Riverton Wyoming to Buffalo Wyoming

Sunday, November 16, 2008

THE WORST DAY !!!!!!

Let's not do this day again....

Well this is one day I don't want to repeat in a hurry !

Well.. the day was fine.. (apart from a small hiccup) but the night was something else again..

Last night when we pulled up at the camp site and Greggy was hooking up, the lights in Missy were dim.. then they went off all together.. very odd.

Greggy plugged into mains and all was good again.. Bright lights and heat... TV still a little scratchy though.  We think a wire may be loose as day 1, 2 and 3 we rec'd a perfectly clear picture on the front TV and the back TV and then after Day 4.. snow picture.. when we get into a major town we'll get it sorted.

So, this morming we pack up and put the the key in the ignition and nuthin, nada, nix !

Oh Joy.. let the fun begin !!!!

Got a jump start by a fellow camper and we were on our way.. what's draining the battery?  Who knows !

Go to the Wyoming Dinosaur Museum in Thermopolis Wyoming.. Al was hanging out to see it.

Greg didn't want to turn the motor off so Charlie and I played a few games of cards while the boys went inside the museum.

One couple pulled up in the carpark (Kiwis) and knocked on our window as we were playing cards and said "we had to count the stars" (referring to our flag on the back) and then said "We were close.. we're from New Zealand".

We're yet to meet another australian..

Greg came out and Charlie and I went in and wandered through the museum guided by Al who is quite the expert when it comes to dinosaurs !

Spoke to the couple from NZ. Found out about their business, where they've been, where they're going and what their sexual preferences are (kidding!) and gave them my spiel !

Quick walk through the gift shop and a swift empyting of Mama Bear's purse by the kids and we headed off to the Hot Springs.

The Hot Springs are a bit spesh.  It was an unusually warm day so the steam coming off the springs didn't show too well on the photos, but steam there was..

The blurb says that the indians sold (erhum.. just clearing my throat) this land to the US Government.. generous indians !

The sulphur smell from the springs was a bit much though.. reminded me of high school and an experiment using the bunson burner in science !

Met a guy who was fascinated by us Aussies and he told us he was from Nebraska who hadn't been home in 6 months as he was there for therapy.  He had a stroke and spends 3 hours in the springs of a morning, 2 hours in the afternoon and a further 3 hours at night all for the 'healing' properties.

They advertise these springs as 'fountains of youth'.. Maybe I could spend a few months there.. something tells me that I'm going to need more than a few wades in the water wind me back to 21 again !

After the springs, we returned to the RV and guess what????  Flat battery !  Who knows..!

Rang a mobile mechanic and for $60.00 plus taxes, we got a jump start and we were on our way again.

Off to Buffalo.. We hear (according to camp site reviews.. such is my life that I've resorted to reading campsite reviews) that the KOA in Buffalo Wyoming is pretty damn good !

From Thermopolis to Buffalo we hit the mountains again and the SNOW !

Whilst I trust Greggy's driving, sitting in the passenger seat in the snow going down windy roads kind of freaks me out!

Greg just laughs.  I apparently 'lean' to the left when there's a cliff to my right and I grip the arm rests pretty tight.

Well, with a 10% decline covered in snow in a 34 foot bus weighing over 6 tonne, it's a little white knuckling!

After about 15 miles of steep decline, the brakes started to smell ! Oh joy.. let's end this damn day already !

We pulled over - I had a cigarette (yes for all of you.. I'm smoking !!!!) and then we took off in low gear without touching the brakes.. albeit v-e-r-y   s-l-o-w-l-y down the hill for about another 15 miles or so...

We got to Buffalo (and clapped and cheered) and headed for the kick @rse camp ground.

We completed the night registration forms (oh.. didn't I tell you.. to add to the above sheiss fight.. it became dark in the last 10 miles.. oh yeah.. great day)

Found our site number and parked.  Lowered the jacks, popped the slide and checked the power.. Nix, nada, nuthin'.. ARGGGGHHHH

Someone pretend I'm a thanksgiving turkey and shoot me already !

So.. run the damn generator I say.. Greg says it's too noisy and inconsiderate to run a generator so close to other campers.. Do you want to know whether I cared about the other campers??? Huh.. do you do you ???

Anyway, I wouldn't even know how to turn on the generator so in goes the slide, up go the jacks and we get back on the road.. (remind me how much fun we're having again.. ) to find a place close to an auto electrician... Greg figures if we don't start in the morning, at least we'll be right outside the door of a professional !

Oh yeah Greg.. let me google you an auto electrician in Buffalo Wyoming !

Being the legend that I am, I found one, programmed Lois and away we go!

The kids had crashed out in our bed by this stage, which meant we got the front beds !.. Just as well really.. If you're parking 'illegally', it's not a good look to draw the front curtains.. that's just an invitation for a sherrif to come knocking and move you along. So we left the dining table up (usually Charlie's bed) and Greggy and I slept squooshed together on the couch..

No power, no heat and complete darkness.. Time for bed I guess !

Greg couldn't sleep... so he started fart arsing around again with the inverter/converter and didn't want to run the generator for fear of any power draining the battery - but he couldn't sleep so out with the torch to try something else..  I heard the dreaded beeep beeeep beeep (the warning.. you're going to run out of battery charge) and within 2 minutes, he managed to flatten the battery again!

..Well.. if we were asked to move on.. we couldn't any more..