We awoke to raindrops on the roof and a temp of 47 degrees. Within an hour, the sun came out, the skies cleared, and the temp started to rise. We only had 155 miles to go today, so we were in no hurry to leave. Check-in at Dinosaurland KOA wasn’t until 1 PM. Our drive along Hwy. 40 took us along the Yampa River out of Steamboat and along some beautiful rock cliffs.
Around 11:30 our time, (1:30 ET) we found a place to pull off of the highway in Craig, CO so Bob could attend the Tropic Isles’ Board of Directors’ meeting via Zoom. We lost about an hour and a half in time due to the Zoom meeting, but we were on the road again by 1 PM.
On our drive today, we left the mountains behind and found rolling hills, buttes and bluffs, with sagebrush and grasslands.
The road seemed to go on forever off into the distance.
A deer ran across the road ahead of us, but was not too close, thank goodness! We even saw antelope grazing in the fields, a coyote, and buffalo in a pen. Traffic was basically non-existent. The wind really picked up and played havoc with Bob’s driving. We saw this smoke and hoped it was not a fire with the wind today and the fire conditions being so dry.
There were only a few small towns along this road and in between there was nothing in certain areas. There were no animals, no buildings, no driveways, no mailboxes, or other vehicles. NOTHING! We got excited when we saw a bird! On the road, by the hundreds, were these black beetles crossing the road. Where were they going?
The scenery was absolutely gorgeous around every bend.
From the bluffs, you can see forever!
It is a desolate area, but so beautiful.
We crossed the border into Utah and headed to Vernal, UT.
There were a couple of marijuana dispensaries at the border.
This is the land of the dinosaurs! They are everywhere!
The main street in downtown Vernal was lined with flower baskets everywhere. Some florist must have had a heyday and made a windfall, but it was breathtaking!
In Vernal, we found our Dinosaurland KOA at 3:15.
We set up in site #29 and settled in with a cocktail.
I discovered that my pineapple declared itself “ripe” when it broke off from its stem easily after the drive today. I can smell its pineapple sweetness.
I started two more sprouts from my pineapple and hope they make it home.
We relaxed a little before dinner in the Utah sunshine and had steak on the grill. Tomorrow we’ll get an early start to explore Dinosaur National Monument. After all, that’s why we’re here. The clouds to the north looked like dark storm clouds, but we hope it doesn’t bring rain this way. We are starting our 6th week of vacation and can’t believe how time flies. We are truly blessed to have this life.
Nice.