We left Liberty Farms (Harvest Hosts) in Price, Utah, in good spirits on a glorious summer morning. But our travels along US-191 quickly deflated our moods. The increase in elevation (from 5,000 to 9,000+ feet above sea level) on a section of the highway was a stress on Big Boomer, our 16-year-old medium duty truck used to haul Suite Retreat, our 5th wheel. We rested him at several pull offs, praying we didn’t have a repeat of our 2022 fiasco traveling through Flaming Gorge (That breakdown put Big Boomer in the hospital for 3+ weeks to the tune of $30,000! You can read about that debacle here: https://ramblingrvrat.blogspot.com/2022/06/enduring-traveling-full-time-rvers.html) But when Big Boomer is stressed, we all are. Dad was focused intently on driving; Mom's lips were moving, but no words were audible (a real oddity for my very verbal Mom), for she was whispering prayers. Me, I was busy sweet talkin’ Boomer, encouraging him to be strong and to push through. Thankfully, Big Boomer delivered, and we made it to the top of the summit, where the highway leveled off. But then we were stopped in a construction zone with a single lane for 2-way traffic. After a 10-minute delay, we were signaled to follow the pilot vehicle, which rudely kicked up a rock and chipped our windshield that we had replaced in 2022 while in Quartzsite (Big Boomer cost A LOT of cheddar in 2022!)
The Park’s roads are all paved, and our pull-through full
hook up site was extra long and easily accessible, but the sites are extremely
close together. We weren’t informed that
the Park has Wi-Fi, but we discovered on our own that it has an unsecured
connection. It has a laundry facility,
bathrooms, and showers, too.
As we parked and began to set-up our site, we discovered Big Boomer blew a rear airbag! Of course, it was late Friday afternoon. So, although there were several truck service centers in the area, no one could do the repair/get the replacement airbag until Tuesday, the earliest. By Tuesday, we would be in Aztec, New Mexico, and near an International Truck Service Center. So, we arranged for the part to be ordered immediately by Roberts Truck Center in Farmington, New Mexico, and for us to bring Big Boomer in for service early the following week.
We decided we needed to do something for fun. So, we loaded into my Rambling RV Rat Pack Rubicon and drove a little over an hour to see the unique rock formations at Fantasy Canyon. Operated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the area is underutilized by the public who own these lands. We didn’t see another human being, but we did encounter 2 deer and some horses. However, there was no shortage of oil rigs, storage tanks, and pipelines—they are EVERYWHERE.
The roads to Fantasy Canyon are VERY rough—good thing we have a Jeep! But the geology is terrific! What artistry is created through wind, rain, and the passage of time!
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| Photographing in black/white makes the rock formations look a bit outer-worldly. |
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| Nothing soothes this Rambling RV Rat's soul better than a spectacular sunset! |
Mom had picked up a brochure at Outlaw RV Park for a day trip to “Outlaw Country” within Uintah County. The 1.5 hour driving tour was to start in Vernal, Utah and bring us to off-the-beaten-path places frequented by notorious outlaws like Butch Cassidy. Well, the directions in the brochure were a bit vague right from the get-go. Suffice to say, we made a few wrong turns and failed to reach any of the destinations listed. We found ourselves driving on Island Park Road, a dirt/gravel road (high clearance recommended) within the back-country of Dinosaur National Monument. What wonderful panoramas it provided!
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| A private residence in the middle of nowhere, complete with its own water park and dinosaur. |
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| An oasis in the desert. |
At the end of the 18-mile road, we discovered Rainbow Park and Island Park. Operated by the National Park Service (NPS), Rainbow and Island Parks are spectacular hidden gems for day-use and camping (tent, van, car, mini RV) along the Green River.
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| Rainbow Park. |
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| Views of Green River... |
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| ...from Rainbow Park. |
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| The flow of the Green River... |
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| ...creates the magnificent Island Park. |
Afterwards, we visited Harper’s Corner Road, a great boondocking area right over the border in Dinosaur, Colorado. There are only about ½ dozen spots, but all were vacant except for 1, including the site in which we stayed in 2022. We did a bit of hiking and witnessed another beautiful sunset.
The following day we left Outlaw RV Park via Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway and headed to our final stop in Utah. It was a bumpy ride without Big Boomer’s rear airbag. Thankfully, we have an Air-ride hitch and fluid brakes, especially when we began the ascent and subsequent descent of Douglas Pass as we passed through a portion of Northwest Colorado.
The interesting scenery compensated for the bouncier-than-usual ride.
We arrived at Buzzards Belly General Store, a Harvest Hosts located in Cisco, Utah, 4 miles from the put-in of the Colorado River. This was our second time staying in the huge, flat, gravel parking lot. (Here's some history about this ghost town from our first visit: https://ramblingrvrat.blogspot.com/2022/05/touring-dinosaur-national-monument-and.html)
Buzzards Belly has
a hodgepodge of items for sale, from novelties, to antiques, to clothing, to
cold beer, to a few random snacks including Peeps leftover from Easter. Mom purchased fresh farm eggs and Dad bought a long-sleeved shirt to fulfill
our minimum $30 obligation. The general store is
part of an old ghost town that is being brought back to life through unique art
pieces created through an artist-in-residence program. Mom and I enjoyed walking around “town” to
see what changes were implemented since our last visit.
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| Guess the ghosts in this town wanted a way to get snail mail! |
Well, time for me to retire to bed. Dad gave the edict that we must arise extra early tomorrow to get Big Boomer admitted to the truck hospital in New Mexico. I’ll talk to you again soon!
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