After a decent breakfast, we left Twin Falls ID and set off for Almo ID at 8:30, 55 degrees, partly cloudy, with the top down. We had a Starbucks stop (YAY!!) and then made our way to the Shoshone Falls on the Snake River. Hardly Niagara Falls, but fairly impressive. Along the way we glimpsed muskrats scampering out of the rocks to cross the road. Our first wildlife sighting!
Then we drove south to
Almo, the City of Rocks our destination. We elected to drive there on secondary roads....good decision.
Rt. 30 went through small towns, huge farms, acres and acres of fields, piles of manure, bales of hay, getting ready to plant (Idaho potatoes?). We saw unassuming farm houses, small wind farms and snow capped mountains to the south.
After passing several large factories, we came to the city of Burley. It was 62 degrees and partly sunny. We turned
South after Burley and followed the Snake River again to Declo, population 344, where we saw our first police car since leaving Portland. We were in
farm country again and then
beautiful scenery up and down a summit with snow-capped mountains in the distance to Albion, population 267, celebrated for its haunted mansions. We were back again on the high plains, altitude 5700 feet. Rt. 77S is beautiful, not even dotted, not a car insight.
Our next road was the Back Country Byway to Almo, the
City of Rocks and the California Trail where emigrants in the mid-1850s crossed to California. We drove the City of Rocks Rd...a dirt road following the original California Trail to the City of Rocks. Along the way we observed Amazing geological formations. At Camp Rock we saw emigrants' messages and signatures applied to the rock with axle grease from the covered wagons! At Emery Canyon, Elevation 6800 feet, the road was snow-covered so we backtracked and at
12 noon retraced our drive on the Back Country Byway to Rt. 77, to I84 toward Salt Lake City. We did spot an eagle outside the City of Rocks! And, although there were a few raindrops, we were undeterred and kept the top down!
We entered Utah on I84 at 1PM, still cruising along at 80 mph, top still down, 60 degrees. We were making great time and decided,again, to bypass the big city, Salt Lake, with, hopefully a glimpse of the Great Salt Lake. At 1:45 we stopped in Tremonton UT for a fast food lunch. Then we were off again, on I84 then I15 heading for Torrey UT, speed limit now 70mph and not even a glimpse of the Great Salt Lake! We stopped at 3:55 outside Provo to put up the top.....bad weather threatening! Beautiful views of the snow-capped Wasatch Mountains to our east where Peter has skied many times. Weather threat was over, sun was out! What wimps we are!! So.......top up again at 4:10!!!
We left the interstate at 4:30 to follow some recommended secondary roads to Torrey. Speed limit 65mph on two lane road! Route 28 to 89 through Gunnison Valley, farms, fairly prosperous towns and small cities, beautiful scenery approaching Canyon Reef on Rt. 24 where the landscape changed color, from green hills to tan rocky hills dotted w green shrubs. It's still high plains, altitude 6000 feet. We reached the summit at 7370 feet and 52 degrees. Scarf and jacket time!!! Deer on the road at a deer crossing sign!! Altitude 8370, 49 degrees! On the descent we were back to densely shrubbed high plains and hills and 54 degrees. Then
WOW!!, beautiful red-ridged mesas!!
We arrived at the Capitol Reef Resort in Torrey UT at 7. The room is quite nice and looks out on red rock mesas. We had dinner at the onsite restaurant, regrouped for tomorrow, watched a little TV, talked about how fortunate we are with the weather, the awesome scenic roads we've traveled and our cool Mustang convertible. Peter is sooo happy!
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