RoadTrek is Ailing

May 30-31, 2013

After a nice quiet night in the casino campground (just a parking lot really, but it had the cleanest, biggest restrooms we’ve seen yet on this trip), we set off to drive to Utah. The scenery changes quickly from low desert to high, rugged, rocky monoliths. We make some major climbs and descents, up to 8000 or so feet, then back down to 3000 or 4000 feet. We’re following the Virgin River, a tributary of the mighty Colorado River. 

Passing through the Virgin River Canyon on I-15

This section of Interstate 15 is supposed to be one of the most expensive sections of interstate highway ever constructed; it cuts through rock and winds up and down mountains for many miles. It’s also INCREDIBLY scenic! Here’s a link to aYoutube video someone else made of this drive through the Virgin River gorge—it gives you a good feeling of what it’s like:

While we’re in Utah, you will probably get bored again with our constant bragging on the scenery. This place is yet another otherworldly, incredible spot on the planet—pretty high on the list, actually. Amazing geology. And the Green River has real water in it!

There are about 12 National Parks and many more National Monuments and state parks and national forests, etc., etc. in Utah. We plan to check out just a few of them on this trip—you could spend a year here and not see them all. Not too far into Utah we arrive at Zion National Park—it’s one section of this large park that is right by Interstate 15, so we can’t resist it. And we’re glad we didn’t. We drive up a 5-mile scenic road to an overlook, and are suddenly in a red rock wonderland, with a glorious view all the way to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. We take photos and “Oooo” and “Ahhh” and then get back on the road.

In Zion National Park we head up this beautiful 5 mile road to the top. Note the road color matches the surrounding rock.

We stop to take in this breathtaking view.

At the top we have this grand view of the fault that created these mountains. Click here for Jack's panoramic view.

Soon we’re seeing some snowcapped peaks in the distance. These are tall mountains, over 12,000 ft.

 

Snow covered mountains as we head north along I-15

The scenery changes with every bend in the road. I’m driving and Jack is snoozing when we get to a sign on I-70 that says, “No Bull! Last services for 110 miles!” Looks like we have over half a tank, so I decide to keep going. (But that’s a long way with no gas stations! Sure enough, there were no towns or gas stations on the interstate for 110 miles. However, the state of Utah did have several scenic pullovers with little restrooms.) I look it up later and this is the longest stretch on any of our interstate highways with no services.

On I-70 heading west we spot Ghost Rock Summit

The long descent into the small town of Green River. This long 6% grade may have had a bad effect on our brakes.

Once we get through that stretch, it’s about 6:30 pm and we decide to stop at a motel again in the first town we come to after 110 miles, the small town of Green River, UT—962 people, known for its watermelons and tourism. I still need to work on my book project and it’s easier to spread my stuff out in a motel room than the van. We spend a comfortable night, but when we go out in the RoadTrek on Friday, we discover that we now have a noise associated with the brakes. We go to a little garage and talk to the mechanic on duty, Russell. At first, he says that he won’t be able to work on it before Monday, that he would need to get parts, etc. etc., but as we talk to him a little, he says he’ll at least take a look at it. He looks and, as we suspected, we definitely need our brakes repaired. In fact, it’s not really safe to drive.

 

Our baby getting new shoes (brake type)

After first saying that he didn’t really want to work on Saturday and that his wife probably would want him to drive her to visit their grandkids, Russell finally says he will try to get the parts in and see if he can get it done Saturday morning. Nice guy! Very “Andy of Mayberry”—in fact, it’s reminding me of that episode where the grumpy businessman has car trouble in Mayberry and is very impatient with the locals, until he has a dose of Mayberry  hospitality (and Aunt Bea’s fried chicken) and never wants to leave! The people in Green River are very friendly…

So currently we have extended our motel stay and are waiting to see if Russell can get the van fixed and get us on our way to Arches National Park. I wonder if his wife makes fried chicken…

Where we are:

Bird species count: 

Vermilion flycatcher, turkey vulture, Bell’s vireo, *golden-fronted woodpecker, Say’s phoebe, northern cardinal, greater roadrunner, house finch, common raven, *northern rough-winged swallow, *summer tanager, *prothonotary warbler, *yellow-breasted chat, *yellow-rumped warbler, northern mockingbird, mourning dove, cliff swallow, Mexican jay, black-headed grosbeak, black-chinned  hummingbird, Wilson’s warbler, *Scott’s oriole, chipping sparrow, house sparrow, lesser goldfinch, black-crested titmouse, acorn woodpecker, scrub jay, *western kingbird, white-winged dove, *canyon towhee, *Grace’s warbler, *zone-tailed hawk, *curve-billed thrasher, Bullock’s oriole, Gambel’s quail, great horned owl, black-throated sparrow, *cactus wren, ladder-backed woodpecker, white-crowned sparrow, brownheaded cowbird, Brewer’s blackbird, *pyrrhuloxia, hooded oriole, verdin, crow, Anna’s hummingbird, dark-eyed junco, white-throated swift, Steller’s jay, mallard, common egret, brown pelican, western bluebird, loggerhead shrike, robin

State count: 13 [Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, Utah]

    

Odometer count:

Surber, VA: 107,435

Green River, UT: 113,___  (van’s in shop, will update later)

Accommodations avg cost: 

55 night average - $13.03/night