June 22, 2026 (Mon.) - An 'Alarming' Travel Day.
It’s travel day to Saratoga, WY — yay, time to explore somewhere new! But the day started off alarmingly. Literally.
At 2 a.m., we were jolted awake by the blaring sirens of the water sensors Kirk installed yesterday. It was painfully loud — the sensor in the water storage bay plus the receiver going off like it was trying to summon the dead. Since the sensor was in the outside storage bay, investigating meant stepping out into the chilly night. That wasn’t happening. Thankfully, Kirk could control the sensors from his phone and shut the alarms off… or so he thought. The actual cause of the alarm would have to wait until morning.
At 3 a.m., 4 a.m., 5 a.m., and 6 a.m., the alarms went off again like clockwork. He had already unplugged the receiver, but the water‑bay sensor kept sounding every hour. We were convinced our neighbors were going to hate us. Each time it went off, Kirk “turned it off,” not realizing until 6 a.m. that the app had a separate volume control for the sensor itself. Once he found the mute option, peace finally returned.
Lynn was up at 5:45 a.m. at a chilly 48°. No walk today — plus it was travel day. Kirk got up at 8:45, and neither of us bothered with breakfast; we were in full travel mode. A quick check showed no catastrophic leaks, so we hit the road at 9:45 a.m. for the 135‑mile trip to Saratoga, about 2½ hours. Kirk chatted with the neighbors before leaving, and thankfully they hadn’t heard the alarms blaring all night long.
The Colorado portion of the drive was gorgeous — lush green trees covering the mountainsides and rolling hills everywhere. Crossing into Wyoming, the scenery shifted. Still beautiful, but in a quieter, wide‑open‑spaces kind of way. Lots of cows, farms, and no traffic. A peaceful drive. No rest areas, but we didn’t need any for such a short trip. We arrived around 12:45 p.m.
Deer Haven RV Park in Saratoga is small. Our site (#29) backed up to the North Platte River, giving us a lovely view — but the site itself was narrow and short. No room for chairs or mats, and we couldn’t drop the back patio, which would’ve been perfect for river watching. Being on the end spot meant our passenger‑side view looked straight at the neighboring mobile home.
After settling in, we explored town and stopped at the Saratoga Museum. It was small but interesting enough and didn’t take long to walk through. Then we wandered the main street shops. Our first stop was The Lucky Pearl, where we met their shop cat, Smoky, lounging in the middle of the store like he owned the place. He was friendly and wanted pets, so Lynn spent more time petting him than shopping. We popped into a sporting goods store next, where Kirk found some unusual — and slightly creepy — “buttheads.” They were pricey, strange, and definitely memorable. Then we headed over to Sweet Marie’s Mercantile, where Leo, a golden doodle, bounded out with a toy in his mouth to greet us. He welcomed everyone with the same joyful enthusiasm. Totally reminded us of Reggie (Brian & Jill’s dog) who always has a toy or two, or three, in his mouth!
Around 7 p.m., we made our way back to the RV park and wandered along the riverbank. We spotted plenty of deer tracks but no actual deer. Dinner was at 8 p.m. at Bella’s Bistro — the campground host insisted reservations were a must, and she wasn’t kidding. The only time they had available was 8 p.m., and the place was tiny and packed. It’s an Italian spot, so Lynn went with spaghetti and Kirk ordered a chicken dish we still can’t pronounce. Both meals were good, but not remarkable. The bread, however, was spectacular and so was the Italian wedding soup. Kirk’s old‑fashioned, on the other hand, was definitely not an old‑fashioned — he wasn’t quite sure what he ended up drinking, LOL.
As the sun slipped behind the riverbank, the sky turned gold. After alarms, travel, and exploring, it was the perfect, peaceful finish to the day.
Weather – (Saratoga, WY) – High 81*, Low 44*. Winds 3-16 mph with 28 mph gusts. No rain, no humidity.
Traffic – None.
Food – Bella’s Bistro – good.
Notable – Sunset. North Platte River. Water alarms!
