I noticed that Highway 153 would take me from Junction UT to Beaver UT. My GPS didn’t really tell me that [...]]]> I left the hotel in the morning and decided it would be more fun to take US 89 south and find a way to cut over to I-15 than just take I-70 to I-15.

I noticed that Highway 153 would take me from Junction UT to Beaver UT. My GPS didn’t really tell me that it was a dirt highway (I had no idea something called a “highway” could be unpaved), but I figured I’d give it a try anyway. A few miles outside of Junction there were some switchbacks, where there were a couple of guys using one the switchbacks as a launch-pad for their hang-gliders. Farther along there was occasional snow on the road, but I was comfortable thinking I could turn around if the snow became “too deep”. This road also made it to 10,000′ of elevation. Pretty drive, I’d like to come back again.

There is a chance I took highway 21 west out of Beaver to highway 130 and took that south to Cedar City, and I might have just taken I-15 since I knew it was going to be a long day of driving.

I had lunch in Cedar City, refilled my water jug, and gassed up. I headed west on highway 56, over the border into NV (where the road becomes highway 319. I think I noticed there was a national monument or something north of there, someday I’ll figure out what it was and go and visit.

I turned south on US 93, going thru Caliente again, and keeping west on highway 375. This, again, is the Extraterrestrial Highway, and I remember liking the way the cholla cactus starts small on the west side of the ET Highway and gets taller and taller the more east one goes. I recall that the vegetation changes significantly as one goes east over a pass/ridge. I also remember there was a dead cow on the side of the road on my way out, and a week later on my way back it was still there in the same bloated shape. I was curious why it had not been scavenged at all.

It was getting close to sunset at this point, and I was liking the way the sky to the west was shaping up. As highway 375 turns west toward Warm Springs NV, I pulled over to take some pictures.

I got in to Tonopa late, staying at a different hotel. They recommended somewhere else to eat, and it was probably marginally better than the place the hotel I stayed at on the way out recommended.

We met at [...]]]> I left Leadville and decided to take the scenic route, so I headed south out of town on 24 to 82 west (yes, back to Twin Lakes), on up through Aspen, and on to Glenwood Springs, where I met Chris, a college classmate who was unable to make it to the reunion.

We met at the Glenwood Canyon Brewing Company, and shared a pitcher of their home-brew root beer (and I might have had some appetizers).   Chris warned me that while the flavor of the rootbeer would be good, it would not be well-carbonated.

From there I headed off to the hotel (somewhere like Richfield or Joseph. Probably not Elsinore, as I would have remembered that, as I like the movie “Strange Brew”.)

I drove north to Denver, where I met a grad school classmate at KrispyKreme and [...]]]> I spent a bit of time on Sunday looking for the Bavarian restaurant I liked in Colorado Springs. The original location had closed, so I looked for them at their “new” location on the north side of town. No luck.

I drove north to Denver, where I met a grad school classmate at KrispyKreme and picked up some donuts for Leadville. I was a bit concerned that as I got closer to Denver the temperature got closer to freezing, as it was raining and I knew that Leadville was quite a bit higher…

I headed west on I-70, got a bit of snow, and not long after that I was above the weather. I took Highway 91 (again hitting 10,000′) on the way to Leadville (which is over 10,000′). Had dinner with Jarrett, and probably did some laundry.

As I recall, we shot until about lunchtime. I headed north out of Moab, and filled my water bottles at the spring just after starting on Highway 128.

I stayed on 128, except I turned right [...]]]> Woke up wicked early to meet my guide, so we could be in Canyonlands before sunrise to take pictures.

As I recall, we shot until about lunchtime. I headed north out of Moab, and filled my water bottles at the spring just after starting on Highway 128.

I stayed on 128, except I turned right on Fas-347 thru Cisco, until I joined I-70. I stayed on I-70 to Highway 9, going south (thru Fairplay) to 24, and then 24 east to Colorado Springs, to my hotel. Somewhere on this leg I hit 10,000′ again.

I stayed on this to Cedar City, where I had a bite to eat. I could have taken [...]]]> I went east on 6 out of Tonopa to highway 375 (the Extraterrestrial Highway), to US 93, thru Caliente, then on to Highway 319 east, which turns in to Highway 56 when crossing from Nevada into Utah.

I stayed on this to Cedar City, where I had a bite to eat. I could have taken I-15 south and gotten to Kanab early, but I noticed that I could stay on the same road and take it to Highway 14 (which looked twisty and interesting) to Highway 89, and then take that road south to Kanab. I did this.

14 was very pretty – going east, there were great colors in the rocks, and the trees went from cedars(?) to something, to aspens, and there were hoodoo formations in the hills that had snow on them. There was a spot on this road that was at 10,000′ elevation.

When I got to Kanab I ate dinner at the Rockin’ V Cafe – it was, as I remembered from my previous visit here, very nice.