The day started retracing our tracks to drive the Sheep Cove Geological Loop in Ashley NF, allegedly where the bighorn sheep have their morning coffee. The bad news, we missed the coffee klatch. The good news, we saw several turkeys and deer, and some fabulous views. I've been pretty dismissive of the Uinta Mountains in the past, as over-promoted Utah hills. But dropping down one mountainside into a narrow canyon was pretty awesome and awesomely pretty. The past few days have given me more respect for both the Uinta and the Sawtooth ranges.
Then we drove East. We dropped down to Vernal, a town I remember as Infernal Vernal because it was so dry and hot. It was still early when we got there, but it was definitely dry, and the heat was clearly a'coming.
We stopped at Dinosaur National Monument, but it was already hot and arid enough that taking a shuttle bus to the big excavation building I remembered will be saved for another day, along with the 4 hour hike Sharon was looking at.
Next stop, Craig Colorado, where we were thinking of stopping at Freeman Reservoir Campground. It was on The Plan as a 2 night stay to play around the lake. With temps pushing 90, we were unsure it was worth the 20 mile drive off pavement. After touching base with Peter, we continued East for better opportunities.
With internet access, Sharon's forefinger leapt into action, finding a National Forest site at the top of Rabbit Ears Pass, East of Steamboat Springs. With several sites to choose from, we selected #2, with a nice view and out of audible range of anyone with a generator. We've noticed that a lot of RVers have them, and they can be loud and annoying (and sometimes stinky). For $5 I'm tempted to reserve the site across from us, lest someone with a generator comes by, but this trip is good for resisting temptation. At 9400', we are living high on the hogback.
We finished Book 8.5 of the Grim Reaper series we've been listening to. We thought it was the last one we hadn't heard, but it wasn't; maybe Book 9 will catch us up. So we started The Dirt on the Ninth Grave for the NY interlude (all of the other books take place in Albuquerque NM).
Pictures are at https://photos.app.goo.gl/DaySfQQGRLJ4hthW6
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