The wind in Wyoming can be relentless, and even though we had not really experienced it yet, as we extended our awning on our arrival at Boysen Reservoir, I cautioned Will that we needed to keep an eye on the weather.
Even with it at the forefront of our minds, the wind caught us both off guard (Will was out searching for firewood and I was taking care of a toddler’s cuts and scrapes from a little tumble down by the lake), and it made for an interesting first night…and subsequent 3 nights for the duration of our stay.
Everything about the campground and state park were truly amazing, except the wind picked up around 7:00 PM every evening and did not let up for hours. We had just gotten settled and were planning a nice evening by a fire, but instead, we ended up babysitting our awning for several hours, Will holding it down against the wind, as the wind was too much for our 15-amp fuses to retract it. We kept blowing them until finally the wind let up enough that Will was able to use our typical technique of securing the awning to the ground with paracord. We never did have a fire while we were there.
We learned our lesson, though, and upgraded to a 20-amp fuse the next day when Will ran into town, and we retracted the awning anytime we were not outside, even though we definitely paid for it in fuel to run the generator all weekend.
Aside from our initiation in the Wyoming wind, our weekend was truly delightful. We spent lots of time at the campground, playing in the lake, paddle boarding, and just relaxing, and we also made a quick trip into Thermopolis to enjoy Hot Springs State Park.
Growing up, I went to the waterpark associated with the hot springs on occasion, but I do not recall ever walking around the state park. Since we had Daisy with us and it was pushing a million degrees, we opted for a quick walk on the boardwalk to get a good look at the hot springs and then a stop for ice cream, milkshakes, and root beer floats.
The wind definitely gave us a run for our money (and our patience), but we are now more aware of our awning situation (armed with lots of extra fuses!) and I am more confident in the stability of our trusty camper! Our time at Boysen was nice and relaxing, and given that we were there over July 4th, it was a relief to not have crowds or other people to deal with. Our campsite was a nice distance from others, and we had views of the lake right out our front door. It does not get better than that.
Nurturing Adventure 