Day 65 - Dinosaur to Flaming Gorge

At first I thought it was a dream-- bumping sounds by the van--then there was another bump. I looked up and saw a herd of cows surrounding the van, cows again! I yelled at them to no effect then I started the motor and backed out of the side road-- startling the cows and allowing me make my getaway. Rains had fallen all week making the gravel-based 15-mile dirt road to the Utah section of Dinosaur a bit slippery but passable-- luckily I only had to go downhill. Holding my speed through the muddy sections as to not get stuck, I made it down.

I wanted to climb Split Mountain, a mountain carved in two by the Green River, but it was rainy and the rocks were wet. I did hike up a trail by the river and then off road to a high hill overlooking the mountain and river. Incredible views, no one else around.

I then drove to the famous "fossil wall", a ancient riverbed layer filled with thousands of dinosaur bones, tilted sideways by rising mountains and now available for the public to experience. The wall is huge and only a quarter of its original size. The bones of 100 dinosaurs were mangled, tangled and embedded in the rock.

After Dinosaur, I drove north towards Flaming Gorge, a reservoir formed by a large dam fifty years ago. I joined a tour of the dam (wider walls than Hoover) and then drove around the lake towards Wyoming. The weather was overcast and rainy so photos didn't exactly capture the flaming nature of the Gorge. But it was pretty.

Given the rainy weather and the fact that I was arriving in Wyoming a week early, I decided to make a detour-- to South Dakota. This 1000 mile detour would allow me to see Devils Tower, the Black Hills, Custer State Park, Wind Cave, Jewel Cave, Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. I drove on another two hours to a Walmart parking lot in Rawlins, Wyoming in order to cut the distance for tomorrow's drive.

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Day 48 - Dead Horse Point

Cowboys used to corral horses beyond the narrow neck of this high point overlooking the Colorado River. They would then fence them in and when they returned take the strongest horses and leave the weaker ones to die without water at this to-be-named Dead Horse Point State Park. Terrible name and story, great views. 500 feet higher in elevation than the just-across-the-canyon Canyonlands Island in the Sky, Dead Horse Point does have a must-see view of the mighty Colorado and vast canyons behind. I arrived mid-afternoon and hiked the east rim trail a mile and a half to the far point, meandered along the west rim a bit and then hiked back along the road. Knowing sunset time was special in this canyon country, I decided to wait a bit for the sun to fall. I drove this time to the far point, then walked around in search of the best vantage point. Before the sun actually set, I drove on, first to a full closeby campground and then on an hour to Moab, to the campground f...

Day 18 & 19 - Las Vegas to Grand Canyon

If I could change one thing about my road trip plan so far, I would've bought the van in North Carolina months in advance, got it insured, checked out metchanically and converted to a camper before setting out on the road trip. The van stuff has been a bit of a hassle-- but it has worked out int he end. I drove five hours from Phoenix to Las Vegas on Tuesday in order to pick up my official proof of automobile purchase from the Hertz Dealer and get my car registered at the Nevada DMV. The last step to a legit legal Nevada vehicle. I wanted to get the DMV registration done that day but would've had to wait in line all night to be seen. So I got a cheap hotel in vegas, lost $100 gambling at poker:(, and got an early spot in line to get the van registered. A family friend's address would serve as my Nevada address. After resolving a minor issue with my Nevada insurance, I got my Nevada plates, paying $434 in fees--thieves. I drove to Walmart and bought a plug and play Siri...

Day 62 - Colorado National Monument

Established as a national monument early in 1911, Colorado NM is known for its high canyon "rim road" and sandstone spires of Monument Canyon. The canyons of west Colorado are pretty--as they have more green trees and shrubs than the more famous Utah canyons. This gives them a more alive feeling, although the sandstone spires were formed many thousands of years ago by erosion. Rim Rock road curves up the the top of the canyon cliff, goes through several round tunnels and is lined with scenic viewpoints. The best views were in he Monument Canyon section, and included in sequence, the Coke Ovens, The Kissing Couple (behind my head), and the most famous of all: Independence Monument, the tall spire in pic 3 and viewed from the side in pic 4. The original promoter and caretaker of the park, John Otto, was the first person to climb Independence Monument and now it's a climbing right of passage. Every July 4 climbers ascend and mount an American flag at the summit. Fun! ...

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