Thursday, May 8, 2014 (Hagerman, ID)

Today was a travel day.  We woke to cloudy skies and dark black clouds along the Wasatch mountain range.....ick, I hope the rain stays away until we are out of the area.  We were packed up and on the road by 9:45 and with no rain, yahoo.  Our travel today is again on the freeway and should be about another three hour drive.

We had a very nice pleasant travel day and because we didn't go through any big cities, the traffic was really light though we did go through a couple construction zones.  Rich asked if I wanted to drive since the road was so nice, but I declined with the excuse that I wanted to just relax today since it was my birthday.  That's a good excuse don't you think?  And yes, I know, I really need to try driving the truck with the 5er attached but I just didn't want to get all tense and stressed.  I don't know why I'm so intimidated by the thought of driving the truck and the 5er, I guess it's the responsibility that we are hauling our "home" down the road.  I'll talk myself into driving one of these days.

We arrived at our next camping spot, High Adventure River Tours RV park which is just off the freeway but is a lovely park.  We both really like it here, the back of our 5er looks out on a plowed corn field and it is very quiet, even with the freeway nearby.

I think it is good to stay in parks like Wasatch View Estates in Ogden, because it makes you count your many abundant blessings and then when you get to a park like this one, you can really appreciate it.

After we got set up, we drove into the town of Hagerman to check it out and scope out a restaurant for a birthday dinner.  Hagerman is pretty small, I think the population is around 800 folks.  We stopped at the Visitors Center which was also the Hagerman Fossil Beds National Monument Visitors Center.  We looked at the fossil displays and then spoke with the ranger (who grew up in The Dalles, Oregon area) about some sights to see in the area.  We also watched a short video on the history of the fossil beds in this area, it was pretty interesting.  They also had a display on the Japanese displacement camps during World War II because apparently they had one somewhere around here.  I was impressed with the visitor center, especially with it being located in such a small town.  We also found a restaurant that we will come back to for dinner.

When we got back to our 5er, another couple had just pulled into the spot next to us, so we said our hello's and started chatting.  I had noticed that they had on the side of their truck a sign that said Mobile Missionary Assistance Program, so I had to ask about that.  Rich and I had a very nice chat with Jim and Helen.  They live in Sun City, AZ from October - May and then during the summer months travel in their 5er to various spots and do volunteer construction and repair projects for churches.  The program sounds very interesting and they are always looking for additional helpers.  Finally we said our goodbye's so they could finish getting set up and we apologized for breaking the unwritten rule of not interrupting people when they first arrive and are getting setup.  

Soon it was time to go to dinner at the Snake River Grill.  We took another route into town through some very pretty farms.  We had a very nice dinner at the grill.  Rich had rib eye and I had a sirloin steak and grilled sturgeon plate.  The meal was very delicious and to top it off we shared a turtle brownie topped with vanilla ice cream which was super yummy.  For being in a small town, the food was surprisingly good.

I had a very enjoyable and relaxing day and enjoyed phone calls, texts and emails from various family members.   And a big thanks to my husband for making my special day, special.