Colorado National Monument - Rim Rock Drive

  

We have been home since Sunday afternoon.  Camper Van emptied, Marcia got the laundry done (I do laundry on the road, she does it at Condo), and Camper Van is in the RV Storage next door with Cameras active, auto generator setup (although with all this sunshine, it won't be needed until later in the Winter), and when it cools down, I will give it a good cleaning inside and out.

But back 10 days ago we were in Fruita Colorado, and while waiting for Marcia's prescription to be ready, we took the Colorado National Monument - Rim Rock Drive.  I had known about this scenic drive for many decades, but never took the time to drive it.  With a free Sunday, awaiting her pills from Walgreens on Monday, off we went.  Not only did we drive it from Fruita to Grand Junction, we then turned around (after locating Walgreens) and drove it back to Fruita.

 Both of the above pictures look down on Fruita...Grand Junction would be to the far right.

    

Established as Colorado National Monument in 1911, there have been some efforts to turn it into a National Park.   Wikipedia says it best:  "Sheer-walled canyons cut deep into sandstone and granite–gneiss–schist rock formations. This is an area of desert land high on the Colorado Plateau, with pinyon and juniper forests on the plateau."

The views along the road and the numerous pullouts is amazing.  There are many hiking trails, but with the summer heat, we did not see people taking hikes.

There are three tunnels on Rim Rock Road.  If you are in a high vehicle, the center provides 16' of clearance...but the sides only provide 10' 6".  There is a campground with 79 sites, with water and bathrooms available.  Cost is $22, or $11 with the National Park Senior Pass.

 

 We were lucky enough to see two Bighorn Sheep.

Rim Rock Road is about 30 miles in length.  Figure it will take you 90 minutes to drive the route.  It took us half that long when we did our return trip.  Cost is $25, or if you have a senior pass, it is free.

Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway

 

As I write this blog entry, it is Wednesday evening, we are in Alma, Arkansas, just outside of Fort Smith, and plan to meet up with Marcia's cousin Jim tomorrow for breakfast...he lives in Fort Smith.  After that, we are headed to Pine Bluff to visit one of my fellow Library workers, and then on to Florida.

This entry, however, deals with the Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway, a route we took earlier in the week while still in Moab.   The Upper Colorado River Scenic Byway is a 44.5 mile route which follows the Colorado River along a canyon.  We entered the Byway just north of Moab as it starts where Highway 191 crosses the Colorado River.  Most people don't take the time to travel the Byway...what a mistake that is.  It ends at the Ghost Town of Cisco, close to I-70.  We made the mistake to follow our GPS to the east at Cisco, which takes you on a very rough 8 miles until it reaches I-70.  Taking a left headed west takes you 2 miles on a smooth road, and easy access to I-70.  Either way, once on I-70 it is only an hours ride to Grand Junction, or 20 minute ride back to Highway 191.

There's about a dozen BLM Campgrounds along the Byway, most of them along the first five miles.  There's no water, no electricity, some have outhouses, and there is little to no Cell Service along the entire route.

      

 

 

The hardest thing about the drive is keeping your eye on the roadway...it is truly a stunning view.

 

 There are many areas along the river that rafters/boaters float west along the current.

 

      

 

The canyon widens and narrows back up.  At its widest point, I did get a little cell phone service, but it was spotty (both Verizon and T-Mobile)  The only way I would camp in the area is if I had a Starlink connection!

 

Eventually you cross the Colorado, and a few miles down the road the colorado turns to the southeast, and the road turns to the northeast.  The last couple of miles is just Utah desert, and then you come to the Ghost Town of Cisco...where there is one "store" (if you can call it that) which is open that sells beer and soft drinks...not sure what else, we did not stop.

 

We turned to the east and found a nice Rest Area/Welcome Center in Fruita.  Marcia had a prescription which needed filling, and although we ordered it Thursday morning, it was not ready until Monday.  So we found another scenic route to take while in Fruita...one that I had my eye one since the 1980's....  That will be our next posting.