November 6/09

Today was moving day so once everything was ready, off we went. We had travelled over some of this highway while exploring the back country so there wasn't really anything new. We hit the interstate and Little America, which is an all inclusive truck stop (motel, restaurant, garage etc). We dumped the tanks, filled up with propane, water and diesel and headed down the road. John wanted to stop at the Flaming Gorge Recreation Area and do some backroads there. As it turned out, there were no campgrounds open and no real place to boondock this big rig. We stopped at a small town just into Utah and I picked up a few groceries and asked about a camping spot for the night. We could park at the town park but was told that that wasn't exactly legal. Us being the law abiding citizens that we are, carried on. It was DARK out.

A few miles down the road we started to climb, and climb and climb. All the campgrounds along the route were closed!! GREAT. Here we are, hanging off the edge of a mountain and, there are no open campgrounds!! What is the matter with these people??

We climbed some more and please remember, what goes up, must come down. I'm kind of glad it was dark and I couldn't see the great abyss just on the other side of the cement retaining wall (which wasn't nearly high enough).

At one point John saw a big yellow sign and mentioned that that is never a good sign and guess what? He was right!! It said that there were a series of 9 switchbacks and a 5-8% grade ahead and that there was a brake check area ahead. GREAT. Oh, another thing, there were several runaway truck lanes ahead.!! NOW, I feel much better. Did I mention that it was dark out!! At one point on the way down, we had to stop because our brakes were heating and that is not good. The only place to stop was at one of those runaway lanes - Oh Boy. At this point I started to pray to God, Allah, Buddha and the Gitchi Manitou.

John unloaded the truck from the trailer to make to load lighter and we got on our way in about an hour. John in the bus, Hogan and I in the tracker. We started out and the sign said 5 more switchbacks!! God, we had only done 4!! Slowly, we made our way off that mountain and ended up in the Walmart parking lot in Vernal, Utah. (how lame is that!!).

I told John that I never wanted to see that road again. He looked at me and said WHY?, it's not like we were going to die. Of course not, I was praying to all the greater beings I could think of!! Who the hell put that mountain there anyway?

Once settled, I had a double double vodka and John had a beer!! Guess we aren't doing any of the trails around the Flaming Gorge because I am NOT going back over that mountain. I would have made a lousy pioneer!!