Starting Mileage leaving Torrey: 10,088
Ending Mileage arriving Moab, UT: 10,254
Miles Driven: 166
Avg. MPG: 8.2
Gas Price: $3.86--Moab, UT
Overnight: Moab, Utah
Moab KOA
Travel Day
This morning we were up and out by 9:30 AM. Ate our breakfast bars in the car, and we were off--desperately hoping we were not going to have a repeat of those steep hills getting into Torrey.
The trek today was such an unexpected pleasure. There was such a diversity of landscape, we were caught off guard.
The first part of the journey was along the Capitol Reef National Park. Although we did not go into the park, we skirted it during our drive. Here's a description from the National Park Service of what the Capitol Reef is all about:
The Waterpocket Fold defines Capitol Reef National Park. A nearly 100-mile long warp in the Earth's crust, the Waterpocket Fold is a classic monocline: a regional fold with one very steep side in an area of otherwise nearly horizontal layers. A monocline is a "step-up" in the rock layers.
The drive was actually gentle hills that showed lots of color and soil variations.
I have placed these photos in the order that they were taken. Occasionally, I have added a comment, but mostly, I'm just letting you enjoy the ride. Dave and I were quite overwhelmed with the variations we saw on this 4 hour drive.
Early Mormon settlers tried their hand at short-season farming here by planting fruit trees. Today, they still bear fruit. In the late fall, you can pick a basket full for $1.00. I am still amazed that fruit grows in this area. It has such harsh climates and short growing seasons. The area became known as Fruita. The Mormons no longer actively farm this area.
Beneath this dry, arid, rocky land, springs and streams flow. That's why the Mormons tried their hand at farming the area. The area in which they farmed is not any deeper than 60 feet from street edge to rock cliff. A very small, one-room school still stands on the property.
We now began to see layers of softer soil, more ash-like, with bands of deep maroon soil.
We turned a bend in the road and were amazed to see piles and piles of volcanic ash. It looked like someone had emptied hundreds of dump trucks full of ash on this land. It was hundreds of feet thick in some areas. It was really creepy as it felt like we were on the moon!
The ash now changed from its predominant gray color to layers of sand- and maroon-colors.
Highway 12 ended at Hanksville, UT, and we headed northward on Highway 24. The terrain changed yet again. We were now on mostly flat land with ground occlusions on either side of us.
Near Green River, UT, we jumped on I-70 east and only drove a few miles before we got off for lunch. The town was having a melon festival, so it was quite crowded at the central park. Seems this town grow lots and lots of melons on their desert land. Who would have thought they had so many rivers in the area for irrigation?
Dave ordered a patty melt that, I guess, was not very good. I ordered a ground-beef burrito (I should have known not to order this as the restaurant was only a country diner, of sorts).
After our no-so-yummy lunch, we got back on the road and headed toward the freeway entrance. All of a sudden, a family of prong-horned antelope came scooting across the road in front of us. Now having learned that they do not jump fences, I was beginning to panic as they were headed straight toward a barbed-wire fence. But, how clever are these little creatures (and I of little faith) because there was a ditch that went under the fence, and they just ducked right under the fence and kept going as if was nothing. I'm sure they have used this entrance to the field hundreds of times, so they just prancing onward and disappeared out of sight. So graceful.
A few miles up the road, and we turned off I-70 onto Highway 191 south into Moab, UT. Again, the terrain changed to red rock with sheer cliffs.
I had not made reservations for a campground in Moab as we were coming in fairly early, and when we started this morning, I wasn't sure how far we'd get. We stopped at our first choice (a Passport America campground) as it was only $15 per night. But, alas, they were full (or so they said).
We drove up the road another mile and settled in at this KOA. The sites were a bit tight (see the close tree we had to maneuver around), but Dave could park this RV in a sardine can, I'm sure!
I purchased some ice cream for tonight's supper at KOA's store. I chose a unique flavor that I have never tried: caramelized pear and pecan. Dave about hurled when I told him my flavor. He likes mostly "normal" flavors. But, I chose caramel chocolate swirl for him. He managed to eat it!
There was cable TV (not many stations, but at least viewable) and the WiFi worked really well. The new season of TV shows begins on Monday, so I have to be sure that the campgrounds we stay in for the remainder of the trip will have good network station reception--either air or CATV. There are priorities when one goes camping, ya know!
We head off for Arches national Monument tomorrow morning. So, nighty night.
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