Day 8 – Cold ‘Tocks to Hot Rocks

With the impending heat, we started our day early and geared up while the steam train was preparing for departure. As we left Durango we waved to the sooty train with fond memories of yesterday’s ride.

Once again we rose into the majestic Rockies and were quite cold with sun rising behind us.

We followed the Dolores River until we began to climb Lizard Head Peak.

We took a moment to warm up at the top of the mountain at 10,250 feet in elevation. 

At this elevation there are large fields and groves of Aspen and Birch and we passed a beautiful alpine lake.

We took a short detour and visited Telluride for a rest and coffee.As we left Telluride we saw the first signs of desert and the red rock country we would soon be entering. And, the San Miguel River accompanied us for a few miles.

The road quickly descended and the temperature quickly climbed. We stopped and peeled off some layers. As we entered Utah, the temperature was already in the eighties before noon, but the scenery was beautiful.

The colors are so unbelievable – pastel greens, pinks and yellows.

We arrived in Moab around 2pm, checked in to our hotel and sought out lunch. It was well over 100 degrees so we went back to the room, did laundry and took a nap.

Once the sun started to set, we ventured out to dinner. We chose a restaurant with outdoor seating and misters. While it was cool enough to sit outside, it was loud with cars, motorcycles and tractor trailers going up and down the street.

After dinner we walked up and down Main Street. Moab is full of galleries, souvenir stores, outdoor adventure companies and ice cream shops. It’s a busy little town full of tourists. We heard many languages tonight.

Tomorrow we will end our day in Kanab, Utah. We will be dipping into Arizona for a while via Monument Valley. The weather is supposed to be in the high nineties so we will try to get another early start.

We’re back in the part of the country that doesn’t have too many barns but we did find one today.

Credit must be given when credit is due… Tom is entirely responsible for the titles of these posts.