The Road Less Traveled By

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Today we took three ‘secondary’ roads to make the 250 mile drive from Manila, Utah to Moab, Utah. Of course this drive included some interstate and primary roads as well.

The first road was called Sheep Creek Geological Loop near Manila where we got our first look at pink Utah sandstone cliffs soaring above the road.

The second road was just a straight south yellow line on the map from Rangely, Colorado to Loma, Colorado. This road ran through a narrow, sage dry and empty valley on brand new asphalt then climbed 500 metres to Douglas Pass and finally descended on a 30 mile long run out to Interstate 70. The road was empty meaning virtually no traffic, farms or roaming cattle. But Douglas Pass gave a breathtaking view of the switch backs below and sandstone cliffs all around.

After an hour heading west back into Utah on Interstate 70 we detoured south towards the Colorado River valley on a rough road with no traffic. Once we crossed the river and started along the inner river valley, the rock cliffs became red and vertical. Around each new turn in the river the views exceeded the previous turn.

We were stunned by the beauty around us, and had no idea that we had stumbled upon one of the most beautiful drives in the US, and the only one along the Colorado River canyon, which eventually flows into the Grand Canyon. Wow! Finally as the sun was setting we turned into an open desert valley with surrounding rock cliffs brilliant red in the late afternoon sunset. We were a little late for the best photography as the sun set while we were snapping.

We reached Moab, Utah after dark and flash lighted our way into the KOA campground, exhausted.

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Photos

Our First Stunning View of Red Rock
Highway 128 in the Colorado River Canyon near Moab.