From Castles to Dinosaurs

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Just north of Moab we turned east on Hwy 128, another designated scenic road. It's a beautiful drive through red rock canyons cut by the force of the Colorado River. The road runs alongside the Colorado River for about 30 miles. Castle Valley was gorgeous, its name an obvious choice; the rock formations look like castles on top of mesas for miles. The closer we got to I-70, the flatter and drier it became.

We drove east on I-70 to Fruita, CO, where we went up a very steep and winding road into Colorado National Monument with its cliffs and canyons. Then north up CO 139, designated the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway. After visiting Arches and Canyonlands, Dinosaur Diamond was a bit dull, except for a nice climb over Douglas Pass at 8,268'. We took a quick peek into Dinosaur National Monument before settling in for the night at Vernal, UT.

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Photos

Colorado River Canyon
near Moab

Castle Valley
not far from Moab

dark clouds and shadows
Castle Valley

Colorado National Monument
Canyon as viewed from visitor center

western Colorado
along the dinosaur diamond scenic bywey

view from Douglas Pass
at 8,268', as you can see, the road was quite winding

Dinosaur National Monument
view from the visitor center

Comments

[anonymous]

This is a great trip for me..

[Claudia]

Tully and Bill Kilp
Please add these emails to your blog: [e-mail] [e-mail] You pictures are great. We are really enjoying the blog.