June 25, 2026 (Thu.) - Travel to Pinedale, WY.
Today was travel day again — a quick three‑day stay in Saratoga and now off to Pinedale, WY. It’s close enough to Jackson for Lynn to visit one of her trolls, but far enough away that we’re not paying $170 a night just to park the RV. The Tetons and Yellowstone are nearby, but we’re saving those for fall when the crowds calm down… or at least become slightly less crazy. Lynn’s been to the Tetons before, and we both visited Jackson Hole a few years ago, so we’re in no rush to battle peak‑season chaos again.
The day started in its usual rhythm: Lynn up at 5:00 a.m., Kirk up at 8:00, and wheels rolling by 9:45 with 278 miles and about 4.5 hours ahead of us. The drive was classic Wyoming—wide‑open stretches of land, rugged rock formations, and almost no traffic, the kind of road that feels endless in the best way. Around 11:45, we pulled into the Bitter Creek Rest Area for a quick break. Nothing fancy there—not even vending machines—but the restrooms were clean, which was all we needed before getting back on the road. Then the weather decided to put on a show. Dark skies gathered, followed by rain, then a burst of hail/snow, and finally sunshine again. One of those quick, dramatic Wyoming storms that sweeps through, makes its point, and disappears. We loved every minute of it.
We reached Pinedale around 1:45 p.m., but our RV park wasn’t actually in town. It was another 30‑minute drive toward Jackson, tucked between the two cities. We arrived at Rim Station RV Park at 2:15. It’s tiny — just 12 sites — and ours was at the end with no site numbers. Long and narrow, but with a peaceful, beautiful view. Being in the middle of nowhere means at least a half‑hour drive for any major services, but thankfully the park has a small store for snacks and drinks. We’ll be here for 12 days, plenty of time to rest, reset, and settle into this quiet stretch of Wyoming.
By 3:30 we were settled in, packages picked up, and finally relaxing. With no restaurants nearby and no grocery run in Saratoga, dinner was whatever we could scrape together. First attempt: popcorn chicken and chicken nuggets from the freezer — both terrible and immediately trashed. Kirk redeemed the evening with pan‑fried gnocchi and cheese, which turned out delicious.
We spent the rest of the evening outside watching the sunset until it got too cold around 8:30, then headed inside to watch TV and wind down.
Weather – (Pinedale, WY) – High 68*, Low 49*. Wind 2-16 mph with 26 mph gusts. Rain = .2″ (75%). No humidity.
Traffic – None.
Food – Nothing to report.
Notable – Nothing to report.
Screen time – Cape Fear (Season 1).
June 26. 2026 (Fri.) - Mama Mimi.
Today’s plan was to track down Dambo Troll Mama Mimi in Wilson, WY, just a few miles outside Jackson.
The day actually began much earlier than planned when loud rain hammered the RV at 1 a.m.—loud enough to wake Lynn, which is saying something since she normally sleeps through anything. After that brief interruption, she was up for good at 5:30 a.m. Walking around Rim Station isn’t really an option; the park is tiny, surrounded by highway and private land, and at 46°, it wasn’t exactly inviting anyway. So she spent the morning blogging and watching a parade of small critters dart around—squirrels? prairie dogs? mystery rodents? The iPhone AI confidently declared “squirrel or mouse,” while we were leaning toward prairie dogs. At this point, your guess is as good as ours.
Kirk got up around 9:30, and by noon we were on the road to Wilson, about an hour away, to see Mama Mimi. She’s one of the Dambo Trolls tucked inside Rendezvous Park, a beautiful spot with fishing, kayaking, beaches, and plenty of picnic areas. Parking was a challenge—we had to circle a couple of times to find a space big enough for the truck. The place was packed with kids from day camps, arriving in small busloads. We spent about an hour exploring the park and taking photos of Mama Mimi, even looping back twice to wait out the crowds. You can actually walk down Mama Mimi’s leg and stand on her foot for great photos, but it’s a little treacherous—Lynn took baby steps the whole way, silently praying she wouldn’t slip into the water. This marks our 29th Dambo Troll found.
By 2:30 p.m., we were back in Jackson looking for lunch. The crowds were wild—no parking anywhere and people everywhere. We had planned to eat at a local restaurant, but ended up at Wendy’s, the only place with parking that could fit us. After lunch, we grabbed groceries and gas before making the hour drive back to the RV.
We got home around 5 p.m. and spent the evening unpacking groceries, doing chores, blogging, and resting. Dinner was simple—quesadillas and salad in the RV. Nothing fancy, just a quiet end to a full day. That quiet didn’t last long, though. The water‑sensor alarms decided to go off twice late into the night for absolutely no clear reason—just enough chaos to jolt us awake and make us wonder what kind of mischief the RV was up to. Needless to say, we unplugged one of the devices to prevent any more surprise wake‑up calls. Kirk still has to investigate why they keep going off, but that mystery will have to wait for later.
Weather – High 73*, Low 46*. Wind 3-18 mph with 3 mph gusts. No rain (other than at 1am), no humidity.
Traffic – Crazy in Jackson Hole! Otherwise, not bad.
Food – Nothing notable.
Notable – Mama Mimi troll. Rendezvous Park.
Screen time – House of the Dragon.
