JJ
Made an early start, got to the park around 5:30 and decided
it was way too early!! So, I parked at a
convenient pullout and just sat and watched the stars and watched the barest
sliver of a moon come up over one of the rock formations. Arches has been officially designated an
international dark sky park which means it has exceptional “quality of starry
nights and a nocturnal environment that is specifically protected for its
scientific, natural, educational, cultural heritage, and/or public enjoyment” according
to an article by Michael Matthes in the Visitor Guide. I know that I haven’t seen so many stars since
my last hunting trip to Pagosa Springs, Colorado. It was awesome to just sit and watch as the
sky became lighter and the stars began to disappear. How can anyone seeing such a sight doubt the
existence of God? The traffic increased
at a rapid pace as the sky lightened and I decided it was time to get on with
the business of the day, photographing Arches National Park. Based on the traffic today, I can only
imagine how crowded it must be in the summer.
Everyone was polite and willing to share the trail, masks
notwithstanding. At times it was hard to
maintain 6 feet of distance, but no one seemed to mind. I feel sort of sorry
for Jake, though, the park isn’t very pet friendly. The delicacy of the environment means that
dogs are not welcome on most trails so he was mostly confined to his crate
today. I was able to walk him around the
parking lot at a couple of stops so he could stretch his legs a bit. I did overhear a conversation between a couple
of older gentlemen and a park ranger as to why they were initially greeted with
a sign at the entrance indicating that they should return in 3 hours. She explained that, due to Covid restrictions,
they have to limit the number of vehicles in the park at any given time. The wait time was required in order for
vehicles to exit the park before allowing more to enter the park. It isn’t a problem if you arrive at
5:30am. ^_^
“Be still and know that I am God…” Psalm 46:10 NIV SDG
JJ
My plan worked!! Unhooked
all the utilities and backed the trailer up about a foot so the truck and trailer
were on the same plane and had no trouble unhooking the hitch. Hooked up all the utilities and I’m ready to
go. However, I need to get some work
done for Rick so will be hanging around the campground for today. And, looking for a place to buy a printer
cable….of all things. I know I threw
away several and kept a couple, but of course did not keep one in the camper.
“Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient unto the day.” Matthew 6:34 SDG
JJ
Ok, today’s plan is to work on client accounting and my blog until 9:00 then start packing up,
disconnecting from shore utilities and hooking up to the truck. Not really looking forward to the first few
miles winding, steep hills (7 and 8% grades up and down) but I’ll take it nice
and slow, the hunters will just have to wait.
After that it should be an easy pull based on internet research. I’ll let you know how accurate that is!
Not so accurate after all!!
Before you get into Vernal, UT there is a nice little stretch of road
that includes 9 miles of 8% grade with 10 switchbacks!!! At least there is a sign telling you in
advance, and the road is very well maintained with wide shoulders. However, it can be nerve-wracking with that
many switchbacks (20 mph recommended) when you are fairly new to towing. God really had my back this time as I did not
have any 18 wheelers behind me. Don’t
get me wrong they are very nice people, but they are pros at this and I always
feel intimidated when I think they think I’m going too slow. Probably all in my head… Anyhow, after that the road was fine. And, I should also mention that the views
were all you would expect, as Bill would always say, “Sure is purty country!” Definitely worth going this way. And, that is why I planned my trip along the
scenic routes.
This leg of the trip also included a short stint on an
interstate ~ I70 from Price to the Moab turn off. It didn’t seem to cause anyone undue
irritation that I was driving a sedate 65 when the speed limit is 80 so I just
cruised along. Little did I know that
Utah is in the process of widening the US191 corridor through Moab and I had
the bad luck to arrive in time for the evening roadblock. Sign says “traffic backs up quickly, use
caution”. Yep, we had a rolling
roadblock 2 lanes wide for several miles, narrowing down to 1 lane across the
bridge and halfway through town. Kudos
to the nice gentleman in the red Texas truck for letting me in ahead of him and
note to the construction workers – when you use orange barrels to create a 10’
wide lane, please stand on the construction side of the barrel, not on the
traffic side, at 8.5’ there isn’t a lot of extra room to go around you. I managed not to hit either the worker or the
orange barrel on the other side of the trailer, but it was a near thing.
God had one final challenge for me today; I was shown to my
camping space and began working on unhooking.
Seems the truck and trailer are not on the same plane and will NOT
unhook. Worked on it for almost an hour,
even called Warren to see if I was using the right process, yep nothing else to
do but keep at it. I think I just need
to back the trailer up some to get them level.
It’s getting late, starting to get dark, and I am tired. So, off to bed and I’ll deal with it in the
morning – after quiet hours.
“For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.” 1 Peter 5:7
SDG
