Utah

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Nancy monitored Rich for signs of concussion all night. All was well, so he convinced her that he was fine to drive. He was limping, but it didn't hurt to drive. As we left the national park, we enjoyed the splashes of yellow on the mountain. Great Basin National Park is a mountain oasis in the middle of the desert. Aspen and willow were turning yellow by the clear streams. Bushes and other ground cover were turning orange and red. In the West, we savor these pockets of color in the middle of sagebrush chapparal and the evergreen forests.
We crossed the line into Utah and entered Mountain Time. The landscape on U.S. Highway 50 was beautiful. The mountains were caused by earthquakes and had colorful flat layers that angled up from the valleys to the peaks and ridges. Then we entered a valley with a huge dry lakebed, Sevier Lake. Around the edges, a few scraggly bushes tried to survive in the white, salty clay. There were range cattle trying to get by on pretty poor pickings.
We noticed a whole series of small solar collectors out on the flats for miles. When we got to Delta, Rich asked what they were for. The answer was that the University was conducting a study about the amount of ultraviolet light there. After Delta, there was more water so there were more crops: alfalfa and corn, apple and peach orchards, sod farms, and cattle in grassy meadows. We stopped at a farm stand and bought fresh Gala apples, fresh peaches, and fresh corn. As we approached the Rockies, the scrub oak were turning red and orange. Then there were patches of red all over the mountains by Provo and Salt Lake City. We saw banks of enormous wind generators, too.
When we got to Lehi, we parked at the Cabela's sporting goods store so Rich could have a break and Nancy could call Vicki Richards who lives just up the hill. She and Tim came right over to our trailer to visit. Then they took us out to dinner for Nancy's retirement present. Nancy and Vicki taught together in Dayton for more than 10 years. Vicki and Tim moved to Utah after they retired. They showed us their lovely new home and then took us back to our camper. Vicki and Nancy sat on the couch and had a great visit. Rich and Tim went outside to talk. It was a beautiful evening. After about an hour, Nancy went out to see if Rich's leg was comfortable and what should she see? Rich and Tim were settled comfortably in folding chairs and chatting away! It was after 9:00, so we had to say good-night to our friends. It was too late to go anywhere else, so we stayed the night in the parking lot, with several other RVers. We slept with the sound of semis on the interstate.

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