Today was a day of rest from the road. It was cool this mourning in the mountains, 38 degrees. It warmed up nicely into the 70's with a light breeze. We have decided to stay another day as with the upcoming Labor Day weekend, things will be filling up and we have made reservations to stay at Crater Lake campground on Thursday and Friday and then go on toward Canyonville where the rally will be that next week.


The campground here will be full over the weekend due to not only the holiday, but the County Fair will be in Lakeview over the week end and the following week.

We drove through the fairgrounds to watch them set up and see the two big Elephants. We are less than 10 miles from the fairgrounds so they will be busy here all week. The park will close the first of October for the winter. Hopefully we can get into and out of the Crater lake area without encountering any snow or bad roads.

Our reservations at Crater Lake are only for a space to park. There are a few spots with electricity but they are on a first come first serve basis, so hopefully we will be early enough to get one with electricity. Who knows until we get there. At least we are guaranteed a spot to park the
motor home and then we can take the van and explore the area before we head west toward the coast.

Our photos are on the ranch. The campground is about a mile back from the highway. About half way in you can see the campground over the hill in a nice area with lots of shade trees. As we came in this afternoon we saw a herd of Pronghorn Antelope grazing in pasture that was irrigated so the grass was nice and green. I guess they have their choice of where they eat, so why not take the best.

We drove a lot of miles again today, about 279 mostly in the mountains and a long while in the mountains during rain and a short stretch of snow.

We have holed up at a beautiful place called Juniper campground just outside Lakeview, OR. The campground is in the middle of an 8000 acre working ranch and it is a mile back off of the road. We fell in love with the place and decided to stay two nights just to see what all was around as well as rest up from two hard days of driving.

The trip from Battle Mountain, NV was an interesting drive. We went to Winnemucca, NV, a beautiful, clean little town. When you turn north on Us95 there is a sign that says "gateway to the northwest". US95 and road 140 takes you right up through the mountains and across to I5 which goes up the west side of the US.

We will stay until Wednesday and then go on to Klamath Falls, OR and then on to Crater Lake, a trip of about 160 miles, but several hours as it will mostly be in the mountains and the upgrades are at 20 to 30 mph in second gear, so not a really fast pace.

Our photos are of the 8% 3 mile down hill without guard rails in the rain. In the first photo you can see how far down it is, if you go off. The second photo shows how close the road is to the edge and the third photo gives you some sensation as to how steep an 8% grade really is.

A real challenge to drive and even more fun to experience. This is a 2nd gear down grade with careful use of the brakes to not overheat them.

We spent the night at camp Wal Mart in Orum, UT. The parking lot was about 80% full when we arrived. We parked the rig and watched as it got dark and evening became night and the parking lot was still about 75% full. There were cars coming and going all the time and people carrying out all kinds of items they were purchasing. I do not believe I ever saw a store with as much business and it just kept coming.

By morning they were mostly all gone, but for a Sunday morning it was still getting busy.

We got away about 8:30 am and headed north on I15 to Salt
Lake City where we picked up I80 and headed west. The wind was fairly calm most of the day with some windy areas as we went through the mountain passes. We stopped in Wells NV for lunch and a nap and when we got ready to go again, it was getting windy and we had wind gusts most of the afternoon.

We made a lot of miles today, 332 miles in fact, a really good day for us. It all seemed to work out well with traffic and the mountains. We have not decided on our route tomorrow, for sure. We may cut cross country on US95 and 140 into Oregon which will save a lot of miles by not going all the way to Reno, NV to I5 and back north to Canyonville, OR.

We may just flip a coin and see how it lands to see which way we go.

Our photos are of the Great Salt Lake. It is quite low and the water is way out from its high level in the spring.

A photo of the Morton Salt plant as well as an object built out in the salt flats. I thought it might be a micro wave tower for phone service but it really did not look like it. I really do not know why anyone would build such a structure, just for the building of it. Who knows for sure what it really is. You can see pieces of it laying out on the salt.

Our trip today was relatively uneventful. We traveled north on US89, a nice road with beautiful mountains and the Sevier River rushing alongside. We went down in elevation for many miles until we got to I70 and headed west.

We had a tail wind all the way up US89 until we got to I70 and then it was from the south and really made it rough to stay in the proper lane. Once we got to I15 and headed north it was a nice tail wind again. I would estimate the wind at 20 to 30mph which really helped on the upgrades. It is surprising to see what a tail wind will do to help stay in overdrive going up grades.

It was nice to be able to relax and travel with the wind and not be bothered with keeping in your lane.

We are currently in Orem, UT, just north of Provo. We will be traveling north on I15 to Salt Lake City and then west on I80. I am hoping that the wind dies down or changes direction before tomorrow as we head west. Probably it will change and come from the west for a headwind,

which is almost as bad as a sidewind.

Not sure where we will be tomorrow night, but somewhere in Nevada on I80.

Our photos are of US89 north along the Seiver River and the mountains in the area.

We got away about 10am this morning. I had a small job to do and put it in the mail. Bryce Canyon is not as far away as Zion was yesterday. We stopped at the same station and filled up with gas and headed on down US89 to sr 12 to the park.

This is a very interesting but different park than Zion. Zion was all above you as you were driving in the valleys. At Bryce Canyon you are on top looking down into the vast canyons and at all of the stone sculptures that are there. They call them Hoodoo's as they look like individual people or sculptures all done by the wind, rain and the freezing and thawing of the weather.

In the photos you can see the Natural Bridge, caused by water erosion as well as wind and other elements. The colors are so vivid, it is hard to believe their richness, even in the dark and rainy weather we were having. One can only imagine the colors on a bright sunny day.

We saw this Doe laying in the woods chewing her cud. We were at least 300 yds away and Evelyn zoomed in and got this close up.


On our way back from Bryce Canyon we took another route that took us north and then west back to US89. It was a small road that eventually became sr22, but it was not wide enough to be stripped and it went out into the country for miles without even seeing another vehicle.

When we left the park, we were still quite high and this little road took us down and down into a valley and through the mountains and finally out to the small town of Antimony, UT. Really just a wide spot in the road, but the most civilization we had seen in about 35 miles other than lots of ranch land and cattle and some crops growing in the lower elevations. We did see one huge fancy ranch entrance that lead out towards the mountains to the east, but we could not see any indication of buildings or anything, so it must have been quite a distance back off of the paved road.

It is back on the road tomorrow toward Canyonville, OR.

Today we got away from Circleville, UT a little after 9am on our way to Zion National Park. It is about 100 miles one way, so it will be an all day trip.

We stopped on our way down to fill up with fuel so we would not have to worry about that as there is nothing for miles around the park as far as towns are concerned except Springdale outside the south entrance. We went in the north entrance and drove completely through the park to the Visitors center on the other side of the park.

We took the tram trip to the end of the canyon, or as far as you can drive. You can get off the tram at any of several stops and take a hike or see the sights in that particular area and then get on the next tram and get off at the next stop.


If you stay on the tram it is about a 90 minute trip. It is very interesting and it is narated all along the trip up as to what to watch for and things to take notice of. It told of the latest rock slide that occurred in 1995. It happened during the night and it blocked the river and the river washed out 300 yards of the road. The people staying at the big lodge could not get down because the road was out. It took them until the next day to get them back down the mountain. Just an intersting sideline to the whole story of the park.

As we were coming home we ran into some rain on the Interstate and the clouds really looked bad. We could see it raining up in the mountains but we only ran into some light showers. It did rain some after we got back but not a lot.

Our photos show some of the mountains, this particular one had a water tower on the top. Did not think it would show in a photo, but you can see it if you look close.

Also along the mountains, in the valleys you find cattle and hay being irrigated and baled as well as some other crops. It seems that all you need is some water to make things grow.

The trip today from Green River, UT to Circleville, UT was much more spectacular than the drive yesterday from Golden, CO to Green River. The mountains were much more colorful and layered with different color of stone. There are areas that appear to be a huge rock that is very smooth and covered acres, but when you get to see it up close, it is just fine gravel that washes down the mountain with the rain, etc.

I really hate to say it, but the mountains are falling down into the valleys and one of these days the terrain will all be flat. Now won't that give the environmentalists something to worry about. However that will take a few million years to happen, so I am not really worried about it. I will just travel through this beautiful country and enjoy what God has
put here for us to enjoy.

There are some areas where the stone is quite dark, in fact, it probably is a low grade of coal as it is that black. Not of sufficient quality to do anything with.

There are beautiful valleys that are being irrigated and farmed, mainly hay and we actually saw a few fields of corn. We did not see too many cattle or horses however, they may have been moved to a lower elevation where there is more to eat this time of year.

When we turned south on US 89, we followed the Seiver River
that was really flowing fast. It was flowing north, down the mountains and the small towns along the river were big in white water rafting and ATV rental. There is even a two lane bike path along the river that goes for miles. A great place to walk, jog or bike. No motorized vehicles allowed.

We are in a beautiful RV park in Circleville that is for sale. It would be a great place to live and work, if you were interested in that kind of thing.

We will be here for a few days, tomorrow we will probably go to Zion National Park, some hundred miles south of here and then on Friday go to Brice Canyon as it is not as far away.

Time will tell what we do and see, but you will be kept informed of our doings.

This is the first place we have not had Verizon Air Card service. I am working on a very slow wi-fi system here at the park.

We got away fairly early this morning from Glenwood Springs, CO. It was a bit tricky getting the motor home down from our elevated parking area and down the narrow exit road. We did not hook up the van until we got to some level terrain.

The drive west on I 70 was pretty as it was along the Colorado river. It was not very wide and not very deep most of the time but as we got farther west, it grew in size and there was even a dam across it with a small generating station.


We continued down in altitude following the river and of course the rail road. We did hear a train during the night however not a sound from a whistle/horn. I guess there are not any crossings along the tracks, as it has the river on one side and a steep mountain on the other.

The closer we got to the Utah state line, we lost a lot of the mountains and a lot of the vegitation and colors. The pretty red rocks turned to a dull tan and really did not have much worth while looking at.

We did see some oil wells, no pumps but storage tanks and areas where they were hauling out the crude oil, but no vegetation, living animals, birds or anything. Just barren landscape. It looked like something even the Indians would not want.

Evelyn did read in one of the booklets she picked up at the Welcome Center that 80% of the land in Utah was Government owned.

The most colorful thing so far is the Utah sign and we are well into Utah at Green River Campground, in Green River, Utah.

Tomorrow we will go west to US89 and go south to Circleville, UT for a few days to see the National Parks in the area and let our mail catch up with us.

The hamfest on Sunday was not a big affair. It opened to the public at 8:30 am and was supposed to last until 2pm, however by noon most all had gone home and several of the vendors were packing up, so they had the final drawings and closed up shop. We did fairly well, not as good as last weekend in Salina, KS, but worth the trouble.

We decided to stay another night at the fair grounds as I did not want to start into the mountains after working the hamfest and getting up at 5am. It is a good thing we did not leave Sunday as we immediately started up into the mountains as soon as we left Golden. It was mile after mile of 20 to 30 mph in second gear going up 6% and 7% grades. We did make it to Glenwood Springs, CO and are at Amy's Acres Campground that is on the side of the mountain.
We can see I70 below us at the foot of the mountain and the railroad is on the other side of the highway. The canyon is so narrow that through Glenn Canyon the east bound traffic is under the west bound traffic which is built up on bridge like structures. There is a 13 mile stretch that has a 50 mph speed limit because the road is a narrow two lane in each direction because the canyon walls go straight up on either side. A beautiful drive, but it takes a lot of attention with a rig as big as ours with the van on behind.

We will head on west and hopefully get into Utah tomorrow.

Our photos are of some of the interesting places in Vale, CO, where you can spend your hard earned money and go skiing in the winter. The facilities are all just beautiful.

Our campsite is as high up as you can get a motorized vehicle, in this park at least. There are places they have leveled off on above us for tent sites. You can see below that they are all terraced down the mountain side until you get to the highway. Some of the units appear to have been here for the summer as they have decks, etc. and appear to be used for the summer, I doubt that they would be here in the winter.

Our trip to the Air Force Academy was quite interesting. First we went directly to the Chapel and to the Protestant worship floor, which is the main floor. On lower floors are chapels of all of the other denominations. However, to get to the Chapel, you have to go to the visitors center and walk 1/3rd mile down the path and back as there is no access for the general public via automobile.

The building is beautiful from the outside and appeared to have been constructed with stainless steel. It was even more spectacular from the inside. It would seat several hundred with a huge organ at the back of the sanctuary. There is stained glass everywhere you look and you can see clear to the top of the building.

All is done in marble as you would expect and when I asked when could one hear the organ, the attendant stated that on Sunday morning at 10am would be the
next time it would be played. It would certainly be a treat to hear it play as it had a beautiful set of pipes. The console faced the pipes with a large mirror for the organist to see what was going on the podium.

The grounds are beautiful and well manicured as you would expect. The parade grounds were all concrete and the sport fields beautiful.

From the vantage point of the outside of the Chapel, we could see several single engine planes and gliders on the tarmac. Later we say several planes towing the gliders up to several thousand feet and then they would cut them loose and they would sail for ever, it seemed. The tow planes were bright yellow and the gliders were snow white. It was interesting to watch the gliders fly in and out of the clouds.

What a great place to get an education and serve your country at the same time.

A trip to Pikes Peak is a real treat. First it was up and up until we got to the Pikes Peak Highway in the direction of the North Pole.

The North Pole is not what you think it might be. It is another tourist trap to get your money. It is a Santa's workshop with all kinds of rides for the youngsters and young at heart. We drove into the parking lot and got a nice handicapped parking space and watched the kiddies and their parents ride the rides and then it was on up the mountain.

When we got to the entrance to Pikes Peak, we were stopped at the gate and the lady asked if we were going to the top, if so it would be $14.00 each, but if we wanted to only go half way we could do that for only $4.00 each. We paid our $8.00 and the lady said that if we wanted to go all the way t0 the top just stop on our way back and pay the additional money. One wonders how many people pay for half a trip and go all the way. There is a nice place at Crystal Reservoir that is half way to the top and there is a lot to see at that point. Crystal Reservoir is only about 7 miles up the mountain at 9,230 feet elevation. We did drive on up another mile or so and turned around and came back down.

I did not think I should go all the way with my breathing problems as 14,110 feet is a long way up and the air is really thin. The peak is another 12 miles and a lot of that is in second gear going up. It is low gear and second gear coming down to save your brakes. The average grade is 6.7% and the maxi mun grade is 10.5%
On the map Crystal Reservoir is the red indicator on the left side, so you can see there is a lot more to go before you get to the top. At times we could see the reflection of the sun on a windshield as it went around the switchbacks as they neared the top.
I am sure it would have been spectacular to have gone to the top, but part way is better than not having been there at all.

The third photo is of Crystal Reservoir and there were several people there fishing and we saw some more come in with their poles and tackle. should be a good place to fish, at least to enjoy the surrounding mountains. You can see Pikes Peak in the background. All in all a very nice trip.

Wednesday afternoon we drove out to the Royal Gorge Bridge. What an interesting place to visit. Several years ago they changed it into a park where one entry fee gets all of the features of the facility, the incline railroad, the tram and access to the bridge to walk across and see the animals on the other side or you can drive your vehicle across and see what is there.


It is quite a site to look down into the canyon and see the railroad tracks running along the river. In some areas you can see the old tracks on the other side that have deteriorated and some areas have collapsed. You can still ride a train through the gorge, for a fee, however it is not accessible, so we did not go. In some areas the railroad is under the rocks above and you can not see the railroad at all. I would have liked to have seen the train going through the gorge just one time.

Specifications: The Royal Gorge Bridge is the world's highest suspension bridge, 1,053 feet high. Begun June 5, 1929 and completed November 1929. Length: 1270 feet, width 18 feet, main span 880 feet, towers 150 feet high, 2,100 strands of #9 galvanized wire in each cable. Weight of cables 300 tons, 1,000 tons of steel in the floor of the bridge, 1,270 planks in deck, about 250 replaced annually. Original cost $350,000. Cost today over 15 million. Bridge will support in excess of two million pounds.



It is really an interesting piece of engineering the way the cables are anchored in the granite stone. IF you would like additional photos, just let me know and I can e-mail them to you.

On the other side of the bridge they have a lot of animals, we saw a herd of goats out on the road. They have Bison, Elk, Deer. They also have mule trips that you can take to the edge of the gorge along with a Campfire cookout. That should be interesting if you are interested in riding a mule.

The Aerial Tram is the world's longest aerial tram, some 2,200 feet long and some 1,178 feet above the Arkansas river. It is powered by a 75hp DC motor and travels on more than two miles of cable.

The incline railroad is the steepest in the world. Length of incline is 1,550 feet at a 100% grade, 45 degree angle. It travels at a speed of 3 mph and takes 5.5 minutes each way. It was engineered and constructed by the same crews that built the bridge.

There are several other things to do and see, it would be difficult to do them all in a day. And I might add they have several places to eat as well as get drinks and ice cream.

I will try to post more photos in the future on the Royal Gorge.

This morning it was off to the Garden of the Gods. An area of beautiful red rock formations. The first photo is of the Kissing Camels. We had the opportunity to see this formation from the other side of the mountain only considerably further away. The second photo is of the Balanced Rock. Not really very much between the two huge rocks, but apparently it has been there many years. I remember my father talking about it on one of their trips west which would have been in the 60's or so.

We made a wrong turn on our way to the Balanced Rock and took a gravel/dirt road up the mountain. It was one lane wide most of the way and it really went up with switchbacks everywhere. I might have turned around but there was not anyplace wide enough to do that without getting really close to the drop off. After several miles we came upon a large collection of beautiful homes, two and three stories high. They were all on the side of the mountain and had a beautiful view of the surrounding terrain.


We could see that the houses were all on paved streets and at one place we could see what appeared to be an entrance to a gated community. We did find a side road that kinda went down over the hill and joined up with that blacktop road, but it had a locked barricade. We drove on up the mountain, way higher than those homes and you could see for miles, but rather than go any further we turned around and came back down.

After coming down and making the correct turn we found the Balanced Rock, just where it had always been.

The third photo is of the gravel road just after we got on it, plenty wide enough to turn around, but we were not aware it went somewhere far away. Apparently this road was the original road to the housing addition and at some time after they had all of the paved streets in, they discontinued using it, at least for their luxury cars.

I must say that we passed 2 or 3 vehicles on that road coming the opposite direction. Now, I do not know if they were coming from somewhere or had done the same thing we did and had turned around. We will never know.