Here It Comes Again...

It's January.  The Christmas decorations are still strewn about.  No longer decorating anything, but not yet cozied away for the year.  All of the business of life moving at a constant quick pace, like some crazed Irish Jig that never stops.

Yet, down in the background, barely audible yet, is a small back beat:  "Where are we going this summer?  How will we get there?  Where will we stay?  How long will we be gone?"  These questions thrum about in our heads and sometimes make it to the surface at dinner conversation or during errands.  The whole family is inflicted with wanderlust.

http://earthsky.org/todays-image/milky-way-over-todd-lake-basin-oregon

Rationally, it is ridiculous to even consider this: There are classes to complete, classes to teach, meetings to plan, rehearsals, concerts, practices and recitals.  Bills to pay, repairs to pay off, college tuition looming ever and ever closer.  The loyal Motorcade is over 75,000 miles now and needs an oil change and a turn signal repaired. How could travel even be a thought?

And then a photo such as this appears in the Twitter feed:

 And what are you going to do?  We need to get out there and see skies like this again (or for the first time.)

Beltway traffic just doesn't count as the "Open Road," and we've discovered so many great new road tunes since the last time out…

Don't know if we'll go, where we'll go, or when, but that backbeat of wanderlust is difficult to ignore.

Rocky Mountain High, reprise

If you've ever wandered through REI, thumbed through the LL Bean catalogue over coffee, or browsed campsites on-line, you've probably had day dreams of that perfect camping spot.  The Motorcade found one of those spots in a small US Forest Service campground not far off the Interstate.

Gore Creek

Gore Creek Campground comes complete with rushing crystal stream, wildflowers, stumps, rocks, and all other things that, to us, mean excellent camping.

Now that's a big bear locker!

Now, in case you're wondering about a "great" campground just off the interstate, please recall that we are now in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.  This campground came complete with a ginormous bear locker and night-time temperatures of 42 degrees - in August!

Yum!  The motorcade passengers tend to prefer from scratch, but these were AWESOME!

Dinner of pancakes, playing cards, playing with a campfire, and snuggled into sleeping bags… Ah…

Next morning dawned bright, warm, and perfect and it was time to pack up and hit the road again. But not without tying up some loose ends.  First, getting to know our host.

This is Tom, the Camp Host at Gore Creek.  He did a great job of keeping a clean an organized camp. Plus, he was just a very nice fellow. He lives in Sun Valley, but took the Gore Creek gig for the summer.  Not too shabby.

 Our farewell offering to what was a far-too-short campout in the Colorado Rockies.

Skip to the Loo

There are so many interesting things to see when traveling slowly.  Cross-country travel also requires constant reliance on public restroom facilities.  A few stand out in memory.

Even an itty-bitty loo in the City Museum is encrusted with  found objects turned to art.

See, kids?  This is why it's important to wash your hands.

Those cheeky folks at Maggie's Buns!

Lost in Colorado?

What happened to the One Van Motorcade?

Is this now Home Sweet Home?

Camping at Gore Creek, Colorado

The lure of Colorado is strong, but the Motorcade did continue the Eastward trek to Virginia, with many fabulous adventures along the way.  Soon, hopefully, normal life will allow for a full accounting of the rest of the journey.

Rocky Mountain High, part 1

Coloradans take their recreation very seriously.  I'm not sure how they keep the place open and businesses afloat, because apparently everyone is out for a bike ride or rafting today and every day until ski season. And who could blame them, really?  Our first taste of the state this time around was in the small town of Fruita.  The Colorado Welcome Center in Fruita is actually in a large, grassy park.  Useful interpretive signs are inside and out, and there are free, detailed state maps 24-hours a day.

Note the shape of the "Colorado" sign. That's what a cross-section of the
state would look like, looking from south to north.

We arrived in the evening, after our big Arches adventure.  We were eager to enjoy some inspiring Colorado beauty, but the thought of pitching the tent and getting dinner in the dark was a little daunting.  The Fruita Comfort Inn provided clean beds, a pool, and laundry facilities.  We saved our camping experience for the next day. And what a day it was...

In most areas, you want to leave the interstate to get beautiful scenery.  Not so in Colorado.  Although the Motorcade can attest to cinematically beautiful landscapes farther afield, the view from I-70 in Colorado is nothing short of gorgeous.  Soon after Fruita, the I-70 meets up with the Colorado River. The road and the river dance eastward together through the mesas and up into the mountains. Eventually the Colorado heads north for headwaters in Rocky Mountain National Park. By then, however, new rivers and streams have taken up the dance, and the mountain scenery dominates the view.

We were again amazed at the postcard-worth scenery that occurs in even the most run-of-the-mill places.  At a rest area along I-70, we had a chance to stretch our legs and get up close and personal with the Colorado River.










The fellows who took the photo of our us pedaled off on a tandem bike.  We were at 7200 feet.









Meanwhile, folks were putting in for a raft downstream as if it was just typical lunchtime fun for a Wednesday. 

Okay.  This beats even the best DC food trucks.

Speaking of lunch, Moe's Original BBQ in Eagle was just what we needed. Moe's is a pretty big chain out here, but with a totally local feel:  each location is tailored to the neighborhood.  In Eagle, it's a roadhouse that hosts regular live blues.  Very family friendly, though.  It has a kids' corner with toys--including a tot-sized barrel barbecue.

Eat at Moe's

Now that we'd had feet in the Colorado river and eaten some great local food, the need to recreate had taken hold of us.  It was time to do some real camping.  Off to the Ranger Station...

Arches National Park

Watered, educated, and ready for action

Just when you thought you'd seen all the red rocks there are to see...

Arches National Park is a favorite of the Motorcade youth.  This was trip number three.  We haven't been to the Washington Monument that many times. But then again, the National Park Service won't let you climb on the Washington Monument.

The maps for Arches don't really sell the place, and it has to hold its own with other Utah amazements such as Bryce, Canyonlands, and Zion National Parks.  Well, don't get too hung up on the map (read further). If you find yourself out this way, check out the park.  It's awesome, fun, and you can do it in a (long) afternoon.

First stop is the Visitor's Center.  DO NOT SKIP THIS.  This is currently the ONLY place to fill up on water and you will need it.  Lots of it. Fill those bottles and take a gander at the exhibits to learn some of the complicated geology that created this place.  No, we're not going to explain it here.  Look it up or go yourself.

After several short "ooh" and "ah" pullovers, the first real stop seemed obvious enough:  a quick look at Delicate Arch, the famous icon of this park, and the image adorning most Utah license plates.  Having been here before, it also seemed a fun stop because this arch is crazy far from the road, so it's just an itty-bitty thing unless you really trek out to it.  Given Delicate's iconic status, the view is a bit silly. We parked and piled out and consulted the map.  This map, actually:

Map NOT to scale.

Having viewed Delicate Arch before from the Lower Viewpoint, we thought we'd give Upper Viewpoint a shot.  Look at the map.  The difference to either View Point from "You Are Here" doesn't seem much, does it?  Well, if you READ the map, you'll learn that it's 100 yards (300 feet) round trip to the Lower Viewpoint and 1 MILE (5280 feet) round trip to the Upper Viewpoint.  And that's one mile up steep hills and steps, then back down again.  We did not read the fine print before embarking.  But we did get a better view of this famous landmark.  See?

Delicate Arch.  The little squiggles below and around the arch are people.  

Yeah, well... We still had half of our water left, so it was off to see more arches! First lunch in Devils Garden.  The name makes it sound inhospitable, but it's actually a lovely picnic area, with a fair amount of shaded tables.  Lots of slick rock to climb on, too.  Arches is full of cryptobiotic crust (look it up) which is very delicate.  It's important to stay on trails, or to try to clamber up any slick rock (bare rock) areas you can find.  Everyone did their best to comply.

They're alive!  Lizard on cryptobiotic crust.
Don't step here!

Climb the rocks instead!

After lunch it was to be a hike to Landscape Arch.  This arch is over 100 yards long and it is starting to deteriorate.  A big chunk came off in 1991.  To get to it, you start on a path through some big fins and pass lots and lots of French people. 

Devil's Garden

This hike wasn't terribly long, but it was hilly and it was, by now, very hot.  It was not our best motorcade experience.  We got within sight, snapped some photos and turned back.  Ta-da:

No, it's not a great photo.  But we won't likely forget this hike.

Finally, finally(!) the motorcade turned back down the road and pulled in at Double Arch, our favorite spot.  The Dresen gals had to hang with the Motorcade, but the boys and Aunt Wendy went up and had a blast.  It's a relatively short walk and the views and the skampering/climbing are the best in the park.

The path to Double Arch is easy.

The view from under Double Arch.

We would never advocate just spinning through a National Park, but if you are going to do any one thing here, get out and wander around the Double Arch/Windows area.

Afternoon was turning quickly to evening and the Motorcade had a date with Colorado, so we had to say goodbye to Arches.  A quick final stop at the Visitor Center restored our water supplies.  (Remember, still in the desert.)

To travel east from Arches, you can return up Highway 191 to Interstate 70, or you can take little Highway 128 around the park and up to Interstate 70 farther east.  The locals call this the River Road, and with good reason.  The road hugs the Colorado River for most of the 45-mile trip.  What a serene way to end the day and say good bye to Utah.

Colorado River, desert mesas.  Taken from the car window along Highway 128, Utah.

Utah Rocks

The Motorcade hit it big at the last Nevada casino* and we were on the road to Utah. Although Utah doesn't claim to have "The Loneliest Road," it's still Route 50 and it's still, well, rather spare.

Route 50 through Utah: Party Highway?

Ignore the pick up truck.

The desert and rocks have ways of entertaining travelers. We skirted Sevier Lake for miles and miles.  Sevier is an intermittent lake and we never fully decided if we were looking at a mirage, a salt flat, water, or some combination of the three.  Unfortunately, photos don't capture the phenomenon, so you'll have to go see for yourself (no photo for you!).





After miles of desert mirage, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful city park in Delta.  Lots of irrigated grass, man-made fountains and creeks, and a playground provided a break for the eye and the soul.

Should I?  Or shouldn't I?

To ensure travelers are sufficiently befuddled before returning to the desert, Utah highway planners arranged the road system in a wild zig zag through the state.  To travel from Delta to Green River, to the east, we had to first travel several miles west, a dozen or so north, then south, then west again, then finally onto Interstate 70 headed east.  Properly dazed, we were ready for more rocks and Utah provided, in abundance.

Salt Wash Lookout, in Eastern Utah

The scenery of the Eastern Part of the state is simultaneously jaw-dropping and monotonous.  The lookout at Salt Wash, provides and excellent view of some of the amazing scenery that will blow you away, and is just plain old pedestrian stuff 'round here.

Other state=tourist destination. Here=Ho Hum.

We all have different interpretations of what this looks like.

The sandstone is unexpectedly soft.

Still plenty of red rock formations to see.

Eyes weary from the sunshine and the views, we finally pulled into Green River State Park for a pleasant night of camping and stargazing.  Kudos the the Utah Department of Parks and Recreation for the new restroom and shower facilities.   We were rested and ready for the next day's itinerary of.... more rocks!





*Put $.75 in a slot machine, got back $1.50.  Double money, baby!