The (Mostly) True Adventures of Lupe

After two huge climbs on the previous two days up to Mount Elbert and Mount Massive, the highest peaks in Colorado, it was time for Lupe to move on.  It was 8-25-15, already Day 17 of Lupe’s great Summer of 2015 Dingo Vacation.   SPHP gassed up the G6 before leaving Leadville, CO, and then headed S on Highway 24.  A short time later, Lupe achieved another personal first: Lupe reached the southernmost point she has ever been to at the junction of Highways 24 and 82.

SPHP turned W on Highway 82.  Soon Lupe was at Twin Lakes, which she and SPHP had seen for the first time from up on top of Mount Elbert two days before.

After a wonderful time in the mountains of N Central Colorado, Lupe was on her way out of the state.  She would see quite a bit of scenic NW Colorado on the way.  Highway 82 went over 12,095 ft. Independence Pass.  Lupe and SPHP took the short walkway there to a viewpoint overlooking more beautiful mountains of the Colorado Rockies.

Once over Independence Pass, Hwy 82 lost a great deal of elevation on its way to Aspen.  From Aspen, Hwy 82 continued losing elevation, although at a reduced rate, all the way to Glenwood Springs.  Lupe and SPHP stopped at a park next to the highway for a picnic.  SPHP would have liked to have gone to the hot springs in Glenwood Springs, but it was near noon.  It was hot, approaching 80°F – too hot to leave Lupe unattended for any length of time in the G6.

It got hotter as the day wore on.  Until now, Lupe and SPHP had spent the vast majority of Lupe’s great Summer of 2015 Dingo Vacation at 8,000 to 12,000 feet.  At these lower elevations, the heat was oppressive.  In the G6, however, Lupe rode in air conditioned comfort as the miles clicked by.  Lupe and SPHP headed W from Glenwood Springs on I-70.  It wasn’t too far to Rifle, where SPHP stopped at a McDonald’s to buy Lupe a hot fudge sundae.

From Rifle, Lupe went N on Highway 13.  SPHP soon turned W onto Piceance Creek Road.  Piceance Creek Road was interesting.  It went 40 miles down a valley that gradually turned to the N.  It was 10 miles before Piceance Creek had any water in it.  Piceance Creek never became a very big stream.  The valley grew wider as it lost elevation.  It was bordered by low juniper and sage-brush covered mountains.  There were cows and horses near the creek in the valley, which kept Lupe entertained for miles.

Lupe reached the White River again when Piceance Creek Road reached Highway 64.  Lupe had seen the North Fork of the White River before.  It flows out of Trappers Lake in the Flat Top Mountains.  The scenery heading W on Highway 64 was interesting, but not inviting.  Lupe was heading into increasingly barren territory.  By the time she reached Rangely, even the sagebrush was sparse and struggling.  It was 97°F in Rangely.

Beyond Rangely everything was hot, thirsty, white and barren.  Late August was no time to be visiting here.  At Dinosaur, though, SPHP did stop to get a picture of Lupe with a cool, colorful Stegosaurus.

SPHP would have loved to take Lupe to Echo Park in Dinosaur National Monument.  Echo Park is located at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers.  It is a beautiful spot down in a big canyon with vertical rock walls, and very worth seeing.  However, SPHP knew the G6 might have trouble with the road there, which is best traversed with a high clearance vehicle.  (SPHP once put a hole in a Chevy Corsica’s oil pan on that road – not an experience SPHP was eager to repeat.)

So Lupe missed out on Echo Park.  Instead she turned W on Highway 40 at Dinosaur.  A big event was only a short distance away.  Lupe was going to enter the state of Utah for the very first time.  It had been nearly 2 years since Lupe last visited a new state, so it was an event worthy of note.  Soon Utah became Lupe’s 11th state!

Near Jensen, Utah, Lupe stopped by the sign for the Dinosaur National Monument Fossil Bone Quarry.  The quarry features quite an amazing exhibit of dinosaur bones.  The partially exposed bones are on display in their original locations on a hillside which has been enclosed with a building.  The Quarry Exhibit Hall serves both to protect the fossils and as a visitor center.Of course, Lupe could not go into the Quarry Exhibit Hall, so there was no point in even going all the way to it.  Instead, Lupe got to go see the Green River just below the Highway 40 bridge.

It was almost 5:00 PM by the time Lupe reached Vernal, Utah.  SPHP had hoped to get some pictures of Lupe with some dinosaurs outside the Dinosaur Museum.  It had been years since SPHP had been to Vernal, though.  The Dinosaur Museum (officially the Utah Field House of Natural History Museum) had moved.  It is now housed in much fancier quarters.  Unfortunately, the museum closed at 5:00 PM.  Although there were dinosaurs outside the building, they were all behind walls and fences.

SPHP had to settle for taking a picture of Lupe and the profusion of petunias along the street.

Lupe and SPHP toured Vernal, Utah.  It looked like a thriving place with lots of new stores and development.  It was like an oven there though, at 98°F when Lupe arrived.  It was still 91°F at sunset when Lupe left town heading N on Highway 191.  Up in the Uinta Mountains, it was 59°F when SPHP parked the G6 for the night.  So much better!

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