Mother nature altered our itinerary once again!  Not only were we unable to reach Taos, NM, because of the forecast for cold temps and some snow, but we also decided to cross the Sierras a day earlier because of the impending storm that was to come in Thursday evening, dropping snow on Donner Summit.  So we arrived back at Rancho Cielito (aka: Utterly Blessed Farm) on Wednesday night and arrived home in Eureka Thursday afternoon.  In retrospect it was a very relaxing, successful sojurn or foray.  We managed to test both the Ford and the Fox in a variety of settings and over an assortment of terrains, and both passed with flying colors.  The Ford is a thirsty but smooth and powerful beast, and the Fox is a very comfortable and spacious upgrade from the miniscule RoadTrek.

We spent a rainy Monday night in Draper, Utah.  The drive from Moab to Draper on HWY 6 goes along Spanish Fork Canyon and over Soldier Peak, reaching altitudes over 7,000 feet.  It started to rain and then hail making driving a bit dicey.  Fortunately, we felt quite safe in our robust and sturdy Ford.  Our stop in Draper was not for any particular scenic attraction, but merely a convenient midway point between Moab and Elko, NV, our destination for Tuesday.  I have included some "out takes" from the leftover photo file.

Puebloan architectural detail

Paula and Clifford examining vegetation

Amazing colors!

See waving hand in background

Dwarfed by arch

Effects of minerals on cliff wall

Layers of geological time

Mt. Rushmore?

Abe himself!