We had an incredible amount of driving to do today. For breakfast we decided to drive back into Aspen from Snowmass Village. GPS said it was just 7 miles away, but due to traffic and lane reductions it took us around 30 minutes.
The McDonald’s in Aspen is one of the most nondescript McDonald’s I’ve been to. No large signs. Not at a building by itself. Just part of another building. You’d miss it if you didn’t know it was there. This McDonald’s is probably the only name brand fast food restaurant in downtown Aspen, and really only there because McDonald’s is everywhere….and the rich and famous have children who love McDonald’s.
It was on to the Black Canyon. To get there we drove through the mountains for some scenic views. We saw signs indicating next services was for 30 minutes and that meant gas. As we drove we came to a open air mine with a conveyor with the ability to load coal into railway cars. Railway cars were lined up very far along the tracks. Beside the mine was a group of around 50 houses, obviously the homes of the miners. As I recall I don’t remember seeing anything else but houses. The community was there to support the mine.
After entering Montrose we stopped to consult the GPS to find Rim Road around the Black Canyon. At some areas along the canyon you only need to was just a few yards to get to the picturesque spot. Other areas required somewhat of a hike. The canyon was beautiful. If you listened closely you could hear the rushing rapids at the bottom.
As recommended by Megan’s father we took state route 128 down to Moab. This road is very desolate. Very few cars on this road. Desert as far as you could see. Signs indicated there was a free range meaning it was possible that cattle could be in the roadway, however we saw none. As we approached we noticed the distinct rock formations much like the dark tan formations on Monument Valley. A small stream was surround by green trees – an unusual site in the desert. We saw a rancher’s house and sprinklers set to water the field around it.
The community of Dewey, Utah, consists of a house and a closed gas station. The pumps look like some from the 1980s. I really wish we had stopped to take a photo.
The rock formations were huge and overwhelming at times. This wasn’t even part of a National Park, rather part of the Department of Interior. There was no way for me to adequately describe how unique and beautiful the surroundings were. Along the way there were plenty of campsites without electrical and water hookups.
The stream that we had been following grew bigger among the rock formations. We later saw a sign stating it was the Colorado River.
We decided to drive into Arches National Park for some last minute viewings of the rock formations before sunset. The sunset really brought out the colors in these formations. This was a photographer’s dream. We stopped and parked and walked up to a very large arch and took plenty of photos. Knowing that we couldn’t see everything we decided to stay there while the sun set.
I have discovered that since most visitors stay at the National Park through sun down, most restaurants in Moab are open late. We were shopping for souvenirs at 9:30 at night and had supper at around 10PM. We ate at the Moab Diner – somewhat like Steak and Shake but more homelier with less name brand appeal. In short it was a hometown diner. Food was good especially since I had nothing since the Taco Bell in Delta.
Today we are off to Four Corners and Mesa Verde.