Since all of our planned out of country excursions were now canceled due to the pandemic issues of 2020, we pointed our sights to the use of the Graham Van. A roadtrek of 2 weeks through Utah, Arizona, and Colorado (as well as the midwest) would have to do. We would leave from PA, and drive westward and see what we could accomplish.
Day 1 – Saturday (Sept 5th)
Van lessons from Tom, Make sure we know everything
Starting the trip on I-70
Triton brewery to visit Alex’s Cousin
North to I-80
Sleep in reststop in Iowa
Giant rainstorm over night, Big midwest storm
Day 2 – Sunday (Sept 6th)
Largest truck stop in the world
SAC museum
Fire and smoke of Colorado
Slater 50/50 burger and milkshake
Met Sallizoni
Sleep in Denver neighborhood street
Day 3 – Monday (Sept 7th)
Met Ben and Barnoff in Boulder
Got recommendations to visit, had to beat the snow storm coming
Golden and clear creek foot wash and cool down
Rest stop in Vail
Glenn wood canyon fire.
Rifle fish hatchery and picnic in the canyon and ice caves
Slept in Fruita welcome center with many other vans
Day 4 – Tuesday (Sept 8th)
Awoke to clouds and storms in the desert.
Drove to Thompson springs , pictoglyphs and vans first sand wash crossing
Dinosaur tracks
Arches, windows, delicate arch, and devils garden
Experienced rain, sleet, and snow
Special stop at “lops pop stop” in Moab,
Drove to castleton climbers parking lot. Dark 4×4 in the vanPasta dinner, and slept
Day 5 – Wednesday (Sept 9th)
Bad Weather in the morning, woke up and had coffee at cloud level
Went into Moab and go “Fiona” are big green Jeep
Alexis drove Potash road and Shafer Switch Backs up into Canyonlands
Pucker pass and drove under a large boulder
After another Lop pop stops, Evening 4×4 up to Kane Creek
Camped along WallStreet in Moab
Day 6 – Thursday (Sept 10th)
Drove out to arches again to 4×4 to tunnel arches.
Moderate dirt roads led eventually to real 4×4 and rock crawling. Soft sand and berms with big drops led up to tunnel arch parking
Hike to tunnel arch
Alexis got lots of 4×4 practice
Return Fiona ,
Went to Canyonlands and saw grand view and upheaval dome hikes.
Left Moab and drove for Capital reef
Green river watermelon shop
Evening night hike of “little wild horse slot canyon” camped here
Dinner of water melon and bread
Saw Milky Way
Day 7 – Friday (Sept 11th)
Woke up and headed down the road to ding and dang slot canyons
Up ding
Down dang
Stopped at goblins valley state park. Goblins everywhere
Hiked around the goblins army to
The top of the butte,
Wandered around trying to locate the drop into the goblins lair
Rappelled into the lair
Headed to capital reef national park
Driving tour, much of the visitor stuff was closed (no bread ,cinnamon rolls, or orchards
Hike to goose necks and sunset Point
Watched the sunset fall on the cliffs
Got showers at Austin chuck wagon in Torrey
Slept Just outside of Torrey , among some desert pull outs
Day 8 – Saturday (Sept 12th)
Left Torrey with coffee from Dark sky coffee
Drove south through , Dixie national forest and high woods country
Passed through boulder NM, last city to have official mail delivery established in us
Turned down “hole in the rock” rd. Terrible wash board for 26 miles 1 way
Hike peekaboo and spooky and dry gulch slots
Adventure leaving , with sand and rd and 26 mile drive back
Triaged van, and made way toward Bryce through red rock canyon
Sunset stop in Bryce to catch sunset point
Pizza and bread sticks at pizza place on tropic , Utah
Pulled in to quiet rest stop out of Bryce. Eat and slept
Day 9 – Sunday (Sept 13th)
Morning sunrise in Bryce canyon rest stop
Walked queens garden and Navaho loop
Drove the scenic route to the top
Path to Grand Canyon, red canyon with Smokey
Closed fish hatchery
Kanab drive through the National Forest to the the Grand Canyon northern
Grand Canyon , sunset
Animal out and about coyotes and muley crazy’s
Night photos and beer in camp
Day 10 – Monday (Sept 14th)
Morning sunrise , watched mule deer
Vermilion cliffs drive through
Colorado River put in and Glenn canyon, big rafts
Swam at lone rock beach in Glenn canyon, rv paradise
Drove through Navaho land
Coffee shop and roastery of flagstaff
Mtn bike up the mountain , flat, foot walked it back, hitched a ride back down
Pizza dinner at jimmy and Lindsey
Day 11 – Tuesday (Sept 15th)
Breakfast with Mcmesta’s
Downtown flagstaff
Drove oak creek canyon , stop for swimming
Sedona – cathedral peak hike, bare feet vortex , crystal shop
Rock salt lunch
Drove to petrified forest national park , but closed
Did Alexis tour of shops and side street attraction .
Bought rocks at Jim Gray crazy shop
Cruises old 66 in Gallup
Sleep in casino gas station
Day 12 – Wednesday (Sept 16th)
Basically all of New Mexico was shutdown . No museums or mountain lifts .
Breakfast at the frontier and coffee at satellite next to the college campus
Walked and tour the national park peteoygpyhs
Found a dumping station. Finally
Bailed on toas , drove the scenic route to pagosa springs
Used all the hot springs polls, drinks , river , fish , lobster pots
Drove to top of wolf creek pass , slept at elevation and cool weather.
Day 13 – Thursday (Sept 17th)
Drove down the mountain in to del Norte
Stop by Penetente canyon
Climbed 4 things and saw the virgin painting
Started long drive back east ,
Blanca pass, Alamosa, Walden burg , Rocky ford (got famous melons and big Jim chili’s )
A lot o Eastern Colorado nothingness.
Made it into Kansas, and finally connect with i70
Killed lots of bugs,
Stayed in reststop west of Topeka.
Day 14 – Friday (Sept 18th)
St. Louis city museum
Stayed Indianapolis, beers at triton
Slept in triton parking lot
Day 15 – Saturday (Sept 19th)
Air Force museums in Dayton
Spike of metal in tire, limp home to PA
