Western States 2012 - Day 14

June 18, 2012 - Monday

Today was a work day for Martha and a slowdown day for both of us. We needed a brief break from the activity. Our original plan was to stay at the Kaibab Camper Village outside the North Rim gate until Tuesday. However, since Byron wanted to get to Golden Spike near Ogden, Utah we decided to leave today (Monday) after Martha got most of her transcription work completed. That meant leaving about 4 p.m.

One of the first things we did after leaving the campground was stop in Fredonia where there was a car wash. There we could get the dust off rear of the motorhome and the car and wash the bugs off the front end of the motorhome.

We left Fredonia, AZ and headed west toward I-15 and the small town of Hurricane in southwest Utah. Again, we went down and up a couple thousand feet before making one big and winding descent into Hurricane. In a diesel-driven motorhome the challenge is to keep the downhill inertia from taking over and driving the RPMs of the diesel engine too high. Byron has that under control for he surely has gotten the practice. Once at Hurricane we crossed over the Virgin River, the river that flows through Kolob Canyon in Zion National Park.

The further north we drove on I-15 the more larger the communities got while coming closer together. Though there were some hills and steep grades, the road is mainly straight and flat as we drove along an elevation of 4,500 feet. By leaving on Monday afternoon we didn’t feel the strain of getting to the next destination, the KOA at Brigham City, Utah. For only the second time this trip, we stayed overnight at a Flying J truck stop at Beaver, Utah. We were not alone this time as there were three other RVs parked when we pulled in just before 9 p.m. MDT.

Yes, we have returned to the world of daylight savings. Not only that, we’ve returned to the world of Walmart and, best of all, cellular coverage with AT&T (or should it be the other way around?). AT&T may have more bars in more places but we know some places where no bars exist.

We are fascinated at the differences to be noted with each 500-foot change in elevation. The differences may be subtle, at times, but they are there. For instance, going from dessert-like conditions with sagebrush you can observe come into an area with tall sagebrush and short trees. As the path continues to rise the height of the deciduous trees gets taller until you come into the area with short pine and fir trees. Finally, at the upper elevations where there are cooler temperatures the aspen start to appear. What is odd is that the sight of cactus on the dessert areas at this elevation is rare.

As you drive north in Utah it is obvious that rain is a more common sight. Not only were the communities closer together but also the quantity of grazing cattle begins to increase. It is all possible because of availability of water. Water isn’t a commodity along the Arizona and Utah border; it is something to be conserved and used wisely.

For the diesel pusher fans following this, Byron reports that the treks up and down elevations and winding roads made us take a hit on the mileage situation. We are now at 10 mpg overall. Our mileage into and out of the Grand Canyon area was 9.8. Our average speed is at 61 mph.