Sunday 9-3-23 Change of Plans & Long Interesting Day

 

Leaving Matchless Campground

After an outstanding week at Matchless Campground we said goodbye. 

 

We crawled out of bed, got dressed and got the Minnie ready to go. Once the inside was straightened Larry started it and moved the Minnie forward to get it off the blocks. We stacked the blocks and put them away. We were on the road by 6:15.

 

We ate breakfast on the road. As we were driving through Leadville we stopped at the recycling center to recycle our cans and plastic bottle. Each container was marked on what goes in it. It was very nice.

 

After recycling we continued our adventure. We drove through Leadville and picked up a curvy two lane highway that went through mountains for 35 miles. This highway went by Ski Cooper and Camp Hale where we drove to on the motorcycle the other day. This mornings drive was beautiful. Larry saw a doe and fawn but I was looking the other way. As we were driving by a marshy area Larry pointed out there were moose. He pulled on the side of the road and parked the Minnie. We walked a little ways to the area. We saw a cow and two calves swimming and eating. This was too cool. We continued down the road.  I think we were the only ones who stopped to watch the moose.

 

 

A family of moose swimming

 

We drove through many two lane mountain roads and I 70. The views were very beautiful. One pass was Glenwood Canyon, where we drove through four tunnels. The second tunnel was a lot longer and curvy then the other three. It was cool. Next to the second tunnel was a railroad tunnel. As we drove we saw a beautiful river that ran by the road. One place Larry saw a boat going down the river, he thought it was an outfitter who takes people down the river because the river was very shallow and curvy. 

 

 

First tunnel

 

The second tunnel

 

After driving through the tunnels we drove by Glenwood and Aspen, which were located right off I70. We saw a lot of people walking around the town and riding an orange Gondola up the mountain. In the same area we drove by a private ski lake and a cable lake. On the ski lake we saw someone launching their boat. The ski lake had a very nice ski course. The cable lake was busy with customers. 

 

We stopped about 10:00 at a gas station because it started to rain. Larry wanted to check the weather out. Once the rain stopped and the weather looked better we continued. We drove by a couple of snow ski resort towns. The interstate and highways weren't too busy.

 

We stopped at Parachute, Colorado at the rest area. It was a very nice park with cute flower solar panels, an information building, restrooms (they were old but well maintained) and a little dog park area. We needed to stretch our legs and use the facility. 

 

City of Parachute

 

When we got into Utah the scenery changed to more of a desert. Then we got into the mountains. The scenery was different but still pretty. We stopped at a rest area and had lunch. After using the facility we were back on the road.

 

Welcome to Utah

 

 

 

Mountains in Utah

 

After lunch we continued our adventure. We were driving through a beautiful mountain pass when we were told to turn around because the bridge was out because of the rain. We had passed a highway sign that said there was a delay but nothing about the road being closed. We turned around and went back to Helper.

 

Helper is a cute little town. It had a parking lot where you could stay for the night if you wanted. It also offered a free RV dump but no water. There were a couple of gas stations that offered an RV dump and water. We parked in the parking lot and Larry found an alternative route. Before leaving Helper we used its free dump. The river, that runs through town was flowing fast. We saw townspeople walking on a suspension bridge to take a picture of it. I took a picture of it while Larry dumped the tanks. Next stop there was at the Shell station to fill the Minnie. It also offered a free dump and water. 

 

 

 

The river in Helper

 

After filling the Minnie with gas we were on the road again. We used the new route. The new route took you towards Park City and Provo and around Salt Lake City. When we got back to the intersection on the highway there was now policemen directing traffic away from the mountain pass and the sign said it was closed. The alternative route was very pretty through the mountains. The highway curved through the mountain. It went up and down and we saw a lot of tanker trucks. We passed by two big reservoirs and a lot of campgrounds around them. 

 

 A rainbow

 

By the time we got to Heber City, Ut Larry was tired and it was raining on and off so we called it a day. Larry had been driving for 13 hours through rain and a few mountain passes. It's suppose to rain on and off all night and through the morning. Larry found a Walmart in Heber to sleep for the night and do a little shopping.

 

We had an interesting day but it's all good.