Thursday we packed up and headed north to Rangely, CO. Our route included Colorado 139 which is 72 miles long and near its midpoint, the road crosses the Book Cliffs at Douglas Pass at an elevation of 8,268 ft (2,520 m). Schnitzel was huffing and puffing on the steep climb , but steady she went and we made it to the top. This is when the fun started…. Downhill we went in first gear at about 15mph. The pucker factor was high and we were glad when we reached the bottom of the Pass and the road leveled out. The views were fantastic and once we got closer to Rangely we drove through Canyon Pintado National Historic District (more on this later). This road is a gorgeous drive, just not with a Rig that weighs 26000lbs and is over 55ft long (incl. towed car).
The campground is the typical gravel lot, but we have FHU and a shade tree. Rangely itself is a small town of 2200 people, has at least 4 campgrounds, 3 or 4 Gas stations and a couple of grocery stores. It is also near Dinosaur National Monument which we visited on Saturday. Sunday we break camp and head into Utah where we will dry camp at a US Forest Service campground.
Canyon Pintado National Historic District
Friday morning we went back on CO 139 to explore Canyon Pintado. There are multiple interpretive pullouts next to the road where you can see Pictographs and Petroglyphs. The main difference between a petroglyph and a pictograph is the method used to create the image on a rock surface: Petroglyphs are carved, while pictographs are painted.
Dinosaur National Monument – Colorado Site
Saturday we drove to Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado site. This part of the Monument does not have any Dinosaur fossils, but a stunning landscape with deep canyons and views up to 163miles. Our first adventure was driving to Echo Park which is a 12mile steep, dirt, gravel, sand road which brings you down into a box canyon and ends at a primitive campground used by tent campers and Overlanders with their 4×4 SUVs and Trucks. The campground is located on a small river, Yampa River and Green River. The surroundings were breathtaking. Rock walls straight up for hundreds of feet on three sides. High clearance vehicle is recommended. Our repaired trusted Steed, SuziQ, was in her element and powered her way through all obstacles thrown in her direction. Next stop was Harpers Corner with multiple stops at viewpoints with amazing views of the Uinta Mountain Range in Utah to the West, gorgeous deep canyons and the Rocky Mountains to the East. What an experience!! Maria and I were in awe most of the time and promised ourselves to come back into this area and spend more time to explore more of this unbelievable landscape.
Until next update,
Maria and Bernhard
