And, away they go! From June 22nd

 

There really wasn't much discussion.  When I mentioned it to Jimmy, he said, "sign me up!"  We figured out the logistics and decided it was doable, so I said, "yes" to Sharon.  We originally met Sharon and Randy on our Galapagos trip in April 2018.  Randy volunteer/works two weeks every summer on the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad.  Sharon will join him after his stint (they live in Atlanta), and this year Jimmy and I will join them!  We've been talking about riding the train for years and we're happy that, a) we'll see our friends, and b) we'll be riding the train this year!

We filled Tergel with all the necessaries and gave her a once over on mechanics.  Since we'll be traveling in summer, not something we normally do, I made reservations at campgrounds and went into sticker shock at the prices we'll be paying.  But the temps along the way will be too hot for us to dry camp or stay at Harvest Host locations (no hookups).  We'll need A/C!

Highway 50, that ol' lonesome road, is the most direct route to get to Chama, New Mexico, and so we set off on Mon, June 22nd.  Across Nevada and Utah we endured the heat.  Unfortunately, the cab A/C didn't want to work, so I lost some weight from sweating () Once we're set up, the coach A/C is fine.

Above and below photos, we passed by the Ruth Copper Mine (Ruth, NV) with its monstrous mountains of tailings.  We wondered aloud if the piles had grown larger since the last time we blew through town.

Our first night out we stopped in Fallon NV, which was HOT but okay.  Spent the next night in Ely, NV at a KOA, which has nice shade trees, but still HOT.  On Wednesday we stayed at a Love's RV park in Salina, Utah.  In itself the place was good, but smoke from the Cottonwood fire stained the sky (below) and forced us inside.

Tergel and Smartie.

Out of Salina, we enjoyed the panoramic views on I-70 through Utah.  In fact, we pulled in at a couple of viewpoints, like the ones in these pics.  Since leaving home I believe we've cruised along in Tergel always at elevations in the 4000-6000 ft range, topping passes over 7,000'.

Raven photo-bomber.

Looks like Utah, doesn't it?

So many different shapes and sizes and colors and cliffs and mountains and ranges, sharp or undulating or rounded or heaped, that's Utah scenery.

We continued from Salina to Monticello Utah, first on I-70 and then turning south on Hwy 191, past Arches National Park and Moab and into Monticello, where we're spending two nights at Mountain View RV Park.  Two nights here gives us a bit of a rest from driving.  We'll leave Saturday morning for Rio Chama RV Park, over a thousand miles from home.  If you look at a map, you'll see we're not killing ourselves by driving 400 or 500 miles per day.

Hwy 191 is amazing, as well as somewhat tortuous for its long climbs, but the scenery is what makes it.  Well, most of the way.

Approaching Wilson's Arch (at 60 mph).

Fast catch on Wilson's Arch (at 60 mph).

We call these two the alligator or turtle,

and in the background is church rock.

We had a plastic dish with some over-the-hill senile grapes.  A horse lives next door to the RV Park in Monticello, so we thought the horse might like a treat.  Oh yes, you betcha.  We only gave her a few, one at a time, and she was very gentle taking each grape from our hand.

* * * * *

We asked at Monticello's Visitor Center for hikes in the area.  A helpful lady suggested we walk around the old Monticello Uranium Mill site, giving us directions.  This is a pretty small town, only about 1800 people, but the uranium/vanadium mill wrought havoc on everyone.  Construction on the mill began in 1940.  After the mill closed in 1960, the guv'mint stepped in for remediation and cleanup (boy, it needed it!) from 1989 to 2004.  If you're interested, read up on it.  Initally, the townsfolk welcomed the mill for economic and patriotic reasons, but later faced pollution, health concerns, and economic decline after its closure.  You can imagine the health concerns.  (More photo-bombing Ravens!)

Posies on the trail, L-R, top:  Palmer's Penstamon and Crownleaf Evening Primrose.  Bottom L-R: Scarlet Globemallow and Lupine.  Lots of Penstamon and Lupines here at this elevation.

Today we enjoyed an innocuous enough mile-plus hike along the site.

Quiet.  Peaceful.

After that, we found Lloyd's Lake, a lovely turquoise dammed lake west of town.  The water level looked down.  For the most part, the 2.3-mile loop hiking path around the lake is in full sun, so we elected to simply go till we wanted to turn around.  No problem.  Lovely, lovely day, with a brisk breeze keeping us cool.  The lake looks small in the pic above, but it isn't.

Jimmy starts out.

The Abajo Mountains in the distance added to the overall beauty.

Fuzzy grass provides the light color near the lake.  We watched a lady mule deer come to the water's edge (red x) for a drink, before ambling up through the fuzzy grass and into the scrub oaks.

Here she is.

Upon leaving the lake area, we wound our way up into Manti-LaSal National Forest, up and up and up.  We topped out at 8850' before turning around.  Into the Firs, Spruces and Aspens, beautiful.  Drove through Dalton's Campground, shooing deer and turkey out of our way, a fine place to stay, but not for us.

At 7,000' the days are fine and the nights are cool.  Wind turbines are nearby, so you know it's windy!  That's our week so far!