The following is day one of what I wrote during my adventures in August while driving for 8 days from Jackson Hole, Wyoming - to El Paso, Texas - and back to Michigan:
I dedicate this to the memory of Baerbel Whitney, 1936-2007, who in 2003 became a member of an elite group of very important people who have been to Nepal with me. She was also known to have camped alone.
On the Road
August 17, 2007
The park ranger at the gate put me in a not-so-nice campsite by the bathrooms. Perhaps she thought a heavy traffic zone was good for safety for a woman traveling alone. If I were a man I'm sure I'd have the outermost site with a view.
It looks like the two campsites beyond are under repair so I don't think there will be campers there who will be walking through my site tonight. No cars or people in view as I gaze toward The Great Salt Lake. This island in the middle was intriguing as it appeared on the triple-A map so I had to stop. Moab, Utah was my goal, but I'd never have gotten that far. I had a late start in Jackson Hole, WY today.
It is very scenic here at this picnic table where I sit. Antelope Island is a lovely place although I admit I thought there would be trees. I don't usually camp alone. This is only my second trip with such intentions. Despite being more than really afraid the first time, I ended up having a ball driving around and camping in Washington and Oregon a few years back. Why not again? So here I am.
When I think of camping I think of trees. Here I can see the entire campground from my perch at site #5 by the bathrooms. There is not one tree within view - only large bushes. The campground appears to be half full from this perspective.
There is a dark cloud over the water near the mountains in the distance - far away. Hopefully it's heading in the other direction - away from here. Should I worry?
There is a large recreational vehicle at site #4, not too far from me. It is as big as an entire house. I saw a man riding from this RV to the trash dumpster carrying a bag of trash on a two wheeled upright motorized vehicle. What do you call those things? (Segway PT) Talk about lazy. My goodness. Isn't the giant bus bad enough? He had to have that contraption, too? It's 200 feet at most between his rig and the dumpster. Not only that, honest to goodness, they have the air conditioner on which is humming loudly - disturbing the peace! Why don't they just stay home where life is easier.
I hope it doesn't rain.
With a dry swimsuit, I just returned from a short hike to the edge of the lake. It seems like low tide if they have such a thing here. The water is at a distance from where shrubs mark what looks like the edge of the lake. There's a wide sandy belt before getting to the water. I don't think the Great Salt Lake has a tide. I read it is full of salt and other minerals because this lake has no outlet. Rivers and streams come in and can't get out - except by evaporation. I suppose, depending on the weather, it grows and shrinks with the seasons.
Salt Lake is the largest natural lake west of the Mississippi. It is from 4% to 28% salt while the ocean is 3% salt. Antelope Island State Park is home to 250 bird species as well as coyote, bison herds, bobcats and reptiles - according to the brochure I got at the park entrance.
Ah, someone just pulled into site #7 and is obstructing my view, but not really. Looks like a family of four with a kayak on the roof of the car.
Two large jack rabbits are bounding through the yellow grass. I can just barely see their ears. They look much like this (a drawing of an open top figure 8). Ugh, this means site #7 will be traversing through my campsite to get to the bathrooms. Their camp is nearer the dumpster. Another car just pulled in around the bend to site #11.
Thank goodness that giant RV just left. Perhaps they will be back?
Earlier I walked through the deep sand to get to the water's edge, and it was a little smelly, not so pleasant. There must have been some yummy bacteria for those flies to feed on. Yikes, there were a trillion-billion small tiny buzzing flies that were completely still, covering the ground totally unnoticeable - until I came along. At each of my steps they jumped and hummed, hovering low to the ground - thank goodness not at eye level! I managed to brave the walk a little further, but it was really quite awful. As I got closer to the water, swimming in the Great Salt Lake became less and less appealing.
When I finally reached the shore, it seemed sandy and not too slimy so I probably should have taken a dip. I wanted to try the salt water since supposedly it makes one - no matter what size - float. Unfortunately there was no place to put my towel without stirring up a bazillion big-eyed flies. Maybe I'll try again in the morning.
I just overheard the father of the family of four yelling to his son who was rummaging around in the back seat of the car: "Under the floor, under the seat in the back passenger seat," direct quote. I wonder what they are looking for.
When the wind blows just right, I can smell the smelly area from here, but it's not too noticeably bad.
That storm I was watching has luckily gone the other way. Now it is quite far away. It is very quiet except for a rather stiff wind. Where did that wind come from? The after effects of that storm maybe...? There aren't any trees to block the wind. My tent is inching toward me, but there is a giant mattress inside so I'm not too worried about it blowing away completely. I worry more about my wine glass tipping over. Maybe I should worry more about the rain. It wasn't windy before. The weather around here changes so quickly it could easily pour in the middle of the night.
More wind now. My tent is like an enormous sail, and it is now wedged securely against the picnic table. I think it cannot take flight since it is stuck between the table and the post (I am under a small shelter). Hopefully it won't blow away. Maybe I should get inside to weight it down more. It is getting dark. Where is my head lamp?
Yes, now it looks like a storm (the same one?!). It is coming this way.
I am inside the tent now which is still wedged against the picnic table. If the rain falls straight down from the sky, I should be OK under this metal roof. However if it blows at an angle, west to east, I will be drenched, especially if I don't zip up the window on that side. Even when zipped, I wonder if water will get in. We'll see if it rains. I am hoping this is the windy edge of a storm that is going another direction.
No rain yet, at least. Oops, just saw big lightening. I am counting ~ 15 seconds maybe 20 before the thunder caught up. What's that - how many miles? I'll keep hoping it's going a different way. If worst comes to worst I'll jump in the car.
My neighbors in the "5th wheel" (large trailer attached to the back of a large pickup truck) at site #2 stopped over before it got dark. They said it looked like I was struggling - as I tried to put the rain flap on my tent which was behaving more like a parasail. I gave up on it before these helpers appeared. Perhaps I should have employed them. It is still dry outside now. I left my watch in the car, darn. It's probably around 9?
While on my hike this evening following the water's edge, I made my way up - over large boulders and tall shrubs - more like tumble weeds waiting to tumble, big dried prickly bushes. The tall grasses had narrow sandy rabbit paths between them, but it was easier to jump from rock to rock than to venture through the bushes. I wondered about snakes and large spiders too... I found the human (or bison) trail that goes around the western tip of the island and followed it to a point where I had a good view of the sunset. I pondered the distant storm that now seems to be brewing so loudly above.
The thunder sounds great by the way. Wish I could record it! It is still dry. So far so good. Major cricket chirping in the grasses. Does that mean something?
Seven seconds - lightening is closer. Less wind now. No wind. Hmmm.
While on the trail earlier, I heard what sounded like a pack of coyote pups yelping, howling - playing maybe. I imagined their parents would be nearby and wondered if it might be possible to walk too far onto the small peninsula so that I might be cornered by them and not able to get back... There were no other people around nor did it seem anyone had walked this trail in years.
The more I listened the more I thought it might be coyotes - wolves? Definitely exotic wild dogs! That was when I noticed the interesting animal "doo" and pictured a large pack of carnivorous canines protecting their young even more. But then when I turned around I realized these were probably the sounds of birds. I didn't fret too much, and on my sunset walk back to my campsite all was quiet.
News from the tent: I am braced for the worse. It is again very windy outside but no rain yet. More lightening and thunder. I'll wait to use the bathroom until after this passes. My tent will blow away if I'm not in it. From Wyoming I drove through a storm that the radio said was moving at 35mph. There was some serious HEAVY rain and crashing thunder - a major and much needed car wash. Gorgeous landscapes, too, all along that drive!
I hear large drops of water on the metal shelter roof now. Yikes. Rain is here. Seems to be coming straight down - so far, at least. All could change soon. More rain. I am zipping up the western window which will hopefully be enough to keep me dry...? It is pouring now.
Later... That was very exciting. I think the worst is over. Finally I got the rain flap on - in the rain - though not quite as designed. It will work for now. I still hear distant thunder. My bed is amazingly not too wet - a little damp, but at least it's warm. I am not cold. Just went to the bathroom and back. All is OK. I see there is one big wet spot in the middle of my foam mattress, and water is still dripping down the inside of the tent. It will dry. I will sleep.
It is raining again - more thunder - hard to sleep!! Hopefully the rain flap will help this time.
The fourth storm had more thunder than the other two, but its bark was bigger than it's bite. Even the metal roof of the shelter is rattling but not much rain now.
Tonight's menu was tortilla chips and grocery store salsa (a bit too hot for me) and a very-veggie salad with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, wine, too, of course. No dessert. Good night - if I can't sleep, you'll be the first to know since I'm sure I'll end up writing more. Wonder what time it is...? Midnight? Lots of thunder and lightening still. Maybe more rain to come.
Sincerely,
Heather O'Neal
Of Global Interest Adventure Travel
The Eighth Street Trekkers' Lodge B&B
Ann Arbor, Michigan
(734) 369-3107
ofglobal@aol.com
http://www.ofglobalinterest.com
Back to the journal index 
|