Cross Country Adventure - Day 10 - Evergreen CO to Moab, Utah

The main street in Evergreen

In the thirty-six hours or so that we had been in Evergreen we hadn’t actually made it in to the town center. Many years ago (and I mean many) I had been through Evergreen on a bus tour and thought it a charming small town with its wooden boardwalks and western feel. I wanted to see if it had changed at all so we made it our first stop of the day. To my surprise, it looked much as I remembered it.

On the boardwalk outside the stores

Not long out of Evergreen the scenery changed dramatically as the road twisted and turned through high-sided canyons with stunning vistas ahead.

Then suddenly the canyon walls would be left behind and we would be able to see the road snake way into the distance.

We made a brief stop to admire the view at Lake Dillon – a mere 9,017 feet above sea level. 

Lake Dillon

The composition of the rock formations varied considerably.

The scenery became ever more rocky, the canyon walls even higher: 

There was some other traffic on the road - mostly trucks

In places, tunnels cut deep into the mountains.

We took a break for a picnic at Grizzly Creek in White River National Park where there are spectacular views of the Colorado River. Luckily there were no signs of any grizzlies, just white-water rafters, paddle-boarders and hikers.

Moving on again, the landscape gradually became more desert-like.

Our mid-afternoon stop was at Grand Junction,  yet another pleasant Colorado town. This one had pianos in the street which we assumed were for anyone to use so my daughter played one of her favorite tunes.

The main street is  also dotted with exquisite cast iron sculptures. My favorite was one of Dalton Trumbo at work in his bathtub. Trumbo grew up in Grand Junction and is said to have done his best work while sitting in the tub!

The man in the Bathtub

We’d been warned to fill up with gas at Grand Junction as our destination of Moab in Utah was still almost 2 hours’ drive away and there aren’t many gas stations between the two towns. Wouldn't do to get caught short as sometimes the roads can be deserted and there is no guarantee of cellphone service. 

Once we crossed into Utah the scenery changed again - miles and miles of flatter, sandy land dotted with shrub-like trees.

path to scenic overlook

view from scenic overlook

Halfway to Moab we braved the heat to check out a view at a scenic overlook.  Six o’clock in the evening and the temperature was still somewhere close to 100°F. We didn’t dally for too long!

Finally, imposing canyon walls lined the route into Moab giving us a hint of what we hoped to see the following day on our trip to Arches National Park and providing a fitting end to a day of what can only be described as awe-inspiring views.

Moab is basically a one road town catering mostly to tourists visiting Arches National Park and Canyonlands, but it is not short of motels and restaurants to suit all budgets. Wanting to avoid the cookie-cutter chain motels, we had opted for the Silver SageMotel for our two night stay. Clean, inexpensive, and with friendly staff, it proved to be a good choice.

Silver Sage Motel, Moab

 If you ever get a chance to drive between Colorado and Utah, I highly recommend it!

Mel writes contemporary fiction with a twist of mystery and suspense. For more information about her books visit her website, or sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/melparishnews