Driving Day
Monday - 5 July 2004 - Salina, Utah: NOTE:
Where have we been? We have been in Parker, Colorado! My brother and his
family were transferred to Parker. We arrived, along with my parents in
their RV, to help them move into their new home. We had a great time -
worked hard and were finished in time to enjoy a pleasant Fourth of July
cookout and fireworks extravaganza. We have driven from one coast to the
other and helped our daughter and my brother move.
Weird.
Now we have
several days of hard driving to reach our goal: Sacramento and the Olympic
Trials for Track & Field! We put a big dent in our goal today,
driving an amazing 472 miles in 10 hours, stopping only 3 times! (As one of
my readers would say, "Wow"!) We left Castle Rock, Colorado (we
have been staying at the
Castle Rock Campground) at 8 a.m. sharp
and took Highway 85 up to catch I-70 and we stayed on it all day. We did
have nice weather today - wouldn't you know it, since we were driving all
day? We stopped at noon at the nicest rest stop ever on the Colorado River
in the Glenwood Canyon. Happy families were putting-in with river guides for
a day of rafting! It was simply a beautiful spot - the road goes through a
narrow canyon of sheer red rock cliffs! A bike path goes for miles and miles
through this area, too. We had lunch in the motorhome and started driving
again - only to meet up with a wall of black skies and cracking
lightning. Fortunately for us, the storm stayed north and we didn't even get
a sprinkle. We could enjoy the spectacular, yet dangerous, bolts from afar.
Glenwood Canyon rafters
We stopped in Fruita, Utah for diesel (81 gallons, $150)
and then started climbing and climbing through the 120-mile stretch of I-70
we passed weeks ago after leaving St. George - the famed "No Services for
the next 120 miles" portion! It was 96 degrees and Our Intrigue was not
happy, but she continued chugging up the hills and our air conditioner kept
blasting out icy air! On the way east, we stopped at Devil's Canyon for a
break. On the way west, we stopped at Ghost Rock for a rest. Isn't Utah
simply beautiful?
The view at Ghost Rock
Today, for the first time, I tried something new in my RV cooking
repertoire! Knowing we would have a big driving day ahead, this morning I
mixed ingredients for a black bean chili together and put it in the fridge.
When we stopped at noon, I put it all in the crockpot, turned-on the
inverter and we drove all afternoon with the lovely aroma of dinner stewing.
In the sink! Hey, I'm not crazy - I didn't want my driver slamming on the
brakes and having chili flying all over Our New Intrigue! I sat the crockpot
in the sink for safety.
Speaking of black bean chili - it's time to eat! Good night, all!
RV Park: Butch Cassidy Campground - good for overnight only.
Great water pressure though.
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