Friday Morning January 23 I headed out for points West first by heading south of town to pick up Hwy 166 which leads through cattle country. The point was driven home by the presence of at least a half dozen Texas Cattle Gates placed right in the highway. Fields may be fenced but steers will be steers. In the distance clouds could be seen to be forming as the air rose over the Davis Mountains.
Hwy 505 which led to Hwy 90 was so narrow I eventually adopted the expedient of bridging the centre line to avoid the broken pavement at its edge; I met no other traffic. Hwy 90 led to Valentine, Texas where I posted Post Cards to the gang back home at work for the novelty of it all.
From there it was a short hop to Van Horn where I got gas and stopped for lunch at the Café which served a filling daily special which featured tacos and salsa, soup, a sandwich with potato chips (?), and a small piece of cake. If the State Troopers eat there it must be good. From that point it was straight west along I-10 to El Paso. After registering at the Roadrunner RV Park I visited the nearby Barnes and Noble and Best Buy to pick up a new Laptop to replace my recalcitrant year-old model. I spent the next three days loading in software and files.
Monday morning I set out for Albuquerque and thought I’d never get out of El Paso. Crammed between the mountains to the north and the Mexican Border to the south I-10 seems to wind forever through downtown. In fact the urban area continues right to the New Mexico Welcome Centre. I-10 and I-25 in New Mexico were characterized by gusting cross-winds that rocked my RV even when it was parked; tumbleweeds bigger than basketballs that crossed the road; dust storms; and the stench of feedlot operations next to the highway. I was bemused that a town along the way actually changed its name to Truth or Consequences to satisfy the whim of the TV host.
When I reached Albuquerque the maze of highways got me so turned around for the first time I lost track of my directions but the GPS got me close to my campground. When the confusing series of highways and local names defied me I finally settled on the nearest campground—American RV Park. It offered complimentary breakfast and the people were pleasant. Decided to stay for an extra breakfast and get caught up on my laundry. During the morning there was a snow squall and a patch of sleet at noon. Even when I went into town and got groceries and gas I was still surprised when heading west took me back the road I’d just driven in on.
Interstate 40 out of Albuquerque follows the path of Historic Route 66. The sight of snow-capped mountains grabbed my attention and caused me to pay close attention to the condition of the roads I was driving. The highway was littered with State Troopers in their SUVs and signs asking one to report drunk drivers. Alcoholism it would seem is a major problem. I found USA RV Park in Gallup with a minimum of hassle. Up the street is the famous El Rancho Hotel that has played host to movie stars the likes of John Wayne and Ronald Reagan in his B-movie days. It would appear that nostalgia for Route 66 plays a big role in local tourism and the Campground store was littered with memorabilia.
On Thursday January 29 drove up to Bluff, Utah threading my way through the canyonlands. The approach to Bluff takes one into a Red Rock Rimmed Canyon that gives no sign that there is any human habitation until one finally reaches town and crosses the bridge on the San Juan River. There an RV Park called Cadillac Ranch demanded cash payment and forced me to pay ATM fees to get money. Since it was noon when I arrived and I’d not yet tried out my bike since its tire repair I got it down and took a ride around town, all over town. Red rock bluffs hem the town in on all sides but the dead in the cemetery high on the bluff get the best view. The campground owners keep a menagerie of pheasants, mallards, coots, ponies, and one loudly braying donkey—is there any other kind. To my chagrin the power failed that night—I don’t recommend the place!
Left early Friday morning after running my generator to heat coffee. Made a short 100-mile hop to Moab stopping briefly to visit the tourist bureau/museum in Blanding. Stopped at the Moab visitor’s centre and collected a wealth of information, then went across the street to have lunch and digest it. The waitress supplied me with cream for my coffee but needed to be reminded that I might need a spoon. The cheese steak seemed to remain with me all day. Learning that the local community theatre was presenting a play called the Letter Project I returned to the Visitors Centre to find out about tickets. Directed to Arches Bookstore I first located the Starr Theatre and then Arches, a coffeehouse, internet café, newsstand, and bookshop where I was sold an $8.00 cash undated ticket. There I also found Celestial Seasonings Tea for the first time in a decade-unfortunately I failed to notice they sell tea bags not real tea. I then visited the travel bookstore across the way to pick up the local free weekly—the Zephyr and had a talk with its owner while I petted the resident cat. Drove up to the Slickrock RV Park and after a bit of a wait actually met the owner and signed in for $20 a night. His power worked but the washroom lacked toilet paper or towels and the area was never cleaned or replenished. This location was overrun by cats as well.
Without hooking up drove up to Arches National Park and bought an audio guide and Utah National Parks Guidebook at the Visitors Centre. The drive though the park was breath-taking passing by rock formations that have appeared in countless movies and TV Commercials. On the drive up along Hwy 191 it did not seem possible that there was any way to scale the wall of red rock that faces one but a series of switchbacks carved out of the rock takes one up.
After grabbing a quick supper I drove back to town and parked again at the visitors centre. The Letter Project resulted from a call for letters from the local population which were cobbled together into a series of vignettes that covered the gamut of battle of the sexes, divorce, boy scout camp, Dear John, war, and love letters. A riff on the Obama Electoral College Map had the Blue States separating from the Red States and taking with them most of the Industry, Beaches, and Natural Resources and leaving behind all the guns, poverty, and the KKK. Once I found my campground again I spent a quiet night and if the washrooms were not maintained the internet and electricity worked.
Saturday morning I headed out for Salt Lake City. Wanting to hook up with a pen pal who lives there I drove straight through without taking any pictures. What I hadn’t actually realized was that my route took me through the Rockies a fact that became very apparent when I started approaching the wall that is the Roan Cliffs and started climbing. When I reached Soldier Summit at 8000 ft the temperature had dropped to 9º F and I was extremely thankful for a calm clear day that left the road bare and dry. Snow banks and snow-covered mountains were on all sides. In spite of it all I made good time only to be held up by a collision in Salt Lake on I-15. Two hours later I finally reached my Kampground. Exactly what makes it VIP I’m not sure. At that point I almost gave up on going further that day but after signing in, getting propane and finding my Kampsite I set out for Draper 21 miles distant and met up with an LDS Pen Pal who was playing a piano concert at a seniors centre there. One little old dear hummed along to the music. We had late brunch together and I headed home. I felt I had a right to feel tired.
Sunday morning saw me catching an 8:30 shuttle to Temple Square. The shuttle like everything else at Temple Square is absolutely free. We made it to the Tabernacle in time to see the choir first rehearse and then broadcast live-to-air their Words and Music presentation. The experience had an other-worldly unreality about it. After I took the tour of the grounds and went off-site for lunch. Visited the Beehive—Brigham Young’s home and took a quick tour of the 21,000 seat conference centre. After ended up making the 2.4 mile trek home on foot. Spent a quiet evening plotting my next moves and reading up on the road ahead. When I awoke in the night I decided that a rest day was in order come Monday. When I tuned into local radio next morning I learned that mad Utah drivers had as our kampground host put it played bumper cars on the highways and every major route out of town was grid-locked. Something about Utah drivers—they have the best highway system I’ve seen in the US but they still manage to collide with one another at an unseemly rate.
The sun is shining here and the temperature as I write this has reached 42º F. Today is Groundhog Day and in Pennsylvania Punxsutawney Phil has seen his shadow. Apparently Shubenacadie Sam, Punxsutawney Phil and Wiarton Willie have all seen their shadows this year. Did anyone hold out much hope of an early spring this year? I was given free tokens for a local car wash but I’m not sure that I want to pull up stakes to use them this afternoon as much as the RV could use a wash. I have loads of E-mail and typing to catch up on. Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon are between me and Las Vegas and Wi-Fi is doubtful at either location. While I’m that close I will probably take in both. I just need to get south again before the next snow storms sweep in.
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