Today we went 355 miles and spent about ten hours on the road.
Shoving off about 7:15AM we continued west on US50 out of Gunnison. It was 54 degrees with a sprinkle here and there so we put on the rainsuits to keep the wind out, warm and dry. US50 remains a wonderful road and I am very glad that Mike McAllister recommended this route vs. going north to Salt Lake City.
Just a few miles outside of Gunnison we encountered the Blue Mesa Reservoir. The area was dotted with campgrounds; plenty of boats out on the reservoir fishing and we spotted a couple of good sized marinas. The road bends south and up hill into some high ground, then descends through wooded canyons and finally opens up in Cimarron to open land with lots of buttes and the like.
Finally, just east of Montrose we entered the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. It took about 2 million years for the canyon to be formed and it was very impressive. We left the National Park and headed to Denny's in Montrose for breakfast; couldn't find a mom and pop on the GPS!
Montrose to Grand Junction was fast moving through what could only be described as badlands. It got badder as we headed west to Green River, UT. Impressive canyons, rock formations, buttes, bluffs and lots of starkness. By the time we covered our 255 miles to Green River the temperature was 95. We gassed up for our final push to Salina. Just west of Green River there is a sign advising there were no services for the next 100 miles!
Every once in a while there would be a view point, so we stopped at two on our way to Salina, taking a break from the heat and the speed. Also enjoyed the waters we brought along in the insulated bottles provided by Lars and Marcella.
We got off the road about 5PM, gassed up at the exit and found our way here to the Best Western. Dinner was takeout from up-the-street Denny's. Only thing around that could be walked to.
Tomorrow its 300 miles due west to Eureka and the Best Western there. Hope we are on the road earlier to avoid much of the hear and off the road soon enough to go see the opera house which is quite a landmark.
Brian and Stewart
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