2005 ROCKY MOUNTAIN ROAD TRIP Page 3

Passing back through Lake City, CO, I got some drink and food. My next destination was Gunnison, CO, then maybe Crested Butte. The highway north was nice driving, then I came to U.S. 50. It was a typical story. High room rates forced me to camp out, again. My main camera's batteries were almost all depleted. I had a nice Chinese dinner in Gunnison, then camped at Curecanti National Recreation Area.

Saturday morning, I headed north on a scenic highway. CO 92 leads through Crawford and Hotchkiss, CO, to CO 133. I had some views (left) into the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, not in the Federal park, but good nonetheless. Over a pass, I noted the many stands of aspens. All these roads would make for good fall color viewing. Feasting with a good, late breakfast in Carbondale, CO, I took Interstate 70 westbound. Glenwood Springs looked to be lovely for a walk and photos, but I wanted a motel room. I had camped for three nights straight.

Getting a room in Grand Junction, CO, I charged up my camera batteries, and got a good night's sleep. The old part of town had made for a short walk during some cloudy and windy weather. I got some more cash at an ATM, but had been told there is no Kinko's or any full service copy shop to use a rental Mac. I had two new twenty dollar flash drives, with a total of 640 MB of storage, to transfer my photos from my memory cards. I wanted to see if they had a card reader so as to make this transfer, then clearing up space on my 256 MB memory cards.

With only one memory card left, I figured to head home. I set this at higher compression to get more photos. Too bad for me, since this next day was to be the best for photography.

So, Sunday, I took CO 139 north to Rangely and then U.S. 40. These were mildly scenic highways, not marked on the maps as such. The sky was spectacular, though. With the clouds, I reasoned Dinosaur National Monument would be cooler, this day. I had thought it would be prohibitively hot, during the summer. This turned out to be an excellent call!

Seeing the Quarry, I was amazed at the quality of the dig, here. Huge fossils embedded in the rock, all housed by a massive glass and steel structure, made an exciting display. I took the best pictures from the second floor. A shuttle bus makes the short ride here from a main park parking lot. Free, and fun.

Then, I took the auto tour, which promised petroglyphs. The sight of huge rocks and pinnacles made for many of my photos. Some glyphs were singularly good, but there are few of them. I almost got stuck turning around, after doing the Hog Canyon hike, and then side tripping to the Green River campgrounds on the Split Mountain side road.

Back to U.S. 40, I briefly stopped for photos of the towns. Vernal, Fort Duchesne, and Roosevelt, UT, all made for some interest. Finally coming to Heber City, UT, here are spectacular views of the Wasatch Mountains. The sky had been dramatic, and I had gotten a free car wash from a couple thunderbumpers. Intersecting Interstate 80, again, I passed through Salt Lake City without a stop. I gained a nice set of photos at the vista point for the Great Salt Lake. The sunset was nice from another vista point, before crossing the flats.

I think the cheapest (29.99) Motel 6 is now in Wendover, UT, and I got my last vacation's rest there. With the time change, I got my sleep, then eventlessly motored across the State of Nevada, to get home Monday at about 4 p.m.

Hiking some 30 miles, with 14,000 feet of gain, I drove almost 3,500 miles. I spent some 800 dollars, total. Shooting about 2,000 digital images, I also used five rolls of Kodachrome.

My car drove fine, and my digital hardware all performed beautifully. I had concerns every step of the way, but my worry was all for nothing. Modern technology is a miracle, and any automotive problems were non-existent. My trip average was roughly 45 miles per gallon, using some 79 gallons total, of regular or super (87 octane, minimum) unleaded. I expect now to keep my fine car, and do many more fine road trips in the coming years. Hopefully I will get a partner to partake in the fun, as well as accepting shared expenses. I kept good notes, and thank my lucky stars to not be forced to spend too much or get too little!

Anyone interested in the details, I can e-mail other photos, and share notes. I am always willing to help enjoyment, exploration, and protection!

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