We left Soda Lake behind and fueled up in Pinedale before heading toward Daniel, Wyoming. Along the way, we stopped to visit Horse Creek and the Green River Rendezvous site just outside of town. The area is steeped in history, and it felt fitting to stop and soak it in for a bit.
After a short chat with John and Brian, we got back on the road and made our way south through Marbleton, Big Piney, and eventually La Barge, Wyoming. The route followed the Green River for quite a stretch—a refreshing change of scenery since we’d never been through this area before. New landscapes always seem to breathe new life into the trip.
We rolled into Kemmerer, Wyoming—home of the very first J.C. Penney store—and continued on through familiar territory: Lyman and Mountain View. We made a pit stop at Benedict’s Grocery to restock for the week, then pushed on to our main destination: Lonetree, Wyoming, home of this year’s Rocky Mountain National Rendezvous.
We arrived around 3 p.m. and wasted no time getting into the spirit of the event—changing into period-appropriate attire and setting off in search of a campsite. We ran into plenty of familiar faces right away, sharing stories and catching up. After wandering around a bit, we settled in near our good friend Lynn.
I rolled out my bedroll and slept under the stars that night, tentless, with a clear view of the sky.
The next morning began with a hearty breakfast alongside James and Lynn—bacon, blueberries, cornmeal mash, and hot coffee. From there, we walked trader’s row, chatting with vendors and friends, eyeing all the handcrafted goods on display.
Gayla and I laid out our trade blanket next to Lynn’s and had a great time bartering. We traded with Cody for some beautiful beads we’ll treasure, and sold a few of our own goods—Gayla moved several sashes and straps, and I let go of some small handmade items.
When Lynn packed up to leave, we moved camp and set up with William from Sweden. We built a lean-to shelter to give us shade both morning and afternoon. It ended up being a great little spot.
That evening, we joined in a birthday celebration for Montana, who turned 21. Gifts were flying and spirits were high—he made out like a bandit.
We took one last lap around trader’s row the following day to make sure we grabbed everything we had our eye on. I picked up a gorgeous quilled horn strap, some checked wool, tins for fire-starting kits, and—finally—got my hands on a 10×10 diamond fly tent I’d been eyeing for a while.
The dogs were real champs all weekend, strolling along at our pace or catching a lift in the wagon when they got tired. The final day of the event brought cooler temps and off-and-on rain, which continued overnight until around 3 a.m.
When the rendezvous wrapped up, we slowly made our goodbyes and pointed Clifford toward the Wasatch National Forest, scouting for our next workweek camp.
Forest roads were busy—it was still Saturday morning—but after a few hours of exploring, we found a spot that worked. It’s not the quietest, being close to the road and ATV traffic, but it’ll do.
We leveled out Clifford and got lunch going: juicy steaks and brats with garlic butter. After the rain, we took the opportunity to set up our new 10×10 tent to let it dry out.
Dahlgreen Creek runs next to our site, perfect for filling the Helio for a warm shower.
Current GPS Coordinates: 40.8815° N, 110.7657° W
We took a short walk down a nearby trail and stumbled upon another camp. From the looks of it, only dirt bikes had passed through since the rain.
We also spotted some delicate Western Harebell flowers nearby—a simple reminder of the beauty all around us.
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Elevation: 9,063 feet
Mileage: 190.56 miles driven in the last 6 days
Total Trip Mileage: 1,787.87 miles
Another chapter of this journey closes with muddy boots, new friendships, and stories to carry forward.
