In a Cloud on Highway 191

Yesterday I drove back to Duchesne from Greeley, after visiting Sam for the ever-wonderful General Conference Weekend. The last two times I visited Sam, I took highway 40 into Colorado from Duchesne, and then cut south to 1-70 through Vail and into Denver. It's supposedly safer in the winter that way (but 1-70 & 1-80 both have their evil-winter dangers). This time I decided to head north from Vernal into Rock Springs, Wyoming and then across 1-80 to Cheyenne.

Beautiful!! It has been a while since I have driven on such a scenic highway (that's probably because I've been on the road a LOT the last few months, and all I've seen are dead deer, elk, and even a moose, and lots and lots of snow--dirty snow at that). What a refreshment! There were multiple colors of soil and rock, and clean clear snow on top. I also drove right on top of Flaming Gorge Dam and saw multiple live deer.

About 6-7pm last night I found myself in a cloud. Not in fog--for the cloud was not all around me in a fog-esque way. I looked over to my right and there only a few feet off the road--and looming above a cliff of sorts--was the end of the wispy cloud that I was driving through. It was one of those many outdoor moments when you say to yourself "Wow. This is amazingly simple and oh-so-beautiful."

Not too many miles after that I was greeted by the Utah border and lovingly welcomed by the sun as it came out of the clouds one last time before heading to bed. And in the distance all I could see was miles and miles of mountains ahead.



If you ever want a scenic drive--brave the ugliness along the way to Vernal, and then bask in the beauty of highway 191 from Vernal to Rock Springs (or at least to Flaming Gorge). Oh, and do take notice the cute village-like town of Dutch John along the way.