Day 25 - May 15

High mountain desert
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Hello from the Valley of the Warm Wind, Dubois, WY - at least that's what the sign coming into town says.  I bet there ain't no warm wind here from about October through April.  We're at 7000 feet - having come up today from about 5500 feet on the Wind River Indian Reservation.  After lunch and coffee and Internet time yesterday at the cafe in Lander - I purchased some food and gatorade at the grocery store and headed on down Hwy 287.  I had 2 mores hours of good daylight left and I was feeling good - might as well get a few more miles down the road to get a jump start on Monday (today).  I needed to wash clothes - and there was a laundrymat in Lander - but I figured what the heck - my clothes smell bad now - and they will smell bad again by Thursday when I arrive in Bozeman.  So, why wash them?  And I saved about $10.  Before leaving Lander I called ahead to make sure the campground where I was headed was open.  Remember, I was headed into 75 miles of Indian Reservation and there weren't any other places to camp.  A lady answered the phone and sounded surprised to hear that I was coming her way.  It didn't sound like she had a lot of customers.  But, she was very friendly, and the place was open, and she was helpful with directions cause there weren't any signs to the place.  It was one of those "turn after the hill and look for the big tree" kind of directions.  At any rate, I found the place and it was a welcome oasis.  LuAnn and Joe Malek own the place - RV and tent camping - along with a little diner.  These folks were probably about 75 years old and were a hoot!  They moved from southern California in the 70s because they said it was getting too crowded - and they bought the old KOA campground for a song from the insurance company after it had been shut down.  Now, to be honest, this place was not paradise.  But, the camp site cost me all of $4.60 - which included a hot shower.  And, LuAnn cooked me dinner ($6.50) and breakfast ($2.75) and talked my ear off.  I got on the road by about 9:00am.  I wanted to get at least to Dubois by late afternoon (here I am - it's 5:00pm).  The day has been beautiful -a lot of uphill  but not very steep - and the winds have been gentle and its sunny and warm.  And, after a light day yesterday and a good nights rest - I was in good shape for today.  The Indian Reservation was beautiful country and was an enjoyable segment to the trip.  Honestly, I wouldn't have known I was on a reservation except for the signs that told me so.  It was just open ranchland from horizon to horizon - and nobody around - pretty much like the last 3 days before. The reservation sits at on the east slope of the Wind River mountain range - and has lots of coldwater streams and rivers that run off of snow melt out of the mountains.  The land is very well irrigated - better than any land I've seen so far in Wyoming.

LuAnn was a hoot!
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After leaving the library here in a few minutes, I'm gonna make a decision as to whether to camp here in town or get another 10 miles or so down the road.  Dubois appears to be a tourist destination with a cowboy/mountain man feel to the place -  in route to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks - about a 1000 people - but looks like it has lots of vacation homes and plenty of shops and restaurants.  Tomorrow I have to get up and over Togwotee Pass (Elev. 9200 feet or so) which will drop me down toward Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.  I hope to get to YNP tomorrow evening.  Then, on Wednesday I hope to get to West Yellowstone and maybe even half way to Ennis.  If I could get within 30 miles or so of Ennis on Wednesday, I think my Bozeman crew and I can make it to Bozeman on Thursday without having to rely on motorized transportation.  Time will tell.  These next couple of days are going to be over some serious mountain terrain.  The next Library is in West Yellowstone - 2 days away.  I'll try to post an entry there - if the library is closed - or I'm short on time - I'll finish up the Tour de Fletch trip journal from Bozeman on Friday.  Until then, keep your fingers crossed for more great weather and good health.

The Indian Reservation was beautiful country and was an enjoyable segment to the trip.