West Coast Vacation-Day Three

At Grand Junction, Colorado the Gunnison River joins the Colorado River and turns south, having driven next to the Colorado for a hundred miles or so yesterday I will miss it. Grand Junction is well known for it's fruit, especially peaches, and apparently it's wine. I can't vouch for that I didn't try any. :( I am only 30 miles from Utah so that drive is quick! The land is very dry and rolling, at a glance it appears green but close up you can see the soil , or rather the sand, between each plant. There are NO trees. Before long the buttes and mesas appear and to the south I can barely make out the spires and rock formations of the National Park I know is near. Distances are misleading though, they could be 100 miles away. While there are signs of human habitation: roads, power lines, exits from the Interstate called Ranch exit, etc. I never see an actual person outside of my fellow travelers. In fact I see no actual life outside of plants. In spite of the hopeful road sign "Caution Eagles on highway" I don't see one of those either. As I travel further into Utah the buttes, and mesas grow more rugged until you reach The Reef, huge slabs of rock set nearly upon end showing their sedimentary layers vertically. This part of Utah is a geology nuts playground! At times you travel the highway up pretty high and on each side of you the land falls away into great basins full of mesa, monuments and amazing rock formations. Silent witnesses to the work of wind and water over eons. There are 4 National Parks just to the south of my route, I haven't time to visit them today but I promise myself that the next "driving to see Steve trip" I will plan to explore them all. The rocks and the ground itself change color often from a deep red to almost white and still there is some green. there are two National forests along the way, not many trees although I would at least call them trees, not bushes like before. There is often a long distance between things like gas stations, one place the highway sign said 106 miles to next services! I filled the tank this morning so I just keep on. Right before that 106 miles is up I see the first ranch house with it's cows deep in grass. It will be a while before I see more. I am spending a lot of time keeping the truck on the highway again today, no cruise-control, just lots of long steep grades both up and down. After a while I run out of Interstate 70 and turn south on Interstate 15. As I drive I try to think about how I will describe the land etc to you but I think it's beyond me or maybe I'm too tired. I stopped early, at St George's UTah. I could have probably made it to Las Vegas but I don't really like Vegas so I didn't try.