Utah Fishing Reports
A couple of months ago Winemaker and I made the trip up to Hoback Junction in Wyoming to drop off some elk ivories that had collected in the drawer from last years hunts. I wanted to make sure she had a necklace and some ear rings to match her ring. The man who made our wedding rings really did a great job on them and so who else would we go to to have a necklace and ear rings made? Place advertisement here:
Anyway, our trip back then was nice and cool and a fun drive. When we told him what we wanted he was more than happy to accept the challenge and took the ivories and told us it would be after the hunting season before he could get around to making what we wanted. That was ok with us.
Well, last week his wife called and said the jewelry was ready to pick up. SUPER! We tentatively said we would be up Thursday, Nov. 13 to pick them up.
Since that time we have been watching the weather forecasts for not only Willard, but also Jackson Hole Wyoming. Hoback Junction is 10 miles south of Jackson. Yesterday morning we were enjoying our morning visit over my cup of coffee when I looked at the forecast for the week. Willard’s forecast calls for cold on Wednesday with clouds building in the afternoon, continuing to build and 80% chance of snow beginning Thursday morning and continuing through Friday….HMMMM. Let’s look at Jackson’s weather……80% chance of snow Wednesday, continuing through Saturday with accumulations nearing 10 inches, colder and some blowing and drifting could be expected. Oh my!
Do we really want to wait until Thursday to go to Hoback?
It didn’t take long to realize we should probably go right away as the longer we wait the closer to snowy conditions we will encounter….A quick call to Rod Huskey to confirm someone would be tending the store and off we went…let’s go!
We got away from home about 8:45 and headed North….Up through Logan, on to Soda Springs, Idaho, through the canyon and down to Freedom, Wyoming, North again to Alpine, Wyoming and then up the canyon to Hoback Junction. Mapquest says it’s a 4 hour drive. We can get up there and be back by 6 p.m. and that would even give us an hour to BS with Rod and Candy and to have some lunch at the Yankee Doodle’s restaurant. Our trip began with a delay in Smithfield….A big truck had hit a power pole and had the lines down in the road. All traffic was being diverted. It took a good half hour to get through and back on the road. That was OK, what else were we going to do anyway. Besides, we have always said, “there are reasons for everything”, we had no idea what the reason for this delay was, but we would accept it.
As we got closer to Soda Springs, Idaho, the weather was beginning to settle in around us….
I asked Winemaker to take a picture out the front window to show the skiff of snow alongside the road. Rod had told Winemaker on the phone that they had about 6 inches of snow at their place. I reassured her the roads would be in fine shape as it is a major access to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and they would never let the road get so bad as to close it. Soon we found ourselves in Soda Springs, Idaho….home of the famous “Soda Grizz” (I wonder how he is doing)….
Hey! Soda Springs has some snow…we are about half way to Hoback Junction and my mind is racing….do we continue to go on or do we call it and turn around? I don’t say anything to Winemaker, but continue as if it is no big deal (which actually it wasn’t…..yet…). From Soda Springs the road winds and twists up past Blackfoot Reservoir and up and over and down a small canyon called Tin Cup.
Not much “road crew” work been done here.
We haven’t slid off the road yet, so life is good and we will continue on our way. Besides, this is a local storm and the road will get better as we get lower on the other side of Tin Cup.
We did encounter a couple of “hold onto the wheel, take a deep breath and hold it” spots but we came out and through Freedom, Wyoming (home of the famous Freedom Arms gun manufacturing plant). I think Freedom, Wyoming has a population of about 10, but it triples during the working hours of the gun plant, Monday through Friday.
At the junction of “Freedom and hwy 89”, we turned left (North) and headed for Alpine, Wyoming. The road was very good at this point, a little wet, but the road crews had been out in great numbers a few hours before and so it was a road you could go the speed limit on (65).
By now my butt was getting tired of sitting and I had no idea what time it was, I knew it was after noon and we still had a pretty fair distance to go. 4 hours from 9 would make it 1 p.m., our scheduled time of arrival in Hoback Junction. Winemaker assured me we were only 20 minutes behind schedule. That’s great considering the white knuckle stuff I had been driving in since leaving Soda Springs. Things will be better from here on. In Alpine the junction toward Jackson Hole, Wyoming is a very big junction. We turned right at the junction and proceeded to follow the Snake River up its course. What a pretty river and today it was extremely cold looking…I wonder why?
Oh ya! More ice on the road…hey doesn’t the road crew know this is a major route to Jackson Hole? Come on guys, get some salt and sand out. We are much to close now to turn around and I’m thinking, once we make it to Hoback, I suppose we could continue up to Jackson and spend the night if we have to.
Arriving at our destination we did find nearly 6 inches of fresh snow on the ground.
We went on in and found the place warm and comfy, just like always. Rod was in the back pounding out more customer orders of custom made jewelery, while his wife, Candy took care of business at the counter. She had a lunch date or a deliver to make or something and so we didn’t keep her too long. We got what we came for, gave a hearty “Thank You” to Rod for the fine work and off we went to see how the roads were going back the way we came.
In Alpine we had to stop for lunch at Yankee Doodle’s! It is the only restaurant in town, at least the only one we saw. We had eaten there many years back and since it was Veterans Day, maybe they would be having a special meal. You never know. There was only one other customer in there when we walked in, but it was obvious when we went past on the way through toward Hoback, the place was packed. No place to park outside, so we know the place is where all the locals eat. We chose to sit back near the fireplace which was very toasty. While we were sitting there a group of young people came in and sat behind us, even closer to the fireplace.
A little bit about Yankee Doodle’s…..Before you even walk in you realize this place is “all American”….red, white and blue…even the curb markers are painted in alternating colors. Through the door you see so much red, white and blue decor it is mind boggling. There is actually too much to see and so you would have to go back time after time to try and see it all. Signs are everywhere talking political trash on both sides, but most of the negative stuff is aimed at the “donkeys”. The owner of this establishment is very Pro-gun and even has a sign just inside the door, next to the “no smoking or vaping” sign that reads:
“GUNS ARE WELCOME ON PREMISES, PLEASE KEEP ALL WEAPONS HOLSTERED UNLESS NEED ARISES IN SUCH A CASE, JUDICIOUS MARKSMANSHIP IS APPRECIATED”
Looking around the establishment is an array of stuff, like I said, you just can’t see it all in one trip there.
They have a sign by the cash register that says they will give all active military personnel a complimentary meal. So, for you active military folks, get on up there and get a free lunch! By the way, Winemaker and I had their down home plain and simple hamburgers, mine with country spuds and hers with tater tots. It was almost too much to eat and for both meals the bill came to $18.36. Can you beat that? They serve beer too if you prefer and since I had a long and unknown road condition drive ahead, as tempting as it was to have one, I just had water. One more observation I made while there. The windows are double, double panes. What I mean is on the outside is mounted a double paned window with the sliding glass on your right side as you look at it. On the inside is a double paned sliding window with the sliding glass on the right as you look at it. For ease of cleaning you just slide the window open, clean the inside of the outside window, close the window and clean the insides of both pieces of glass. Then go outside and do the same thing! Clean as a whistle! And with the cold weather outside, just keep both windows shut and you are toasty warm inside. Smart idea.
The drive home came with a decision…do I go back over Tin Cup, which was a scary adventure, or go down through Bear Lake to get home? Bear Lake direction won over the decision and off we went. Just outside of Thane, Wyoming the road took an icy turn and continued that way until we started down Montpelier Canyon, then it got progressively better to the point of dry roads. We got stuck behind a farmer with a load of grain coming down Logan Canyon and didn’t get around him until we were almost out of the canyon. That slowed us up quite a bit but we still got home right at 6 p.m. For future trips up that way, I think going through Bear Lake is the way to go.
What did we see as far as animals on this trip? The always present hawks and birds of almost every kind, including wild turkeys and ducks. Tons of deer, even one small buck. A white weasel (ermine) and a coyote.
I don’t have any pictures of the jewelry we picked up, but it is absolutely beautiful. Small ear rings made from the ivory teeth from my cow elk and matching necklace from one of the bull elk ivories. I’d post a picture on here right now, but Winemaker is wearing it while at work today…run on over to Smith and Edwards and see it first hand!
Bears Butt
November 12, 2014
EDIT: Picture of ear rings and necklace below!
