Day 4, March 7 was planned as a travel day to get as close as possible to Moab, Utah.  We successfully drove 650 miles through various types of terrain and scenery.  South of Rapid City we passed through the town of Hot Springs.  You could see steam rising off the river that ran through town.  It reminded me of Yellowstone National Park.

After that we drove for the next 2 and 1/2 hours of rolling cattle ranches and farm land in SW South Dakota and NW Nebraska.  (We can both add Nebraska to the list of states we have visited or traveled through).  For miles and miles we drove and we saw very few houses or vehicles.

We picked up Interstate 25 at Cheyenne Wyoming and drove south towards Denver.  Just north of

Denver we stopped for lunch and gas.  Speaking of gas, we have paid $3.39/gal, today in South Dakota & Colorado, to $3.89/gal in Ohio.  The truck has been averaging about 15 miles to the gallon.

As we turned on Interstate 70 northwest of Denver the weather was looking foggy, with low clouds.  Kind of like the weather the day before at Devil's Tower.

We were thinking that we would not be able to see much of the rocky mountains as we drove west.  But luckily, about 40 miles later the fog lifted and the sun was shining.  We exited I70 onto US route 6 to drive up the Loveland Pass.  At 11,990 feet this is the highest passable road in the rocky mountains.

Driving back to I70 we passed the ski resorts of Arapaho Basin, and Keystone.  We continued west back on I70 and we passed Vail and Eagle, Colorado.  After Eagle, the valley widened and the road became relatively straight.  The next scenic section was the Glenwood Canyon area.  This is considered one of the 4 major accomplishments of this section of I70 west of Denver.  Originally, when the interstate system was planned, I70 ended at Denver.  Eventually, it was decided to complete I70 through the mountains and it is considered among the engineering marvels of the interstate system.  The east and west bound lanes weave through the narrow canyon along the north side of the Colorado river.  On the south side of the river can be seen railroad tracks.  The westbound lanes we drove on are suspended on a viaduct several feet above the canyon floor.  The eastbound lanes extend cantilevered over the Colorado river.

After Glenwood Canyon Springs, the valley widened and the road became straight again.  I had always wanted to drive this stretch of I70 to see the road and scenery.  Now I can scratch it off my travel bucket list.  Compared to other mountainous areas I have visited, the rocky mountains are the most majestic and impressive that I have ever seen.  As we arrived in Grand Junction we looked back towards the east to see the full moon over the mesas. 

Tomorrow we return to Arches National Park.  This visit we plan on hiking to the Delicate Arch.

Good night from Grand Junction which has two full moons tonight.