6/23 & 6/24 Drive through Utah to Colorado

I left Zion National Park because of the 106 degree heat and headed north and west through Utah to the high country of Colorado.  This drive actually took two full days, but I thought I would combine them because of the differences in scenery. (In reality, Utah does have high mountain areas, but those are mostly in the northern part of the state.)  

Utah has more color and dryer country.  Most of my drive, by the way, was at around 4,500 feet in elevation.  Very pretty drive with rock formation and "moon-scapes."

What amazing variations in color! 

On the second day, I was clearly at a higher elevation and following the Colorado River.  Lots of water in the river, so I hope it helps to fill Lake Powell and Lake Mead!  

Most of these river photos were taken near Vail, Colorado. They did a very good job of fitting I-70 in between the canyon walls.  This area is about 7,000 feet in elevation, so much cooler than the lower areas in Utah. 

 

The road climbed up to 9,000+ feet in elevation and you can see more snowy peaks.  This is my exit for Dillon, Colorado, which is part of the Arapajo Basin, a very popular skiing area.

The only campsite I could get in this area was at Prospector, which is managed by the Bureau of Land Management.  Not even any electricity, but the high temps were predicted to be in the low 70s, which is the only thing I really cared about.  This photo was taken on Sunday after all the weekenders had left, so I had the place to myself. 

View of mountains from my campsite.

And of course, Colorado has lupines!