Thur, May 26, 2011

Thursday, May 26, 2011

I have the desire of an explorer who can’t wait to see around the next bend in the road but I am without the required courage or fortitude.  I prefer to do my exploring from a Jeep and sleep in a motel. – Donna Downey

Our motel in Vernal had excellent Wi-Fi so I took about an extra hour this morning to do some work from the road.  Since our motel did not have a continental breakfast we made do with coffee until we could get on the road.  Just a few miles down the road, however, we spotted a café in the small town of Gusher, Utah.  After a hearty breakfast we were ready for a morning of travel.

Our morning route would take us into the Ashley National Forest as we drove thru a long canyon.  The weather was nice with cool temperatures but clear blue skies.  The wind did pick up as the day progressed which required finding some protected areas to make our stops. 

We took the high scenic route thru the Wasatch Plateau which took us back into the snow.  We took this particular route on the way up and it had received a new dusting of snow so it was sparking white with the new powder.  Near the summit we had to stop for just a few minutes and let the pups play in the fresh snow.  They had a good time but we made it a short recess due to the cold winds.

After the trip down we found ourselves in Huntington, Utah and chose to have a Subway sandwich inside for a change instead of a picnic.  The lower elevations had no snow and are very dusty so all the wind was picking up a lot of dust and grit. 

After lunch we continued our journey toward Bryce Canyon.  I lot of the lower elevations were no longer covered in snow and it was amazing how much the whole area had greened up since we were thru just a couple of weeks earlier.  We had a beautiful drive along the Fremont River and then up and around the Fish Lake Basin. 

Probably the most pleasant stop came at an old log cabin just outside the small ranching community of Koosharem, Utah.  The wind had died down and the afternoon light was beautiful.  There were several large Cottonwood trees around the old cabin and a pipe was pouring beautiful clear water from an underground spring.  The grass was deep and green all around the trees and cabin.  It had been converted to use as a barn by cutting out a section of the wall but now sits unused.  It was a very peaceful spot.

From Koosharem we made the drive due south to Bryce Canyon.  Our usual motel, Ruby’s Inn was full so we were lucky to find a nice room nearby with a fireplace!  Charles and I both love a fire so we feel very much at home here. 

We are all well tonight and hope that y’all are too.

Peace, Hope & Love,

Donna, Charles, Paris & Dodger