Miles and miles of yellow on the approach into Denver on I-76. We had come west on I-80 through Nebraska, and were searching the horizon constantly for our first glimpse (on this trip) of the snow-capped mountains. Late August had brought something into bloom for what seemed like hours of yellow as far as you could see in every direction. (If anyone has an idea what this flowering wonder is, can you please leave a comment. I never did find out on the trip.)
We might not have known WHAT it was, but we quickly figured out WHY it was there. After a few miles it became quite clear that it was put there as a sinister plot by the Colorado Highway Department. We were so taken with its beauty that we slow to realize that the contents of our 5th wheel were being destroyed by the horrible condition of the road. Nothing broken, but we had overhead cupboard avalanches for days after.
We made Denver by nightfall, and stayed overnight at the Dakota Ridge RV Park in Golden. I won’t attempt to review it here as we weren’t there long enough. Clean, very pet friendly but our site was a little difficult to maneuver with the 5th wheel. A little too cramped for us, but situated near to our dear friend Emil who we hadn’t seen in too long. He joined us for dinner and catching up. Sadly, still being on NY time, we were ready to turn in at 7:oo and the evening ended much too soon.
Early next morning we headed out of Denver on I-70 and would be in Moab by day’s end. Easily one of the best drives ever. The highway was great, the truck pulled the 5th wheel with ease, and the photo opportunities were measured by the mile.
At the Summit, elevation 9,150 feet we pulled off at a scenic overlook for lunch. Randy and Molly did the walk, while I did the lunch prep. They climbed the hillside behind us until they heard the “rattles” nearby in the scrub, and retreated back to the RV quickly and safely. What an awesome view for lunch!
Settling back on the highway for the last leg of our journey, it gets really strange. After miles of majestic mountain views……
……….the landscape takes on a more rocky, barren look. All within a few miles.
Welcome to Utah!!!
The outside temperature begins to climb………94 degrees…..98 degrees……..102 degrees. Rolling down the window for even quick photo, sucks enough heat and humidity inside the cab of the truck, that it takes miles to get comfortable again. We make the southern turn onto US Route 191, and the GPS is showing us only about 30 miles out from our destination campground. And it just keeps getting more desolate and hotter.
I am beginning to question why we didn’t take a larger part in choosing our destination for this family reunion…..I cannot imagine camping in this climate. We had pretty much left the choice up to Randy’s brother, but now I’m wondering if we should have done more research before we left the cool, green climate of upstate New York.
When the temperature reached 106 degrees and we were only five miles out, I knew we were in trouble. I said to Randy, “what are the chances of rounding the last bend before the campground and finding a lush, green, cool place to park for the next few days?”
I had no more than spoke the words, when we were indeed at the last bend. Less than a mile to go……we held our breath and knew this was it.
It was GREEN!!!! There was WATER!!!! What a relief……
If you’ve read this far, thank you for making this 346 mile trip with us from Denver to Moab. Definitely one of our better RV travel days! If you haven’t been to Moab, UT yet, you really should try to make it there. In a cooler season. If you HAVE been there, please leave a comment about what you liked the most. We are going back again and I need to start a list of things to visit.
Happy Trails to you,
Janet, Randy and Molly
Next up: What to do in Moab when it’s 110 degrees? Jet Boat on the Colorado of course!! And campground review of Moab Valley RV Resort.
The Next Rest Stop 
Between Utah and Colorado you could explore for years and never see it all. AND the weather is very diverse based on elevation. Great photos!
You must have spent some time there. You are absolutely right about staying for years and not seeing it all. Did you ever go down the Colorado on the jet boats? It was, sadly, the only tourist type thing we did in the short three days we were there.
The yellow field of ? were very pretty but didn’t see the flowers close up enough to identify. Something quite similar in Bavaria is field & fields of rape [pronounced rapp] that is used in the beauty industry for makeup & perfume. It’s also harvested for biofuel. I seem to recall someone once said that here were lots of fields of something similar in Oregon, so maybe that’s what it is. Just guessing. Very nice pictures.
Hi Phil, thanks for looking at the blog. I look at all your pictures and remember things past in Germany. Really nice thank you. I hope some Colorado people chime in on this and solve the mystery. You may be right….stay tuned!