Today’s ride was similar to yesterday’s – simply fabulous. I had not been on the roads in western Colorado and Wyoming. They have sections that wind up and over the mountains and straight sections that cross the high plateau. I’m not very skilled at riding twisties, but I manage to get ’round the corners with moderate speed. I take a lot of satisfaction in just making it through the turns smoothly. The real value of these roads is the scenery they take you through. It’s thrilling to be part of the scenery, not just viewing it.

You never know what’s coming next as you round a bend and just when you think you know what to expect, the unexpected appears. For instance, today the road climbed from 6000 feet to 8000 feet three times. In the first cycle at 6000 feet there was scrubby brush and at 8000 feet there were aspen and tall pines. In the second cycle at 6000 feet there was scrubby stuff again, but the scrubby stuff went all the way to 8000 feet. There were no tall pines at that altitude. In the next cycle there were pine trees at 6000 feet and all the way up to 8000 feet!

In one of the Utah towns they lined both sides of the street with huge hanging baskets and planters containing purple, pink, and white petunias. I didn’t stop for a picture, but it was a beautiful sight.

There’s a Dinosaur World in Vernal, UT, so of course there are fiberglass dinosaurs to greet visitors.

I encountered some cattle along the road. The calf in the header picture didn’t know what it wanted to do. It crossed back and forth a couple of times until a car came through and scared it off the road.

I also passed by Flaming Gorge – a large lake and dam. The road goes over the top of the dam. There was a lot of traffic on either side of the lake. There were many trucks pulling boats.

I skirted Jackson Hole and Yellowstone by going west into Idaho. I’m at a campground a few miles north of Island Park, ID. The site is a big grassy area and includes electricity and Wi-Fi. I need electricity to write this blog because the battery in this 9-year-old laptop lasts no more than 20 minutes! Also, this is the first cold evening of this trip. Weather Bug says it’s 67. Seems colder to this Floridian.