Colorado / Utah Road Trip Day 7: Vernal to Winter Park on the Victory Highway
An early start on the eastward trail crossing eastern Utah into Colorado, the Uinta Mountains faded the rear view mirror. Clear skies and a cool morning made easy travel of the short distance to the first detour of the day.
A town just across the the state line, named for the extinct critters, hosted a visitor center and some intriguing wood carvings. It was not much more than a convenience, prior to investigating other matters lacking as much. It was a good thing too.
The Canyon Area of Dinosaur National Monument, up to Plug Hat Butte from the highway, offers few conveniences. The views are astounding though, without going any father than there, only about 7 km from the entrance. A few minor hiking trails show off fantastic views across Colorado into Utah, and beyond. Our timetable ensured a return expedition necessary to surveying this area properly.
Clouds began choking the sky as the effort continued east on the Victory Highway and the mid-elevations. They eventually dump their cargo in a torrential downpour that often reduced visibility to a single kilometre. Peaks surrounding Middle Park stood shrouded behind extremely low cloud cover.
Chasing our party back up into the higher elevations, the atmospheric stalker finally gave up on us at Winter Park. The climb had taken the fight out of it, but not before dumping buckets, one last time, on the quiet little ski town.
The sun began to break through in places, inspiring a bit of a walkabout the surrounding landscape. An aerial tram provided passage to the village, nearly abandoned during this late July encounter. A few shops stood open and little more. It mattered little. The primary objective for the evening involved very little beyond settling in for time to explore tomorrow.
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Further Reading
Dinosaur National Monument - National Park Service
Winter Park Resort
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