Day 2 & 3 - Crossing Navajoland and the Rocky Mountains

DENVER -- Our drive on Saturday was spectacular!

We got out of Salt Lake City before dawn and headed south of Provo on I-15 where we picked up I-70 in Salina, Utah, and then headed east another 550 miles. We will be on I-70 until we pick up I-64 in Saint Louis, Mo.

The trip across the Utah desert was amazing, a true feast for the eyes. The mesas are red and purple and sandy, and millions of years of sea bed are exposed. The wind and rain sculpt the mesas into twisted towers and arches. At one of the rest stops we met a group of Navajo artisan women selling pottery and jewelry, and we enjoyed talking with them about how they make their art, and we bought a few items. The Navajo reservation is to the south, but Navajoland extends up into the Utah desert.

The terrain changed dramatically when we entered Colorado, becoming greener as we followed the Colorado River (the same river that ends up in the Grand Canyon in Arizona). We were soon climbing into the Rocky Mountains along the sides of deep river gorges.

The Rockies are stunning, and the peaks are already covered with snow. We are fortunate to make the crossing now and not before more snow makes its appearance. Pullouts for chaining tires are everywhere (and I am carrying our chains). We crossed the highest point on I-70, Vail Pass, elevation 10,603 feet, in the late afternoon.

We are staying with friends, Robert and Ann, at their spectacular home on a mountainside in Morrison, Colorado, and we will relax here on Sunday before we head out on Monday for Kansas City. I hope all of you have a blessed Sunday!