Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Wild West day 7

We had another terrific day. We left Moab this morning in the wind, and I do mean wind. We'd forgotten just how windy it can get out here. And dust! Most of the rocks and soil around here are red and now, so is much of the inside of Lil Pumpkin. When I washed the windshield, it was red mud. The dust has stuck to the fresh kill bug splats.



We headed south on hwy 191 down to just past Blanding where we took hwy 95 west. Just before Blanding we passed Wilson's Arch. What a specimen!

Initially, after turning onto 95, we thought maybe we had made a mistake. We had driven miles and miles and all we were seeing was sparse land covered with scrawny looking cedars. We decided to stop for a snack and found a place to pull off that was obviously used mainly for ATV riding and shooting guns. In the photo, I had picked up a 9mm shell casing. It was just about then the wind kicked up a red dust storm and I scrambled back into the RV.



But, it did not take too long after my dust bath for the scenery to change and begin to grab our interest. As before when we had taken the less traveled roads, there were hardly any other vehicles on the road. The world we saw was ours, for the moment at least. And it stretched out before us.




We could catch glimpses this beautiful twisting and marvelously carved gorge running along side the highway, sometimes close, sometimes far away. Eventually we came upon a bridge crossing it and discovered it was Glen Canyon.



I tried to get some photos, but the only access I had was on a rock overhang beside the bridge that was very scary in the wind. So, my photos aren't as good or informative as they could be. But then, further down the road we came to another bridge.


It was over the Colorado River. We were crossing the upper end of Lake Powell. Photo opportunities here were a bit better.




After passing the Colorado we hit hwy 24 and headed west through Capitol Reel National Park. We made a rest stop at a pretty little picnic area.




Just as we were leaving, a couple of cyclist flagged us down and asked if we had some water. While I filled their bottles, Joyce asked them where they were from and where they were going. They had ridden out from Ohio! They were heading in the direction we had just came from. Holy Cow! There was a 10% grade waiting for them and lots of hard pedaling. I think sometimes I'm glad I'm old.

We stopped for the night at Wonderland RV Park at Teasdale, UT. Too late for a photo tonight. Maybe I'll remember to take one in the morning.

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