Thanks guys, I'm enjoying re-living the trip as I go. So many things come to mind as I work my way through the photos and diary I kept. [I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip as well Don.]
Dave.
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Thanks guys, I'm enjoying re-living the trip as I go. So many things come to mind as I work my way through the photos and diary I kept. [I'm looking forward to hearing more about your trip as well Don.]
Dave.
Onward to Manila. UT.
We spent quite a bit of time looking around the various barns and outbuildings along Mormon Row. Our favourite was this barn just a short walk north from the junction of Mormon Row and Antelope Flats.
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We then drove down Mormon Row past Moulton Barn and continued heading south to Gros Ventre road, which eventually took us back to US89/191. We started wishing we had turned around and headed back the way we had came along Antelope Flats as the road became rough and rutted and it seemed like ages at such a slow speed before we were back on the black top.
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We then drove through the vibrant town of Jackson. It looked a fun town with lots going on, it had a nice town centre park with an entrance arch made out of Antlers. We wanted to stop, but the place was bustling with people, there were no immediate parking spots and once again the clock was ticking so we drove through. [It had been 1:30pm before leaving Mormon Row.] As we headed south of Jackson we continued on 191 towards Rock Springs. On the way we stopped in the town of Pinedale to get fuel for us and the car. Pinedale is home of the Mountain man museum and just north of town is Freemont Lake, where we had thought about heading to for a nice place to eat lunch, but we decided we did not have enough time to do either if we were to get to Manila in time for an evening meal. So after sitting on the bench outside the store eating our snacks we had purchased we were straight back on the road headed south again. Big storm clouds gathered to the west and looked rather menacing, but luckily they stayed west of us and we only had a few drops of rain. I was glad we had taken the 191 and not the 189 that ran almost parallel a few miles to the west, it looked as though it could of been right in the thick of the bad weather.
From Rock Springs 191 joins I80 and we kept on that until Green River where we exited to WY530 which runs south on the western flank of Flaming Gorge Res. We decided to stretch our legs at a little spot in Green River that I had noted when planning, Expedition Island. Expedition Island is just a couple of minutes of WY530 and has a riverside park and a pedestrian bridge that crosses the river to a little memorial garden. It's a peaceful setting and ideal place to stretch those tired limbs for a few moments and conveniently just off I80. It got it's name as the site is the recognised starting point for 2 expeditions down the Green and Colorado Rivers led by Major John Wesley Powell in 1869 and 1871. Not far from this river park is the large railroad depot that was largely responsible for the towns continued development.
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Back on the road to Manila with a lovely drive down WY530, the light faded fast and it was well after dark when we finally arrived and although only a small town, it took us a while to find our Motel and restaurant. Although the building looked a little run down it was very inviting all lit up in the dark and after a long day on the road. It had gone 9pm but we had a warm welcome from the owners and staff and I was soon sat down with one of the nicest steaks I can remember having. To top this off I had home made apple pie with cream that was absolutley delicous. The room was not so great and needed a deep clean, the mattress was soft but the bedding was fresh and clean and it was passable, just ! The area is popular with hunters and most other guests were there for the hunting, a small group of friends and a father and son were the other guests in the diner dressed in their hunting gear. They were all polite and friendly and the owners were great.
Todays mileage =385. Average of 46mph. Gas return = 37mpg
Total miles = 2829
An eventful day to Capitol Reef
This morning at 5am I turned and stretched on the soft mattress and my back shot a pain through my spine like that of a dentist drill touching a nerve, only bigger ! I layed still for an hour while Lezli slept, trying to straighten out slowly without causing more damage. I had a severe back injury a few years ago that I have learnt to manage quite well from a day to day living point of view. Doing to little is not good, doing to much is not good, it's a case of getting the balance right and accepting your limitations. Light stretches and walking helps to keep the pain at bay, but it usually gives out on me once or twice a year, the result normally being 4 or 5 days laying on the floor staring at a ceiling in agony followed by a month of slow rehab and deeper pain. So, while laying there and thinking of the consequences I was pretty stressed. We had another 850 miles to cover and a flight that would be over 20 hours from door to door with the plane change in New York, I'm not yet sure if I will be able to move at all. I'm so glad I had packed by support belt and medication and by 7am I had got to my feet and was walking very 'gingerly' around the town trying to stop the muscle going into spasm, so far so good !
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Brownings [or Flaming Gorge Cafe as it's also known] does not do breakfast on a Sunday so we walked across the road to the local store, which thankfully was open Sunday morning, and bought coffee and snacks for breakfast. We ate them while sat on a table and bench set outside Brownings. The medication was starting to work but Lezli had to struggle with the suitcases while I tried to ease myself into the car, thank goodness it's an auto as the pressure of a clutch pedal would have been to much.
Once in the car we decided to stick to our plans as much as possible and start with points along Flaming Gorge Res.
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Our first little detour was down to Sheep Creek, a steep twisty road right down to the lakeside from where people launch their boats, it was very scenic.
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Lezli got out of the car and took a few more pictures while I stayed where I was. We drove back up the hill to the main road and on the way a Deer ran out in front of us, we missed it but the braking didn't help my cause. The scenery was lovely untill suddenly storm clouds appeared over the hill tops and the heavens opened, the visibility was reduced to very little as the cloud came in and torrential rain fell. Our next stop at this point was going to be a detour to Red Canyon so we decided to skip it and go to Flaming Gorge Dam and hope things improved. Thankfully they had as I needed to get out of the car while I still could and try to loosen up my lumbar support muscles that had started to spasm. We walked down to the lakeside [more like hobbled] slowly and took in the views as the skys cleared. We then called into the Dam visitor centre where a young and very knowledgable lad was answering peoples questions. There was a lovely photo on the wall with a great view of a narrow inlet with red cliffs rising from the blue waters running inbetween them. I asked him where that spot was and he told us that it was Red canyon, the place we had passed by due to the weather conditions. Dang !
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By the time we had taken the short walk back to the car and driven over the dam to a dam viewpoint that the young lad in the centre had told us about, it was clouding over again and as we made our way back across the dam on the 191 the way we had came, the rain poured down once more. It cleared as we made our way south and it opened up some wonderful views once more.
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We passed by Redfleet State Park [seen in the distance of the above photo] which has 200 million year old Dinosaur tracks as well as boating fishing and camping around the Reservoir, we also passed Steinaker Res [where we had also hoped to detour to nearby Therapy Arch] due to time and my predicament. We stopped in Vernal for lunch, as it was sunday lunchtime the restaurants were busy, so after having struggled to get out of the car with no desire to sit straight back down again, we decided on a McDonalds, classy huh ! I ate mine while leaning as much weight as I could on a high counter top attached to the wall with knees bending to relieve the weight. I felt a little awkward as people looked on, but at this point did not care ! I topped up on medication [which I loathe to take normally] as it was my only hope of getting through the day and then we were back on the road, determined not to let this get the better of me.
To be Cont.................
This is going to be tough field report to read. Back pain is no fun, no matter what and your version sounds positively dreadful. But the scenery certainly was gorgeous!
Mark
I enjoying reading your trip as well. I too suffer from a back injury and is one of the reasons I like to keep driving. If I lay in a bed for too long I wake up in agony.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Sedenquist
Probably another reason for a car and Motel on next road trip. The bed in the van wasnt the most comfortable.
Keep the photos coming.
John
The scenery and knowing that we had lots of great things ahead helped push me on, it was the fear that it could all come to an end at any moment that was the worst. Hanging by a thread as they say ! Before each trip the excitement builds, but there is always that niggle in the back of my mind that we might not get there if my back has an episode a few days before leaving or in the airports with the luggage. Makes it kinda special when we are there though !
After following your reports John, I have been very tempted by one of those vans, but my back and the constant need to move around and stretch out, [even with a 'nature call' in the middle of the night] it has put me off somewhat. [that and the thought of trying to persuade the wife !] Lol. Having said that the driving position of an RV [as on previous trips] does suit me and the van would be similar.
Dave.
We couldnt fault the little van,went everywhere we asked and I think I drove every windy road in the USA ans so easy to handle.Quote:
Originally Posted by Southwest Dave
The bed was a little short for me so but I soon worked out how to find the best position to sleep.
I keep saying car and motel but I think it will be back in the van again,but for shorter trips.
John
I love the look and idea of the vans John and are something I am still considering for a future trip, the appeal is certainly there. We only normally have 2-3 weeks on the road and mixed up with hotel stays they do appeal. Just wish I were 10 years younger without a dodgy back, poor old so and so that I am ! lol
Dave.
Red rock is calling.
We still had 270 miles to cover before we arrived at out hotel tonight, the Best Western Capitol Reef resort. We made our way through the towns of Roosevelt and Duchesne on191 to where it joins US6. Just before the junction in Price canyon is the Carbon Power plant, it feels like 191 goes right through middle of the plant. Carbon PP is the earliest of Utah's coal burning power stations and the two 60 year old generators pushed by steam that is created by burning coal send power to 47000 homes. The plant is due to go into early retirement in 2015 as the canyon walls leave no room to build filtration equipment to get the air quality needed under new rules.
It was near here that we clocked up our first 3000 miles of the trip and Lezli captured the moment.
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Just down the road is the small town of Helper, a place where Butch Cassidy was said to visit. Helper developed with the arrival of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad who turned it into a freight terminal. The town got it's name as trains heading to SLC needed 'Helper' engines that were stationed here, to make the steep 15 mile gradient up Price canyon to Soldier summit. It's also home to the Western Mining and Railroad museum.
We carried on through Price and to where 191 joined 170 heading east and then south to Moab, we headed west and then took UT24 towards Hanksville. We had stayed in the Red rock RV park in Hanksville on our first trip and knew there was a gas station where I had decided to fill up from and get something to eat in town. As we made our way down UT24 my confidence was waning. What if it's closed on a Sunday ? What if it's shut down permanently ? These were the thoughts going through my head at the time. The miles we still had to cover as confirmed by the GPS, compared to the distance remaining on the car computer, gave us about 30 miles to spare. I had wanted to detour to Goblin State park so we followed the sign off UT24 but there was no mileage info posted. After a couple of miles there was another sign saying that it was still 12 miles to go. With the clock ticking once again, the remoteness and with my back the way it was, we decided this was no time to risk running out of fuel and becoming stranded in the middle of nowhere, so Goblin SP has gone back on our 'to do' list.
Road to Goblin valley.
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We arrived in Hanksville safe and sound to the wonderful sight of the Hollow Mountain gas station alive and well and more importantly, open. The gas station shop is built into the rock and it's like being in a cave once inside.
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The next gas I know of is in Torrey, almost 50 miles away. I eased off the gas pedal a bit on route to Hanksville and had a 40 mile range left when we arrived.
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We then went to what was the Red Rock steakhouse and RV park and was wondering if we would see 'AJ', a real character from the last time we were there. It looked much the same, but it had been taken over by new owners earlier this year. The new owners are terrific people and sound determined to make it work for them. They were friendly, helpfull and the food was great, good value too ! If your in the area pop in and say Hi, you won't be dissapointed. We explained we would be eating at our hotel in 3 hours or so and ordered Tacos with meat and melted cheese for each of us. Instead of just taking our order, the lady informed us that they were huge portions and one would more than likey do us both if we were eating later. We took her advice, they were delicous and the portion was HUGE, great coffee as well !
We had a little walk to ease my back and then back in the car towards Torrey.
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Roadside Art.
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The last time we had stayed here we had come into town from the opposite direction and after dark, so we hadn't experienced the drive in daylight. It was quite some drive, wonderful !
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I don't know what it is about Red Rock country, but it always stirs something deep within me. Even though I live in the UK it's almost like I have come home, strange ! Perhaps it was from watching Spaghetti Westerns and the childhood dreams of visiting the Grand canyon one day, which did seem an impossible dream way back then.
We arrived at the Best Western Capitol Reef resort and Lezli collected our room key to save me having to get in and out the car. Our room was at the far end of a Motel type row of rooms away from the main building. Although this was our most expensive hotel of the stay it felt as though we were being sent to the 'cheap seats.' We were wrong, the room was fantastic and was facing away from the road towards the mountains and across the gardens that had water features, plants and a swing seat. I was once again trying to relieve the pain by walking around the garden and stretching but still had to give way to more medication. We sat outside our room and watched the sunset before strolling [hobbling] down to the restuarant for an evening meal. We both decide to select from the 'Thai' menu and were delighted that we did. Despite everything it felt great to be back in Utahs Red rock country !
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Todays mileage 362. Average speed 49mph. Return = 35mpg
Total mileage = 3191
Capitol Reef.
The last time we came to Capitol Reef we were just driving through and although we had planned to take the scenic drive we had arrived after sunset and it was too late, so this morning we were really looking forward to putting that right. The first hurdle was trying to get out of bed, yes it was comfy but it was due to my back having stiffened up and not any great desire to have a lay in ! It was a beautifull morning and I started with a gentle walk to the water feature through the gardens as the morning sun lit up the red rocks in the background, it was enough to put a smile on my face ! We walked down to the restaurant and had a wonderful breakfast and another wander around before getting in the car and hitting the road. This really is a wonderful resort and as excited as we were about the day ahead, we were sorry to be leaving so soon.
First we drove back to the historic Fruita school house located on UT24 just past the Apple orchards and entry road to the scenic drive. The building was built in 1896 and although locked you can peer through the windows and see the classroom as it was then. An information board is also on show with picture and brief history. It informs us that the children were only schooled in the winter so that they could help with farming work durung Spring, Summer and Fall.
Fruita school house.
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We then headed into Fruita and the Gifford Homestead where we stopped and walked around the barns and farmhouse, passing old carts and pick up trucks as we went. We then walked towards the Orchards on the green grass to the footbridge over Sulpher Creek where the water was running red underneath and the roots of the trees were reaching out for a drink. It was such a peaceful setting it helped me relax and in turn eased some of the pain in my back. Happy days !
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As we stood by the river I commented on how fast the water was flowing and that there must have been considerable rainfall recently, little did I expect what happened next. We got in the car and drove on quite excitedly to the scenic road, a regret for missing out last time, we could at last put to rest. Oh no, the rain really had come down and the gate on the road was closed preventing us from going any further. Having only witnessed blue skys and temperatures in the mid 70's for the last couple of days, something like this happening was not even on my radar, despite knowing all about the flash floods that can occur.
We checked back at the farmhouse to see if there was any chance of it opening anytime soon. We were told that an inspection had been made and there were vehicles trying to clear the roadway from debris and mud, but it would be mid afternoon the earliest and possibly not until tomorrow before it re-opened. Oh well, this is going to have to be a case of third time lucky one day, hopefully !
We headed back to UT24 and west a little way before stopping at Panorama point. There was a steep unmade road that led to a parking area and two Trailheads, one to Sunset point and the other to Gooseneck point, a steep short walk. We decided to stroll along the Sunset point Trail as it looked quite a flat walk. The views were outstanding and just got better as we got to the end of the trail, where we took a little time out to sit on a rock and enjoy the peace and tranquility. We were the only people there !
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We made our way back to the car [slowly] but I was unable to take the short steep walk up to Gooseneck point just 600ft away. I sat on a rock while Lezli took a look and a few photos.
Gooseneck.
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The walk and views had certainly helped to relieve the dissapointment felt when we learned we would not get to do the scenic drive, again !
It was time to say goodbye to Capitol Reef and we headed to Utah scenic 12 as part of out onward journey to Jacob Lake. This is a wonderful park that is often overlooked in the shadow of it's 'big brother's [Zion, Bryce, Arches and Canyonlands] but it really is quite wonderful and worth taking the time out to explore.