We left Estes Park this morning headed for Flaming Gorge, Utah. Yes, that is correct - back to Utah! This time, the plan is to visit Flaming Gorge - an area known for fishing, hiking, boating, rafting, and just enjoying the 'high desert.' And, we are interested in visiting Vernal - a major center for dinosaur exhibits in the famous Quarry Exhibit Hall. After last week's treacherous trek from Utah across the Rockies to Estes Park, Dick decided we would head north into Wyoming, travel west thru the state, and drop down into the northeast corner of Utah.....all on interstate highways. While the drive was long, it was worth the extra miles. We had a gorgeous drive along the Big Thompson River in Colorado; then picked up the interstate into Wyoming. Getting back into Wyoming will be our next major stop in a week, and we cannot wait to get back there!
Even thought the drive was beautiful, there were still some major cuts through the mountains. I cannot even imagine how the roads and tunnels were cut through mountains such as the Rockies - in the 19th century!
We entered the great state of Wyoming, eager to learn more about this 'Forever West' state. Sorry about the fuzzy pic and the 'merging traffic' sign. Grabbing these shots 'on the run' sometimes does not work out so well......
In Wyoming, we traveled west on I-80 which, I learned is part of the Lincoln Highway. We stopped at the Visitor's Center where this tribute to Abraham Lincoln is located. It seems this president had a strong commitment to the construction of a continuous highway from New York City to San Francisco. The Wyoming portion of the highway was an important link in that chain.
The Visitor's Center has interesting displays about many facets of the state's past and present. This section was a display on some of the famous folks who were part of Wyoming's early years, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. When we get back up into Wyoming next week, I am looking forward to learning more about these early frontier folks and the challenges they faced.
As we drove west on the highway through Wyoming, there were miles and miles of fences constructed to help control the snow drifting in the high winds funneled across the flatter lands between the mountains. There are warning signs throughout the I-80 stretch that flash when the highway is closed - which evidently occurs when the heavy blizzards rage in these areas.
Before we knew it, we were crossing back into Utah. Again - apologies for our antenna ending up right in the middle of this shot! Good grief....it is a challenge to get my timing just right! Oh...note the dinosaur on this welcome sign. This whole area - in Utah and in many parts of Wyoming - has been rich with dinosaur finds.....I am eager to see the museums!
So, finally coming down the home stretch of today's journey, we approached Flaming Gorge with the threat of heavy storm activity. Of course, my sailing roots had me 'googling' the radar to track the storm. We did get some of the rain, but the major track of the storm bypassed us further to the southeast. So...it was not necessary to reef the sails....we're safe, sound and settled at the Flaming Gorge KOA RV Park and Campground for the next few days - we may even stay here a week; we'll see how things go.
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