Third time's a charm.

After hearing the annoying lady on the recorded message tell me, for the third time, there were NO restrictions on HWY 191, I decided to believe her and go for it, around 2 PM.

When I first entered the Indian Canyon I noticed there were no cars coming down the mountain, making me think the road was closed. Finally I saw a few cars pass by me, without any snow piled on the them, so I felt more at ease. I was plugging along, up the 8% grade, when I came up behind a pick-up pulling a really long Airstream trailer. Finally someone going slower than me!! Following him cut my speed down from 30MPH to 25 MPH on this steep up hill climb. Before I knew it we were cresting the 9,000’ summit, then I followed the Airstream slowly down the steep decline.

Before I knew it, there were at least a dozen vehicles lined up behind us. I pulled over the first chance I had to let the long line pass me. About 20 miles later, there I was, behind the Airstream again. Then again, before I knew it, there was another long line of vehicles lined up behind us. Again I pulled over to let them all pass at the first opportunity. And again, 20 or so miles later, there I was behind the Airstream again. At this point we were just pulling into Vernal, my final destination for the day.

I found a spot, in the dirt, at the Vernal Elk’s Lodge. After noticing lots of mud puddles, I was conscious to park on a high spot. I woke Friday morning to rain, so I was glad I found the highest spot in the lot. The Elk's Lodge parking lot is a bit noisy, being right on HWY 191, but it makes for a bit of entertainment, watching all the traffic go by. And it's free!! My Verizon wireless Internet connection is pretty slow here, but I finally thought to flip on my WI-FI button, and lo and behold, I found a much faster connection that way. So, I guess I’ll stay. Checking the weather report, rain is expected today and Saturday, so I’m thinking of staying here in Vernal until Sunday, then get back on HWY 191 and head due north, past Flaming Gorge, to Rock Springs, WY. Or maybe I'll leave Saturday.