Schellhase 2017 Northwest Trip

30 May
Last day at Grand Junction CO, so lets make it a big one! We departed about 0900 hrs, drove about 100 miles to Utah and Arches National Park where we sat in line for over 45 minutes to check in.

Welcome to Utah sign on the Interstate

The double line entering the Arches National Park.

The temps were in the 80's and the sun was beating down hard. No complaints here though as we were in an air conditioned truck. We finally reached the visitor center and parked to use the facilities and pee the dog. A group of motorcyclists pulled up next to us and they were roasted having waited on the hot asphalt for nearly an hour with the heat of their bikes and little air flow. I provided them some bottled water and they peeled their road gear for tee shirts to cool down.

After the visitor center we headed up the windy road

and through the park past the great wall,

We passed sheep rock,

Looks like the head of a sheep

the court house towers,

balanced rock

Amazing this rock stays put!

and then to the delicate arch view point.

Telephoto lens on the big camera here. You can see visitors inspecting the arch up close.

We returned the same path and then headed to Moab UT to refuel

and then to Canyonlands National Park.

At Canyonlands after passing through the entrance station we stopped at the Island in the Sky Visitor's Center

We had packed lunch for the trip so we had a quick sandwich here and then crossed the street to view the Island in the Sky.

Even Liberty gets to enjoy the scenery! She was not thrilled!

The rock formations and colors are incredible.

and then went to the Mesa Arch. Pets were not allowed and we thought we better not press the issue with Doreen's knee, so Doreen stayed back and I headed up the half mile trail to the Mesa Arch. This walk was like the Delicate Arch trail at Arches park - stone steps, sand pathways.

This is the namesake Arch

"Driftwood" marks the trail!

The scenery was unbelievable but so were the little things, like the cactus in bloom.

Even the sage brush had a unique odor

Artemisia Tridentata Big Basin Sagebrush. Actually in the sunflower family.

By the time we finished up at Canyonlands National Park it was probably 1500 hrs. We then headed back to refuel and pack up in preparation for moving on to Ogden UT tomorrow and Willard Bay State Park Campground. Next report from there!

29 May
To day we departed Buckley AFB FamCamp about 0814 hrs and headed west towards Grand Junction CO, our next stop.

Luckily traffic was not bad in Denver, likely due to the Monday holiday. Once we got out of town and west of the Argo Mine, the scenery was new. The drive across I-70 was breathtaking and amazing how it changed the further west we traveled!

Leaving Denver

Eisenhower Tunnel (2 miles long!!)

Snow dwindling the further west we drove

Snow gone. Rocky with a few trees

Rocky steep cliffs with few trees

Colors changing, more reds here

Reds gone now, more desert-like

Most vegetation gone.

We arrived at Junction West RV Park at 1342 hrs after driving 274 miles. This is a commercial RV park and the price was four times what we paid at Buckley, bit it is what it is! It;s a nice place but little grass and little shade. The entire park is rock, but it is very level and is full hook-up,

A couple small trees nearby

Our Nations Colors and our Air Force flag flying high and proud on Memorial Day

No grass at the site but there is a small patch at the pet relief area!

.After a quick RV unhook and setup and a late lunch, we headed for the Colorado National Monument. I assumed this would be a granite monolith of some sort. Boy was I surprised!! This is unlike any "monument" I have ever seen! It is a "big, bold, and brilliantly colored canyon with towering masses of naturally sculpted rock", covering 32 square miles of rugged up and down terrain.

To see the monument involves a 23 mile drive and a climb from 4690 ft to 6640 ft.

We took a lot of pictures as we toured the monument, but will just post a few here. I is difficult to capture the beauty of the area with a camera. As we headed up the windy road to the visitor center we were joined by a bighorn sheep that wanted to pace our RAM pickup.

Balanced Rock - icon of the monument. 600 ton boulder perched on top of a pedestal

The visitor center had many displays and talked about the history of the Rim Rock Drive, the windy road that takes you all the way around the monument. The design for the road was completed in 1931. Most of the road was constructed during the Great Depression with almost entirely manual labor from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Public Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps. Extensive drilling and blasting was required including three tunnels.. They stopped work on the project during World War II and finally completed it in 1950. The entire project employed over 800 workers.