Denver to Green River, Utah to Salt Lake City - Oct 21 & 22

Denver to Green River - Oct 21

Today I left Denver in rainy and snowy weather headed toward Salt Lake City.  Last night, the weather predictions were for snow.  Luckily, the major snow was to the south and east of Denver - the opposite direction I wanted to take.  I really wanted to drive across the Rockies via I-70 rather than drive north to I-80 at Cheyenne, Wyoming.  I did that  drive across southern Wyoming many years ago and it's boring.  I watched the Colorado DOT travel site this morning for a while and when I saw that the weather in the mountains was mostly rain mixed with some snow, I went for it - all the cameras were showing wet roads but not snow sticking.  I'm so glad I did - what a treat.  I want to do this drive again in nicer weather and explore the mining towns.  Even though the weather was wet and somewhat foggy to start, I thoroughly enjoyed the drive from beginning to end.  There are similarities to driving through the Sierras but many differences, however, both are extraordinarily breathtaking.  Traveling through the Rockies you go through several tunnels, one of which is the Eisenhower Tunnel which crosses the Continental Divide at 11,158 feet above sea level.  There are also quite a few sizable towns along the route unlike the Sierras.  Because you start out at above 5,000 feet, the elevation changes are mostly gradual but there are 2 or 3 areas where you really climb and your car feels it. 

After coming through the Eisenhower Tunnel, everything was dry and clear - no snow or rain anywhere.  I stopped at Vail for lunch, but the village was fairly deserted so I ended up at a local Subway.  I continued on toward Grand Junction and passed through Glenwood Canyon - truly amazing.  It's about 13 miles long and the Colorado River runs through it, so that is most likely how it was formed.  It was like driving through a mini Grand Canyon.  I snapped the photo on the left while I was driving and unless you've ever taken this drive, it doesn't really convey the true feeling of going through here.

When you come out of the Rockies, you're in the high desert and still at about 5,000 feet.  When I got to Grand Junction, I still had lots of time to keep going so I headed to Green River, UT - having no idea what would be there.  It turns out that between Grand Junction and Green River there is nothing and it's a two hour drive so I hoped I wasn't making a not-so-good decision.  Very shortly after I crossed into Utah, there was a road that read "Eagles on Highway".  I never saw any eagles - in the sky or on the road.  And, I only saw that one sign.  Their deer crossing signs are different from most - they read "Frequent Deer Crossings Next xx Miles".

During my visit with my youngest sister, her husband Rick and I had a discussion about driving for hours without seeing any civilization except cars on the road.  He has never experienced this and couldn't visualize what that would be like.  So, Rick this photo is for you - a lot of nothing in Utah - but beautiful in a bleak way.

I arrived in Green River just after 7:00 pm and from what I could tell, it's a little spit of a town in the desert, but there were plenty of hotels to choose from and I'm here for the night.  I think it exists only for I-70 travelers. 

Green River to Salt Lake City - Oct 22

In the light of day, I got a better look at Green River and discovered that they have a history museum and also a Rocky Mountain Power plant.  Otherwise, just a handful of hotels, a few gas stations, two restaurants, a couple campgrounds and a small residential area.  It's aptly named as the Green River runs through it. 

I stayed off the interstate for most of my drive today - I headed west on Rte 191 then onto US-6.  This route took me through the towns of Price and Helper plus the Wasatch Mtns.  Price is fair sized town and Helper is a smaller town, but according to the road signs has some history to it.  Outside of Helper, I noticed about 20 people on horseback and a herd of cattle along the side of the road.  By the time I could pull over they were herding the cattle up the hill.  One old cowboy who was pulling away in a truck said I should have been there earlier and that they were moving the cattle to pens on top of the hill.  I don't know where the cattle came from and what happens to them after they're penned.  I did manage to get a picture before they totally disappeared from my sight.

This is still a work in progress, so check back again for the updates.