trout creek guard station - part 3

Because we never, ever have completely fabulous weather on our vacations, Sunday was pretty much a washout.  We'd planned to do a higher altitude hike (trailhead at 11,000 ft; high point at 12,000) to a lake to see if there were any fish to be caught, but the thunder and lightning evident at the trailhead changed our minds.  Instead we followed our map around a bunch of Forest Service roads, checking out Oaks Park Reservoir, a bunch of range cattle and a good number of folks on ATVs, all wearing raingear.  (The people were wearing raingear, not the cows.)

Riding the storm out

We got back to the cabin in the early afternoon and settled into the long haul - the thunderstorm moved around us for about eight hours.  I read on the porch, bundled up as the temperature plummeted (by dark we could see our breath), while H painstakingly prepared shavings for the evening's campfire and our range cows lowed calmly to each other.  It was pretty peaceful, but we almost ran out of beer.  The rain finally stopped at 7:30 p.m., giving us enough time to build a campfire.  We'd planned to cook a pork tenderloin over the fire but it just got too late and we had leftovers instead.

The master firebuilder gets it done even

on rainy days

Monday meant we had to leave and, of course, the day came in clear and brightly sunshiny.  We packed up our gear, swept out the cabin, took a few more pictures and said goodbye to the cows.  We decided to drive out a different way than we went in, which dirt road took us through winding Brownie Canyon and Dry Fork, the latter of which ends in dramatic red and white rock cliffs and hoodoos.  The drive west was uneventful and we got back to SLC in time for a pitcher of Full Suspension at the Porcupine before we liberated B from the kennel.

A little scruffy and completely happy

The stack of laundry was imposing and we desperately needed/wanted showers, but it was bittersweet to be home again (as much as we like our house): the Trout Creek Guard Station is a lovely place, pulled out of the world where we really felt as though we were in the middle of nowhere, away from absolutely everything.  We're so glad we went there.