We arrived at Pinedale, WY knowing nothing about the area. Our hope was to find a decent camping spot for the night that was reasonably priced. After catching up on personal matters in Rock Springs, WY, we were ready to experience more of the raw beauty of the NW Rockies. Our first stop was at the Pinedale District Ranger Station which gave us a lot of helpful info regarding the local National Forest Campgrounds and local hiking trails. After getting potable water from the side of the District Ranger building and a few groceries from the grocery store next door, we were ready to go. Unbeknownst to us, when we pulled into the National Forest Freemont Lake Campground, we stumbled onto a real gem, a place you want to hang out for a couple of weeks, or even longer.....
Pinedale is a cute little town and their motto is "All The Civilization You Need". Some of the neat things that we have discovered already are: a state of the art Aquatic Center that even has a lazy river and rock climbing wall. A log cabin style library that feels like you are in a ski lodge living room. An indoor skating rink, and two nice parks in town which the Pine Creek (fairly good size despite being called a creek), runs thru. This creek is crystal clear with a typical river rock bottom, and we have enjoyed watching the kids tubing down the stream.
A view of Freemont Lake from a mountain top to the north we drove to. What a view. The lakes up here are seemingly underutilized and big.
Hiking Saturday 27 July on the Half Moon Lake trail which is only a few miles from Freemont Lake. Not sure if we would make the drive in the motor-home again since the dirt road to Half Moon Lodge is narrow and winding. (difficult for 2 cars to pass in places).
On Sunday we attended the Pinedale Bible Church on the north side of town. They appear to have a strong children's and youth ministry there. Good mix of folks of all ages. The pastor mentioned during the announcements that they would be having a evening campfire service at the north boat ramp. We were excited to learn that it was at our campground and we were able to ride our bikes down. Setting around the fire ring and singing songs like Jesus Love Me and Amazing Grace was, well, .. amazing.. The pastor shared a short devotion and several folks spoke of how God was working in their lives. After the devotion we roasted hot dogs, etc.. on the fire and learned a lot more about living in the Wyoming North West and places to explore and visit.
Observations that stood out to us:
* Dogs are not on leashes
* Kids playing with no adult supervision
* We felt old when sitting in Church
* Bikes laying in public areas, not locked and not in bike racks
* No Walmarts, Walgreens, Fast food restaurants
* No Traffic Lights
* The grocery store, hardware store, liquor store and clothing store are all connected under one roof....and it is the only one in town.
* You see as many RV's and Campers as you do cars
More to come...since we extended our stay here in Pinedale!
Pinedale is a cute little town and their motto is "All The Civilization You Need". Some of the neat things that we have discovered already are: a state of the art Aquatic Center that even has a lazy river and rock climbing wall. A log cabin style library that feels like you are in a ski lodge living room. An indoor skating rink, and two nice parks in town which the Pine Creek (fairly good size despite being called a creek), runs thru. This creek is crystal clear with a typical river rock bottom, and we have enjoyed watching the kids tubing down the stream.
Out kayaking on Freemont Lake, the water is crystal clear. We read where the lake is over 600 ft deep, over a mile wide and 9 miles long.
Enjoying the local Farmers Market then a live music performance on the library lawn on Thursday night, 25 July.
Hiking Saturday 27 July on the Half Moon Lake trail which is only a few miles from Freemont Lake. Not sure if we would make the drive in the motor-home again since the dirt road to Half Moon Lodge is narrow and winding. (difficult for 2 cars to pass in places).
On Sunday we attended the Pinedale Bible Church on the north side of town. They appear to have a strong children's and youth ministry there. Good mix of folks of all ages. The pastor mentioned during the announcements that they would be having a evening campfire service at the north boat ramp. We were excited to learn that it was at our campground and we were able to ride our bikes down. Setting around the fire ring and singing songs like Jesus Love Me and Amazing Grace was, well, .. amazing.. The pastor shared a short devotion and several folks spoke of how God was working in their lives. After the devotion we roasted hot dogs, etc.. on the fire and learned a lot more about living in the Wyoming North West and places to explore and visit.
Observations that stood out to us:
* Dogs are not on leashes
* Kids playing with no adult supervision
* We felt old when sitting in Church
* Bikes laying in public areas, not locked and not in bike racks
* No Walmarts, Walgreens, Fast food restaurants
* No Traffic Lights
* The grocery store, hardware store, liquor store and clothing store are all connected under one roof....and it is the only one in town.
* You see as many RV's and Campers as you do cars
More to come...since we extended our stay here in Pinedale!
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