Summer 2022, Day 41: High Mesa, Day 2

After a rainy and cool Shabbos on High Mesa, Sunday morning was cold with a bit of fog:

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I rode the motorcycle out to the Lands End Observatory, which looks out over Grand Junction below:

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My old friend, the Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel:

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On the way back to the RV, I visited the restored Raber Cattle Camp. In the 1930s and 1940s, the Raber family lived here in the summers, overseeing their cattle herd:

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I got rained on as I returned to the RV:

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Summer 2022, Day 39: Kokopelli Loops, Up to High Mesa

Today I drove a few miles to ride the Kokopelli Loops Trail Network, which provided jaw-dropping scenery as I rode along the cliff edge high above the Colorado river:

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Looking down at the trail switchbacks:

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By afternoon, temperatures were in the mid-90s, and I decided I didn’t want to spend Shabbos in these conditions, so after dumping and filling and stocking up on groceries in Grand Junction, Colorado, I drove an hour to gain almost 6,000 feet of vertical elevation for dispersed camping lakeside on top of Grand Mesa at 10,300 FT of elevation. Temperatures are 30° cooler here, so it should be quite pleasant:

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Good Shabbos from Grand Mesa.  See the trip map for today’s drive.

Summer 2022, Day 37: McCoy Flats to Grand Junction

I tried flying this morning, but the wind coming off the ridge was too dirty to get a good launch:

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I went for another amazing ride in McCoy Flats:

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I packed up and headed into Vernal, Utah.  I visited the local BLM office, where I picked up some educational materials for Tricia’s school:

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I visited the Uintah County Heritage Museum:

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Tonight’s destination’s temperature is in the 90s, so I decided to work in the local library and head out at a time that would have me arrive at my destination around sunset.

I left Vernal at the appropriate time, driving east to Rangely, Colorado, then south over Douglas Pass to dispersed camping near Fruita, Colorado.

See the trip map for today’s drive.