Vernal, UT

This is a great little town almost to the Colorado border on US 40.  We decided to take a different route from Wendover to Denver.  Started out crossing the Bonneville Salt Flats where so many land speed records have been set. Since Vi was not crazy about driving through Salt Lake City, we cut south as we drove through the salt flats east of Wendover.  It's a nice drive through small towns and passes by Toele Army Depot (Utah's answer to Hawthorne - it's where a lot of munitions are stored for the military). 

We kind of took a round-about way south from I-80 and then across to Provo, UT. One of the interesting points along the way was a Utah State Park commemorating Camp Floyd.  See information below:

If you can read the comments by one of the soldiers stationed there, it is very true!  We wended* our way across the countryside and hit I-15 for a few miles before heading east to hit US 40.  Vi had taken US 40 from San Francisco to North Dakota back in the 1960's (prior to the Interstate system being build), so we thought it would be nice to take that route over to Denver.  The Wasatch Mountains to the east of I-15 are the eastern side of the Great Basin - the western side is the Sierra Nevada.  In that whole area, nothing flows out!  Climbing through the Wasatch Mountains, we saw some beautiful scenery and rushing creeks and rivers.  The reservoirs (Deer Creek and Strawberry) are all full and there were lots of kayaking on the rivers.

When you get through the mountains, it turns into a kind of sandstone steppe countryside - still beautiful in its' own way.  We arrived in Vernal where we are staying at the Dinosaur Inn (Best Western).  Because Vernal is just southwest of the Dinosaur National Monument, everything here is based on a dinosaur motif.  We had checked before we left Reno and found there was a golf course, so we went over there after we had checked in.  It was the Dinaland Golf Course - now you would think with a name like that, it would have at least a windmill and a clown's mouth!  However, it turned out to be a great 18-hole course with beautiful trees and in great shape. 

We only played nine holes, but it was a fun way to get some exercise after sitting in the car all day.  Besides, we had to sharpen up our game in order to get ready to play with Paul and Sandy when we arrive in Denver.

Had dinner this evening at Vernal Brewing Company Brew Pub.  Since Tim and Kathy introduced us to brew pubs, we have looked for them in each town where we overnight.  Makes for something different and it's great to see how upcoming craft breweries are doing - besides, the food is usually pretty good.  The VBC motto (as depicted on the serving staff t-shirts) was "Our Cans are Your Destination".

Tomorrow, we are taking US 40 over to Denver.  Should be a fun drive through the Rockies and over Jack Rabbit Pass.

*So if the past tense of bend is bended and bent, is the past tense of wend, wended and went?  What a crazy language we have!