JEEPERS CREEPERS

Wow, did we have fun today!  Jim and Kathe rented a Jeep for the day and decided to go 4-wheeling in Canyonlands National Park. The best part? I got to go with them! They just put my blanket on the back seat, packed a lunch with some water, Gatorade, and dog biscuits and off we went.

Jim got a few pointers on how to drive the Jeep and with a map they supplied us, Kathe was the navigator.  We left Moab at about 10:00 in the morning and drove out on Potash Road.  It was paved for about 16 miles, then the pavement ended and we drove on the rocky loose gravel to the point where we could see the cliff that Thelma and Louise made famous.  From there we drove the Schafer Road straight up on the edge of the 2000 ft. high cliff up to the rim of the canyon.  Unbelievable! Kathe and I weren't nervous but Jim was wiping his sweaty hands on his pants all the way up.  It must have been a religious experience, though because Kathe kept saying "Jesus, Mary and Joseph" while looking over the side of the cliff.

Then when we got to the top, we drove into Canyonlands National Park and later took a side trip to Dead Horse Point State Park before returning to Moab via Long Canyon Road. That was another steep and narrow road only this time we were going back down to the bottom of the canyon.  We even drove in between a fallen rock and the cliff which was just big enough for us to squeeze through. I took a bunch of pictures, but nothing can compare to the real experience.

That long thin line is the road we drove, looking back from the top of the canyon.

THE SCENIC ROUTE

This morning after Kathe had programmed the GPS for our next destination, Jim said, "how about we take the scenic route.''  It was going to take about 16 minutes longer, but we agreed to change our route and take Highway 182 to Moab, Utah.

Well, the first part of Highway 182 was very bumpy and we had to slow down to under 40 MPH.  It wasn't scenic at all. It looked like a bunch of old abandoned shacks with desert weeds on both sides of the road.  We almost turned around and went back to the I-70. Then all of a sudden--WOW--were were in the secret scenic spot behind Arches National Park. It was unreal, as beautiful as the Colorado National Monument, except that now we were on the road looking up the canyon instead above on the rim looking down.

So massive, we were a tiny spec on the road of giant red rock formations.  Kathe explained to me how these beautiful red rocks are formed.  She watched two films, so she should know all about it.  It seems a few million, or was it billions years ago there was a volcano.  Then magma, sandstone, dinosaurs, oceans, more sandstone, glaciers, and blah, blah, blah.  Whatever! It sure is beautiful.

MORE RED ROCKS

I told you yesterday that we are camped at the base of the Colorado National Monument just outside of Grand Junction in the town of Fruita, Colorado.  Colorado National Monument rises 2000 feet above the valley of the Colorado River.  Kathe and Jim drove the 23 mile rim road today, stopping many times to take pictures.  They took a couple of short hikes, but the heat proved too much for them and they were so tired when they got home we all had to take naps.

It's silly of me to write about this beautiful area. Just look at all the pictures Jim took.

JUICY SITE IN FRUITA

Here we are at Fruita Campground in the James M. Robb Colorado State Park.  We have a great campsite. There are two lakes here in the park and the Colorado River is right out our kitchen window. This picture is the view out of the front of the motor home.  We are facing the Colorado National Monument which we plan to visit tomorrow. We really lucked out on this one, it's fantastic!  We have a site that is 93 feet long with full hook ups, couldn't ask for anything better than that.

We drove along the I-70 through the towns of Silt, Rifle, West Rifle, and Parachute, Colorado.
No kidding! On one side of the highway were beautiful red rock desert formations and on the other side of the highway, where the Colorado River flows there were farms and lots of green trees.

We are having a couple of mechanical issues which Jim is working on.  We have an ongoing problem with ice forming on the bottom of our freezer. And now we have an issue with our water pump.  Jim and Kathe made a trip into Grand Junction for some parts this afternoon so we should be fixed up soon.

Kathe was looking for a fresh fruit stand and found several in the nearby town of Palisades, Colorado. They are famous for their peaches. It just so happens that they also have about 30 wineries in the same area. So guess what, they went wine tasting this afternoon too!

I'm loving this park, lots of grass and trees for me to explore.  Haven't seen any wildlife yet, but I'll report back tomorrow.

GOODBYE GLENWOOD CANYON

I'm posting a picture today of the canyon surrounding our campground.  I think I told you that we have mountains on all four sides of us and lots of tall trees.  Today it's rather breezy so the temperature has dropped below 80 degrees. Best day yet!

It was wash day, which usually means that I get washed too. They drove into town this morning without me, so I thought they forgot about my bath. They went to get Jim a haircut and then to a great little taco shop that was recommended by the hairdresser. Delicious fish tacos for Jim and fish and chips for Kathe.  So good in fact, there were no leftovers for you know who. As soon as they came back, they scooped me up and took me to Petco for a grooming. Boy did I need it! I even got a pedicure. Jim was a little upset because my haircut cost 10 dollars more than his did.

While I was being pampered Kathe and Jim said they were going to the bank and the car wash, but they came back with Dairy Queen on their breath.

After a hot fudge sundae Jim thought he had better go for a bike ride and he took some pictures of the bike path. This is really a beautiful area.  It's our last night here, I hope some day we can come back.

JUST A RELAXING DAY

There is a lot do do here at the Glenwood Canyon Resort.  The resort is right on the river so there are raft trips leaving from here everyday. There is also a ropes course, a climbing wall, a zip line, and a bike path that follows the river all the way to Denver.

What do my humans do? Nothing! They hold down the lounge chairs pretty well, but that's about the extent of their activity today. Well, lets be fair, they do get out of the lounge chairs once in a while. Yesterday Jim took a 10 mile bike ride, and Kathe does walk me around the park 3 or 4 times everyday.

Today they were going to hike to the Hanging Lake, but when they got to the trail head the ranger turned them away because there was no parking.  Kathe was secretly happy that they had to turn back.  It was a mile hike up a steep, rocky cliff and with the heat and the altitude she probably would have never made it.

Instead of the hike, they took the rangers suggestion and went to Grizzly Creek Rest Area.  It's a beautiful park right at the confluence of the Colorado River and only a couple of miles up the Interstate.  They hiked around a little, watched the river rafts go by and took some pictures.  A really pretty sight in the canyon. There are so many rafts going down the river here it is like rush hour in Los Angeles.  Kathe counted over twenty two rafts as they drove back the two miles on the Interstate.

ALL ABOUT THE RIDE

Today it was all about the drive! We started out this morning on State Road 24 and passed ranch land and snow covered mountain peaks. We drove through the town of Leadville and then up on to the top of a canyon up about 11,000 feet high before heading down again till our ears went pop.

Then we connected with the I-70 and entered Glenwood Canyon.  The scenery was spectacular. It seemed like the highway was suspended into the canyon for miles and miles.





















I've tried to tell the story in some pictures, but the road was so unbelievable and it was difficult to take pictures while moving at 60 miles an hour. You have just got to drive it to believe it!

It's 96 degrees here and the air is very dry.  At least we are below 6000 feet in elevation so we can breathe again.