July 10th

Tried to get out of Grand Junction early but we had to do laundry and go shopping. This included an unanticipated stop at the local liquor store. We wanted some beer to drink by the campfire but in Colorado, the grocery stores can only sell 3.2 beer and the only people that make it are the usual Coors/Bud types. No, for the local microbrew, you have to hit the liquor store. With all these stops and the fact that we hit every red light in Grand Junction, it took us until 1:00 to finally get on the road. Fortunately we didn't have all that far to go.

Drove up route 139, a beautiful road north and east of Grand Junction to Dinosaur, CO. High plains of Colorado plus one mountain pass -- perfect for listening to Rank&File. It is right at the edge of Dinosaur National Monument which overlaps into Utah. The monument is serious archaeological stuff but the little towns in the area work the dinosaur theme to the maximum. We took pictures of some of the funniest examples. Enjoy!

From Vernal, UT (home of several silly dinosaurs) we headed up for Flaming Gorge. It is a huge red-cliffed canyon with the Green River flowing below. It was dammed it up in the early 1960s to produce this huge lake and wildlife preserve. We discovered it on our last big road trip and loved it so much that we have been dying to get back. The campsites are on the rim of the canyon, thousands of feet above the water with an amazing view. As we drove the last 40 miles toward the park, we listened to some tapes of old country music to get in the mood: Buck Owens, George Jones, Hank Williams Sr, and of course, some Johnny Cash.

Finally got to Flaming Gorge late in the afternoon. It rained some, then rained some more, so we just sat in the car. We were a little dissapointed but remained hopeful that it might stop by nightfall. Close to sundown, the clouds cleared out to reveal a spectacular sunset. We quickly pitched the tent and made some supper. We used a big can of Virginia brunswick stew that we got in Tappahannock while visiting Aunt Mary Lou this spring. We think she would be pleased. It turned out to be a wonderful clear evening with a nearly full moon that lit up the campsite like day.

July 11th

Slept late, ate grits, took hike. Ate lunch, slept some, sat in sun. Watched clouds, read book, drank cokes. Slept more, walked some, ate more. Started fire. Cooked food. Watched clouds, drank beer. More clouds, then stars, then a good sleep. The air was clear and warm, the best we could hope for. Nothing could go wrong today!

July 12th

It felt like we woke up late but actually it was 8:00. Guess that's what happens when you go to bed at 10:00! Had instant grits and tea for breakfast and packed up the campsite. It was really beautiful up here-- clear skies, clean air, and few people. It was hard to leave so we went to the park headquarters on the way out for one last view of the canyon.

We drove up 44 on the west side of the Gorge, up to Wyoming and through a mysterious grey landscape that looked like the moon. We made our way to Ft. Bridger where we stopped at Mrs. B's restaurant, a truck stop cafe filled with overweight truckers and cigarette smoke. This is one of those truck stops with a phone at each booth, so truckers can call home or even US West customer support (for the full scoop, ask Jonathan about his "Trucker -- *ucker" story).

As we ate our delicious and greasy lunches, we determined that we could check our email with the phone jack at the booth! I was reluctant at first, but my inner nerd instructed me to see if Mindspring's 1-800 number was worth it's salt... We connected with no problem, and didn't get too many weird looks. It was fantastic people watching. Most of the people in there looked either bored, tired, or in need of an antacid. One guy was talking on and on to another table about his wife in KY and 3 Ex-wives in UT. Can he really pay that much alimony on a trucker's salary? At the next table sat a very strange couple -- an older trucker (60s or so) and a much younger native american woman. She was incredibly tall and had such a moustache that you sort of had to look twice. She was very pretty in that Frieda Kahlo sort of way but definitely unusual. They had two kids with them that seemed to be theirs but didn't look like either one of them. They all looked super tired and ordered cold cereal at 1:00 in the afternoon. Very strange. Unfortunately the digital camera was full, so you will have to take my word for it...

More driving through Utah and then into Idaho. Ogden, UT looks a lot like Albuquerque -- with a big mountain to the east and similar vegetation. In fact it was kina spooky.

We made it to Boise Idaho by 10:30pm, pretty tired. The EconoLodge here is neither economic nor a lodge -- discuss...

	Route 139 north of Grand Junction Colorado. Great road!
	For those of you who think WE have a lot of junk.. check these people out! There were only 4 people in the car!
	The dinosaur in front of the Dinosaur, CO firestation.
	Dinosaur sign in Vernal, Utah.
	The Dine-a-Ville Motel in Vernal, Utah.
	Another groovy dinosaur sign in Vernal, Utah.
	The St. Christopher charm that protects us from harm. Thanks, Stacy!
	Our campsite at Canyon Rim campground in Flaming Gorge.
	The Gorge after the rain passed.
	Lynne looking out over the Gorge.
	We spent all day just reading, hiking and looking at clouds! Jealous?
	The sunsets out here are spectacular.
	Flaming Gorge in the morning.
	Here we are again! Headed out of Flaming Gorge and towards Idaho.
	Idaho welcome center. The sign claims that the state is divided into a number of "travel zones". We took this picture in "magicland". Boise is in "treasureland" to the west. "Sociopathic Survivalist Land" must be farther north...
	Having a light supper at a rest stop somewhere in Treasureland.