What Are We Doing Here?
Today was a travel day. We only had about 200 miles to drive, but it turned out to be a very l-o-n-g 200 miles.
There are very few roads from Moab to Vernal, Utah. There are virtually no towns between Moab and Vernal, but there is a small range of mountains that divides Interstate 70 and all the areas to the north. There are basically two ways to reach Vernal. One goes east toward Grand Junction, Colorado, and then north over Douglas Pass on the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway. The other way is to go west just past Green River and go north on Highway 191 through Price, and across the spine of the mountains on the Utah version of the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Highway. I checked both routes out in the Mountain Directory West for Truckers, RV, and Motorhome Drivers. I decided on the more direct route through Colorado. The book warned that it was steep (6 - 8% grade for 6 miles), but they forgot the part about it continually getting narrower until the final couple of miles of switchbacks are only 1 1/2 lanes wide. The switchbacks were so sharp that we filled "both lanes" going around some of the corners. Luckily, we didn't meet any of the oil tanker semis at the top of the pass. We would have had no where to go. That is the CRAZIEST road we have ever driven with the motorhome, and one we won't drive again!
When we finally got over Douglas Pass and dropped down to the other side, the drive was relatively easy but not terribly scenic. There were signs for petroglyphs along the road, but we couldn't stop with the motorhome. Our 4-hour drive from Moab to Vernal took 6 hours, and I was exhausted by the time we got there.
We are camping at the Fossil Valley RV Park. It started out as a lumber yard and has been in the family for over 20 years. It was on the outskirts of town, but Vernal has grown up around it. A tire store is on one side and the Deju Brew Brewery on the other. The campground has gorgeous mature cottonwoods that shade the entire park. The owner is exceptionally friendly and has been very helpful about providing directions to the places we want to see.
We celebrated our safe arrival in Vernal with a steak dinner with all the trimmings. We earned it today.
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