Life on the Diagonal, Part 2 - Tuesday, July 28, 2020

First order of business...Happy Birthday to my sister, Jan. She's having a grand day today at Oregon Gardens with her friend, and then going out to eat and collecting free birthday treats. It sounds like fun. I love you, Jan!

* * * * * 

This morning, we left Towaoc, Colorado, at 10:00 a.m. and headed to Provo, Utah. I am taking the first driving shift today. 

Again, we are traveling diagonally across the western United States. We headed north on U.S. 491 toward Cortez, Colorado. Bob and I reminisced about the time we went to Mesa Verde together a number of years ago. We didn't have a lot of time there, so we went to the museum and drove to the overlooks. He didn't get to go on any of the cliff-dwelling tours.

In 2010, for Mom's 80th birthday, my sister and I took Mom on a three-week hiking vacation around the Southwestern United States (her major bucket list item). On that trip, the three of us did one of the tours at Mesa Verde. We climbed down ladders and crawled through a tunnel in the cliff-face to look at some of the great Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. Mom loves hiking and we took her to some beautiful places. But I digress.

We did not have time to go to Mesa Verde this year. It takes a long time to drive to the top of the Mesa! That's where all the cliff dwellings are. 

From Cortez, Colorado, we took U.S. 491 northwest toward Monticello, Utah. This part of the trip was through farmland with distant dramatic mountain views. I drove for two hours, so I don't have photos of this part of the trip. Traffic was so light that for miles I didn't have anyone behind me on the highway. 

At Monticello, Utah, we turned north onto U.S. 191. We took that highway through Moab and past Arches National Park. We were being teased in that we couldn't stop and hike at Arches, Canyonlands, etc. (NOTE: We have hiked in those areas on previous trips, but there's always something new to see.) Currently, we're on a mission to get to Gig Harbor, Washington, where Bob will start a temporary assignment on August 3.

Bob and I switched places and he drove when we got past the turn-off to the Newspaper Rock State Historic Site/Canyonlands National Park Needles District. The scenery was awesome along U.S. 191 when we got into red rock territory. (All photos are by Susan Alton unless otherwise noted.)

We made it to Utah. 
(Photo by Bob Alton.)

(Photo by Bob Alton.)

(Photo by Bob Alton.)

This looks like a beehive!
(Photo by Bob Alton.)

Wilson Arch on U.S. 191 in Utah.

"Hole in the Rock" tourist attraction.

Approaching the entrance
to Arches National Park.

The entrance road to
Arches National Park.

U.S. 191 north of Arches National Park.

Rock formations along I-70 west.

U.S. 6 heading north from I-70.

Thunderheads building up as seen
from U.S. 6 heading north from I-70.

The rest area on U.S. 6 in Utah.

U.S. 6 - Castle Gate, Utah.

U.S. 6 - Balanced Rock by Castle Gate.

Train tunnels next to U.S. 6 in Utah.

We made it to Lakeside RV Park in Provo, Utah at 5:00 p.m. We will be here for two nights. Tomorrow, we had planned to go to the state capital in Salt Lake City, but it is closed to all tours. I may have another blogging day!

Thank you, Bob, for helping with picture-taking today during the two hours I drove. You did a great job.

Life on the Diagonal - Monday, July 27, 2020

Our trip to Gig Harbor, Washington, is life on the diagonal. I'm talking about a diagonal driving route on I-10, U.S. 87, U.S. 550, U.S. 64, U.S. 491, U.S. 191, U.S. 6, I-15, and I-84. Interstate freeways have their place, but anymore they seem like super-highways for semi-trucks!

Taking the roads we chose has provided us with magnificent scenery. It is not quite as fast as the interstates due to slowing for small towns along the way, but is much more relaxing! In the past two days' blogs, you have seen some of that scenery, but that is nothing compared to what we saw today.

Monday, we drove from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Towaoc, Colorado. U.S. 550 took our breath away with rocky vistas and views for miles. We left at 6:30 a.m. to avoid rush-hour traffic and possible monsoon rains. However, the rains never materialized and we had perfect weather for 5-1/2 hours. Small towns we passed through were Cuba (U.S. 550), Bloomfield (intersection of U.S. 550 and U.S. 64), Farmington (U.S. 64), and Shiprock (intersection of U.S. 64 and U.S. 491), New Mexico. Unfortunately, I missed getting a photo of Shiprock, the rock formation that gave the town its name. 

The scenery along each of the U.S. highways we took today was very pretty. The town of Bloomfield has large Navajo pottery as their city's decoration at the main intersection (U.S. 64/U.S. 550) and along the main street. 

There was very little traffic along the highways, and grades were not too steep. A lot of the route was a four-lane divided highway or had passing lanes. We were very pleased with all of these highways!

U.S. 550 in New Mexico.

U.S. 550 in New Mexico.

U.S. 550 in New Mexico.

New Mexico scenery.

New Mexico scenery.

New Mexico scenery.

New Mexico scenery on US 491.

Entering Colorado on
U.S. 491/U.S. 191 north.

U.S. 191 in Colorado

U.S. 191 Colorado scenery.

U.S. 191 Colorado scenery.

U.S. 191 in Colorado.

We arrived at Sleeping Ute RV Park in Towaoc, Colorado, about 11:30 a.m. It's a small, treed park next to the Sleeping Ute Casino. The casino is temporarily closed due to coronavirus, but the Sleeping Ute Hotel is open. 

Here are pics of Sleeping Ute RV Park:

Sleeping Ute RV Park office.

We were in site #24 (front pic).

The back side of our site.

A picnic pavilion in the campground.

I think this is Sleeping Ute Mountain.

Evening storm clouds brewing.

Sleeping Ute RV Park campground.

Mesa Verde is on the mesa behind us.

We were seeing lots of lightning.

Easy walk to the casino
from the campground.

Beauty and Rigamarole.

We had thunder and rain overnight. But what really got us were the gusts of winds that hit from time to time. Rock 'n' roll! If you stay here, do not leave your awnings out if you aren't here to bring them in at a moment's notice!

Overall, we really liked this little gem of a park. In the morning, an employee was out picking up small branches and twigs that had blown down overnight.

Our next destination is Provo, Utah, for two nights.