Red Canyon Lodge to Vernal, Utah. Tuesday, July 2, 2024
Today I completed what I had hoped to do in one day yesterday, the remaining 43 miles to Vernal. Nowhere near as tough as yesterday, but still involved climbing the high walls of Flaming Gorge, summiting at 8,483 feet, followed by a very switchbacky 3,000 foot plunge to the lake-dotted flats of Vernal. The temperature went from the 50s to the 80s. I had rejoined an old friend, US 191, that had also been that scary stretch from Big Sky to Bozeman, and later from Yellowstone Lake through the Tetons, Jackson, and all the way to Pinedale.
I slept well, my mojo was back, but I still found it easier to walk on the steep stretches. My granny gear can let me go as slow as 2.5 mph, but I can walk at 2 mph, and not weave all over the highway. I can also have long phone conversations.
I am now in Utah’s red rock country, and though the scenes are not as spectacular as at Bryce Canyon or Zion, they are still quite arresting.
Arresting, but after many miles, the redness of the rock seems to melt into the endless glare of the sun. Beautiful to visit, but hard to imagine living there.
Vernal is a gateway town of sorts to the Dinosaur National Monument. I didn’t see much green there, just many blocks of suburban sprawl. Mr. Rex welcomed me.
The day ended with a redux of the “AirPods Kerfuffle” episode in Buffalo, three years ago. This time I arrived at the hotel with the pods, but not the charger case. The “Find My” feature on my iPhone has a little used section called Devices, and there I saw that the case was 2 miles back at my restaurant. I called them, they confirmed it was there, and that I can stop by the back door at 9 AM to pick it up.
Excited to be entering Colorado tomorrow.
Distance 43 miles, 2,660 total. Time 7 hours with stops. Elevation gain 2,338 feet
©️ 2024 Scott Luria
The Ends of the Earth 