiece. I took several pictures and do hope I got a good one to share. We didn't stay in the area as long as we'd like because there was a cold front moving in with snow accumulation predicted. As it turned out, we were smart to get on our way as the next day began a weather pattern bringing unusually cold weather and snow. We were in Lusk for 3 days but safe not stranded on a deserted road.

Now that I've caught you up I'll sign off and try to report again tomorrow after having had a chance to tour the surrounding area. We are having a wonderful time and expect to be on the road for another 4 weeks. Love Jim and Janet