I checked our bags in the kitchen once getting up, I didn’t notice a mouse in them. But all my appeasement brown rice was gone, so mission accomplished! All we had left to pack was our bathroom toiletries which didn’t take long. Not packing anything in the car the night before did make for a few trips back and forth. Loading the luggage cart down heavily saved a few trips. But Amanda, with pack on back and hands loaded, would have to maintain the load pilled on the cart.
You guessed it, first stop Starbucks! We would be going through all new territory today once we went beyond the south end of town. Winding through the mountains close to the river provided a little different scenery than we’d seen the past week and a half.
Once out of the valley, we were on top and in the plains flanked by hills. It would be turning into real cattle country. We saw a new creature that I’m still unsure of the species. It looked like a very large ferret but dark from its shoulders back and red from there up. The only thing our Google-fu could come up with for the area would be a skinny marmot or a young wolverine, but who knows?
I’d turned Amazon music to a worship station, and Amanda was jamming. She was in the singing mood, and I was in the talking mood. So that meant I was talking to myself as she sang!
As we approached Rock Springs, not to be confused with our Texas counterpart, I noticed we hadn’t seen any trains. A much-needed break from anything work for the past couple of weeks!
We stopped for gas and yet another round of coffee. Then we climbed out of the dirty oil field town through what would remind me of Texas Rocksprings hill county. Sagebrush transitioning to cedars, the only difference is we were at 7,000 feet, and there were mountains, not hills, in the backdrop.
It was noticeable when we transitioned to Utah with its red cliffs. We were then rolling through open range, roaming livestock with no fences. What I would assume to be wild mustangs blocked the road at one point.
We wound our way down to a small town to get gas. It reminded me of the town from the late 90s movie Breakdown with Kurt Russel. The gas station would be combined with a fly fishing shop, unexpected for what I’d thought of Utah. The road would take us over the Flaming Gorge Dam. There was a visitors center and a walkway on the tall dam, which I wanted to walk over. However, it would be closed, but it would have the bonus of open bathrooms. This was just about when Amanda would get a call from her bestie. Bad news they had something come up and wouldn’t be able to join us in Colorado. We were both looking forward to spending a little time with our friends.
The scenery would continue to change one spot, in particular, would remind me of the scene from True Grit, the original, where John Wayne squares off solo against ole Bob Duvall and his gang. Wayne, as Roaster Cogburn would ride head-on against 4-5 other horseback men in a valley meadow, much like what we were driving through. Taking the reigns in his mouth with his mare lever action rifle in one hand and 6 shooter in the other. Of course, Wayne comes out on top but not without the help of a Texas Ranger played by Glen Cambell. It’s funny how movies have a place in our memories. This movie was made nearly 15 years before I was born, yet it still has a spot in my memories! Hold on to turn movie trivia because this won’t be the last reference I make today.
We made our my from Wayne’s meadow shootout spot to a winding road filled with 10 switchbacks, at least that’s how many the sign said before we made it to the top. Cresting at 8250 feet, the pass sign would say. We would undoubtedly be in Utah as the Mormon churches started to outnumber the 7-Elevens!
We would come across some stretches that would remind me of another John Wayne movie, the Searchers. Not so much the desolate desert scenes but others where they were out looking for Wayne’s niece, who Indians abducted.
Once getting into Colorado, I was surprised by all the power lines. I would come to see they were for oil field work all around. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that many power poles in such a small area. I wasn’t expecting an oil field in Northwest Colorado, either. Typical of oil field areas, it was ugly and littered with pump jacks along with the mentioned power lines and poles.
We would get into plain areas where there were large washed-out dirt canyons, for lack of a better word. Deep dirt wash-outs caused by torrential rains. This would bring to mind another movie scene; another western; this one my favorite, Lonesome Dove. Gus, Robert Duvall, just finished chasing Buffalo; because he didn’t know how long they’d be around to chase. This led to him being chased by Indians. He and another cowboy hid in a washout on the side of one of these ‘dirt canyons.’ To know the country views we’ve experienced on our way to Wyoming and back to Colorado, watch Lonesome Dove. It tracks cowboys pushing a herd from Texas, filmed miles from where we live, to Montana.
We would find ourselves in a construction zone for a while. Waiting for our turn to go would cost us at least 30 minutes. Not a good scenario when Amanda needed a bathroom! Once we were turned loose, we would still climb a bit more. Then we would begin our downward trip. It would make 10 switchbacks seem like a day in the park! I was keeping pace with the local car in front for a bit then he was gone! Amanda would comment on my fast speed; my rebuttal was we needed to get to a bathroom. She said she’d rather have to hold it than lose it worried we were running off the steep ledge! I would reach the bottom with sweaty hands, wishing I was driving an Italian sports car versus the Subaru.
We found a bathroom in a small rundown mining/oil town. I grabbed a bottle of water, payment for the bathroom use. I’m still old-school and feel I should be a patron if I use the facilities. Speaking of old-school that is just what the bathroom was with its hand towel loop that you pull for a “fresh,” dry, not clean section! I’m assuming the cloth towel there was the same from the 80s. I would have put money down that covid would have wiped those old things out, proof that some things stand the test of time! Let’s just say we used sanitizer from the car and nothing from that restroom but the toilet! For those of you that lived through the 80s no photo is needed here but I’ll place one for the younger crowd to reference!
We stopped in Grand Junction, a much larger town than I’d expected, for a snack. Chick-fil-A Arnold Palmers, half tea, half lemonade. Adding to the order some waffle fries with no salt; gotta take care of Amanda’s ticker, plus they are always cooked fresh when ordering them this way. The Colorado sunset would prove to be a fantastic sight on our way to Montrose to grab some sushi for dinner and a few groceries.
After grabbing dinner, we made our way to the cabin. We would find it easily but in the pitch black down a mile or so of dirt road. Immediately unloading all of our luggage and checked the house out. It would turn out to be a gem. We couldn’t wait to see it in the daylight. A nice note wishing us a happy anniversary on a bottle do sparkling wine awaited us in the fridge. A nice gesture from our host of this Airbnb. First, we’d devour our sushi, then get to bed after a long day of driving.
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Our son and daughter in law live in Montrose. Lots to see and do there! Joe Hendrix (photographer) and his family also live there. They used to live here at Fort Clark.