Dearest
Readers,
8 am
Mountain Time. Beautiful Ogden Utah
 |
| Approaching Ogden Utah |
Spectacular
desert journey yesterday from Rawlins Wyoming to Ogden Utah. I’m in the thick of the Rockies in all their
stark awesome beauty now. The mountains rise up like giants erupting right
behind the city. The desert terrain adds to the rocky alien splendor for me.
I’m used to thick stands of mountain-loving hardwoods and tall pines . There
are almost no “normal-sized” trees in the desert I passed through.
 |
| Sagebrush and gnarly bushes at a rest stop along I-80 in Coalville UT |
At a rest
stop a nature sign described the sagebrush as “Mama Sage”. There are 13 varieties of this hardy plant
that can survive on less than 6 inches of annual precipitation. It provides
food and shelter for 150 desert species from wild horses to antelope,
jackrabbits, tiny rodents, reptiles, birds, and insects.
 |
| Etta inspects little creature holes |
 |
| Wyoming's Great Continental Divide Basin |
I
crossed the Continental Divide twice in Wyoming at 7,000 and 6,900 feet elevations, then
dove down into the wide open desert basin with its infinite stretches of earth
and sky. I decided to enjoy the ride, and the imposing mountains up ahead along the horizon. I gave
up trying to do the 80 mph official speed limit. The Scion toaster car was
struggling to get up the mountains loaded like she is. I rolled along at 60-65
mph letting the trucks and cars sail past me.There wasn't much traffic.
Utah, and Wyoming near the Utah border provided the most dramatic mountain scenery. Buttes, bluffs, sand dunes, clay
formations, mesas (table-tops), red clay striated mounds, and lovely pastel
striped geological sedimentation.
Here's a sampling:
I
left old man I-80 West around Ogden and will continue west and north on I-84.
My cross-country trip has been a delightful process of dramatizing a new phase of my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment